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Description: Watercolors by Winslow Homer: The Color of Light
In order to accurately describe the materials and working methods that Winslow Homer employed in his watercolors and drawings, the Art Institute of Chicago uses the following terms when referring to works in its collection. Opaque watercolor refers to the appearance of any opaque aqueous media achieved by using opaque pigments, adding a white pigment or bulking agent (as in gouache), and/or manipulating the media and methods of application. Transparent watercolor describes …
PublisherArt Institute of Chicago
https://doi.org/10.37862/aaeportal.00173.004
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Notes to the Reader
In order to accurately describe the materials and working methods that Winslow Homer employed in his watercolors and drawings, the Art Institute of Chicago uses the following terms when referring to works in its collection. Opaque watercolor refers to the appearance of any opaque aqueous media achieved by using opaque pigments, adding a white pigment or bulking agent (as in gouache), and/or manipulating the media and methods of application. Transparent watercolor describes transparent washes achieved by employing transparent pigments and/or controlling the degree of dilution. When it appears alone, watercolor refers to transparent watercolor and indicates the absence of any opaque passages. The term gouache is not used here, as it is not broad enough to encompass the full range of Homer’s opaque effects.
These definitions are based on the pioneering work of Roy Perkinson and Annette Manick (see Perkinson and Manick 1993) and the protocol employed in Ferber and Gallati 1998. The terms and their use reflect a trend in the conservation and curatorial fields toward standardization and greater accuracy in description.
A useful supplement to this book can be found by visiting the Collections page on the Art Institute’s website, www.artic.edu, where you will find complete information on the provenance, exhibition history, and publication history for each of the Art Institute’s drawings and watercolors by Winslow Homer. You can also learn more about Homer’s watercolor techniques by visiting Behind the Scenes: Exploring Winslow Homer’s Watercolors, www.artic.edu/aic/collections/exhibitions/homer/behindscenes, a special website developed in conjunction with this book and the exhibition it accompanies.
Notes to the Reader
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