Autunno (Autumn) 1992

Giancarlo Tognoni made this watercolor painting, Autunno, sometime around 1992. It's a beautiful example of how to embrace the unpredictable nature of watercolour. The image seems to emerge from the paper itself, using washes of warm yellows, purples, and greens. Look closely, and you'll see how Tognoni allows the colors to blend and bleed into each other, creating soft, blurred edges. The textures are loose, but there’s a great deal of control in this looseness. See how the thin, transparent layers build up to create depth and luminosity. The dashes and spots are like little improvisations, playful and light. It reminds me of the work of Raoul Dufy, who also had a knack for capturing the essence of a scene with a few well-placed strokes of color. In the end, Autunno becomes a reminder that art is a conversation, a back-and-forth between the artist, the materials, and the world around them. It's not about control, but about embracing the unexpected and finding beauty in the process.