Watercolor Paintings for Sale

You might think of watercolor painting as delicate, soft-colored pigments suspended in water, blending softly into paper. But in reality, watercolor is far more complex than this initial description. From travel diaries to abstract compositions, watercolor art lends itself not only to a variety of styles but is also used in combination with other techniques such as ink, drawing and collage. 

Unlike oil paint or acrylic paint, watercolor painting was considered as an old-fashioned, simple hobby reserved for amateur artists who paint charming countryside scenes. And yet, this art form is thriving nowadays, as watercolor artists multiply at a fast pace. At the very start, watercolor painting was employed mainly for landscapes, travel diaries, sketches and entry-level art studies. The quick-drying medium allowed artists to work fast, sometimes enabling them to achieve an impressive degree of precision, as demonstrated by Dürer's watercolors and his famous Young Hare.

Another watercolor master, Claude Lorrain, created quick sketches of Italian landscapes that capture the heat of the southern sun. His works of art will make you want to jet off and escape to Italy in an instant. Ultimately, it was William Turner at the end of the 19th century who revealed watercolor painting's ability to create truly atmospheric works. In his paintings, hues fade into one another, creating clouds of colors that transform familiar landscapes into mysterious destinations.

At the end of the 19th century, watercolor became a preferred technique among artists who valued the freedom of expression it allowed. Impressionists gravitated towards it for the spontaneity it allowed, while Auguste Rodin used it for sketching dancers. 

During the 20th century, watercolor prints came to inspire the first abstract paintings of Wassily Kandinsky. Other notable watercolor artists include Egon Schiele, Paul Klee and Emil Nolde. Although watercolor painting was abandoned for decades, it returned to the art scene once again in the 60s, thanks to artists like Raoul Dufy and Zao Wou-Ki. 

Today, many contemporary artists choose watercolor as their medium of choice, seeing as it allows for a variety of possibilities. Luckily, on Artsper there are a lot to choose from!

Discover the works of Valerio Adami, the Italian painter and engraver known for his surprising color palette and thick, black-line contours. You can also find Philippe Pasqua's emblematic skulls and butterflies. For those who prefer urban scenes, there's the work of Nadéra Benmansour, which captures the life and vibrancy of cities such as Paris and New York on paper.