In Venice, building facades are true pictorial compositions. Marble, brick, weathered stucco, Gothic windows, balconies, shutters, and ornaments are reflected in the water and transform as the light changes.
This workshop offers an exploration of watercolor painting through Venetian architecture, with a particular focus on transparency, color, tonal values, and the effects of light. Participants will learn to observe a facade, understand its structure, and then render it with a light and personal touch.
Venice offers a particularly rich setting for this practice: the history of its painting reflects a constant interest in light and color, from the Renaissance masters to the 18th-century vedutisti. The Gallerie dell’Accademia, in particular, houses works by Canaletto, Guardi, Tiepolo, Titian, Tintoretto, and Veronese, allowing students to enrich their practice through the observation of various pictorial approaches.
The course alternates between observation, sketching, technical exercises, and watercolor paintings, with the aim of learning how to render a facade while preserving the spontaneity and transparency characteristic of this technique.
- Discover or deepen your understanding of the fundamentals of watercolor painting.
- Observe and analyze Venetian facades.
- Understand the principles of perspective as applied to architecture.
- Create a balanced architectural composition.
- Work on transparency and the layering of washes.
- Capture the different textures of facades.
- Study the effects of light on buildings.
- Work on shadows and tonal values.
- Depict windows, balconies, doors, and decorative elements.
- Explore the characteristic colors of Venetian architecture.
- Develop a personal pictorial style.
- Create a cohesive series of views of Venice.
By the end of the course, participants will be able to:
- Construct a facade while respecting its main proportions.
- Organize an architectural composition in watercolor.
- Use different levels of transparency.
- Gradually build up values and colors.
- Depict stone, brick, marble, and stucco.
- Depict shadows and lighting effects.
- Suggest architectural details without overloading the drawing.
- Add depth to a street or canal.
- Incorporate reflections and water elements into a composition.
- Create a complete watercolor painting of a Venetian facade.
Day 1 — Observing and Building a Venetian Facade
Morning — Architecture and preparatory drawing
- Exploring Venetian architecture as a subject for painting.
- Different types of facades: palaces, houses, churches, and working-class buildings.
- Venetian Gothic, Renaissance, and Baroque.
- Observing architectural proportions and rhythms.
- Windows, arcades, balconies, and cornices.
- Understanding vertical and horizontal lines.
- Principles of perspective.
- Choosing the frame and viewpoint.
- Creating preparatory sketches.
- Creating an initial composition.
Afternoon — First wash drawings
- Introduction to materials and paper.
- Controlling water and pigment.
- Uniform washes and gradients.
- Layering of transparent washes.
- Working on values before adding details.
- Creating a palette inspired by Venetian facades.
- Initial exercises on stone, brick, and stucco.
- Rendering a facade using a limited number of colors.
- First watercolor study.
Day 2 — Color, Light, and Texture
Morning — The Colors of Venice
- Observing color variations on facades.
- Warm and cool colors.
- The influence of light on materials.
- Cast shadows and reflected shadows.
- Colors of marble and stone.
- Patinas, signs of aging, and irregularities.
- Blending colors directly on paper.
- Exercises focusing on the same facade at different times of day.
- Study of a composition inspired by the heritage of Dorsoduro.
The Gallerie dell’Accademia provide a particularly interesting reference point for this approach: their exhibition traces the evolution of Venetian painting from the 14th to the 18th century, with a strong emphasis on color and light.
Afternoon — Windows, Ornaments, and Details
- Drawing without losing the spontaneity of watercolor.
- Windows and openings as rhythmic elements.
- Balconies, ironwork, and decorative elements.
- Sculpted decorations and architectural motifs.
- Suggesting detail with just a few brushstrokes.
- Contrast between precision and simplification.
- Creation of depth effects.
- Reflections of the facades in the canals.
- Composing a complete view combining architecture and water.
Day 3 — Painting a Facade in Its Surroundings
Morning — From the facade to the urban landscape
- Analysis of the studies completed.
- Choosing a personal viewpoint.
- Integrating the facade into a street or a campo.
- Constructing the different planes.
- Adding figures, vegetation, or street furniture.
- Working with the sky and light.
- Relationships between architecture, water, and atmosphere.
- Emphasize certain elements and leave others implied.
- Prepare for the final rendering.
Afternoon — Final Drawing
- Setting up the preparatory drawing.
- Building up the large areas of color.
- Gradually layering washes.
- Working on light and shadow.
- Adding architectural details.
- Refining the final accents and contrasts.
- Harmonizing the color palette.
- Presentation of the finished works.
- Group analysis of the different interpretations.
- Creation of a small series of Venetian watercolors.
