Ennio Morricone and silhouettes

Water in Watercolour

I'm used to painting mainly in acrylics and oils, always having shyed away from watercolours - never quite managed to get the right feel of them. But this summer I decided to have a go especially because they're great for doing quick live sketches when you're out and about.

My first attempt was on the beach with my friend and her little one. I called it Mother and child.

The second painting is looking over at the sea on Dingli Cliffs.

This is a great place for peaceful walks and just to sit peacefully and look out to sea or watch the sunset. Sitting up high on Dingli cliffs and looking out to the immense volume of sea and sky below you, always helps put alot into perspective - it reminds you of how small we all are in comparison to the enormity of the world – in a way it intensifies the concept of how mighty and daunting the world is against humanity. Such a concept is captured through the work of German artist Casper David Friedrich who is well known for painting landscapes mostly with figure silhouettes against the forces of nature. He seeks to convey the spiritual experiences of life and one can see this in his famous painting The Wanderer above the Sea of Fog (1818). The painting shows loneliness and individualism, a feeling of one against the world, against the unknown, making the viewer think 'what is beyond?'

 The Wanderer above the Sea of Fog (1818) by Casper David Friedrich

Follow the River to the Sea

Been playing this song over and over again lately...think it's very hypnotising and has a calming effect, just like water... enjoy Emili Sandé's 'River'.

Water is the driver of Nature

The study of water in art has been represented throughout the ages, from as far back as ancient Egypt we know water was displayed on tomb walls as zigzag lines (hieroglyphic signs).

Generally water has been used in landscape paintings, conveying the water, either in motion, or as a still lake, or calm sea, or flowing rivers, with each representation creating a particular mood to enhance the artist's painting and expression.

A number of artists were enthralled with the concept of water, one in particular being Leonardo da Vinci (1452 - 1519). He submerged himself into the subject so much, that he wanted to portray water in its most realistic form. In order to do this, he analysed water thoroughly to the point where he even engineered and built machine's to learn how to control it.

He was so fascinated with water and it's power, that he believed it to be, for the earth and mankind, like blood is to the human body – it's life line!

 

Text: Copyright Helen Torreggiani

Eternity

Art, Music and Literature

In order to understand how 'water' has been represented by different artists, I drowned myself in numerous books and browsed the internet, looking mostly at the masters in art history as well as many contemporary artists. However I also came across an overflow of music and literature related to water too that I think deserve a platform on this blog. I found water to be a component that has helped numerous artists of all genres flow through their lives using water to portray a message across to their viewer, reader or listener.

Before I begin I would like to give an account of the definition of 'water'.

'Water' according to the Oxford Dictionary, is, in scientific terms, a compound of oxygen and hydrogen (chemical formula: H2 O) with highly distinctive physical and chemical properties: it is able to dissolve many other substances; its solid form (ice) is less dense than the liquid form; its boiling point, viscosity, and surface tension are unusually high for its molecular weight, and it is partially dissociated into hydrogen and hydroxyl ions.

In visual terms, ‘water’ is defined as: a colourless, transparent, odourless liquid which forms the seas, lakes, rivers, and rain and is the basis of the fluids of living organisms, and so without water life cannot exist. It is believed that human beings cannot survive without water for more than four days, so its importance is critical.

And the wind led me back to the sea

Sadly my flow stopped for a while... But was recently reminded of this song which has led me back to my blog on 'water'. So with this song am hoping to get back into following the flow of 'water' and see where it takes me. Enjoy this beautiful music by Ennio Morricone about the element of 'wind' and the amazing video of the ocean brought alive by all nature's beautiful creatures.