Venise, Clair De Lune 

Félix Ziem painted this moonlit view of Venice using watercolor. The thin washes of pigment allow light to reflect from the paper beneath. This luminosity is essential to the composition, conjuring the silvery shimmer of Venice. Watercolors have a long history, prized for their portability and immediacy. From the 18th century onward, they became especially popular for landscape painting, offering a way to capture fleeting atmospheric effects, or impressions of place, quickly and accurately. Think of them as the Instagram of their day. But watercolor also had a strong association with amateurism. For Ziem to work in this medium was thus a conscious choice – it set him apart from the more academic painters of his time. So next time you see a watercolor, don't just admire its delicate beauty. Think about the artist's choice to embrace a material with a complex and often undervalued history. It can tell you a lot.