Landscape near Chuguevo 

Ilya Repin created this landscape using watercolor, a medium that has a fascinating history. Watercolor can be used for preparatory sketches, but it can also be used to create atmospheric landscapes, as you see here. It relies on a certain swiftness of hand. Repin had to work quickly, to capture the light before it shifted, using the fluid properties of the pigment to his advantage. Watercolors have an interesting social history. They were associated with amateur painters, particularly women. Think of Jane Austen at her easel. But by the 19th century, artists like Repin were reclaiming watercolor as a medium for serious work. By doing so, they brought new immediacy to their art, and a fresh appreciation for the quickly changing world around them. The painting's value resides not just in the image but in the gesture.