Spring, John William North
Watercolor and gouache on paper; roughly 11×17″ (29x43cm); in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
The delicate value contrasts and stippled tones of North’s watercolor give a wonderful sense of those early spring days in which both the atmosphere and the land seem ripe with the promise of future change.
The wavering edges and placement of the blossoms on the tree to the right carry some of the feeling of Japanese woodblock prints.
Fascinating to see those paint textures up close. I wonder how he achieved that delicate granular quality.
I’ve wondered that about a number of Victorian and Pre-Raphaelite watercolors, and my understanding is that it’s stipple.
Love the delicate, low key color relationships. On a 10 step grayscale, the values in this painting hover somewhere between 3-5. I think this, combined with understated chrome of his color choices, gives the painting a very soothing, relaxing air. Another great pick.
