Watercolour (from French aquarelle, from Italian acquarello, from Latin aqua – water) is a paint made of vegetable glue, diluted with water, and it is also a style of painting with these paints.

The first mention of the generally accepted modern term "watercolour" is found in Cennino Cennini's “Treatise of Painting” (1437), the main point in the described process was the dissolution of paint in water containing vegetable glue - gummi. However, watercolour-like techniques existed before and had different names and applications.

The history of water techniques goes back thousands of years. Ancient Egyptian papyri with colourful images and hieroglyphs were made in paints with water-soluble plant resins, and this is a clear sign of watercolour technique. Ink painting on thin rice paper or silk has deep traditions in China and Japan. Initially, the Chinese style was borrowed by Japanese artists in the XIV century, and by the end of the XV century it had become the main direction of painting in Japan. The ancient tradition was characterized by the use of dense, opaque gouache watercolour, which was developed in Byzantine book art, which reached its height in the XI century. With the adoption of Christianity, the book tradition of Byzantium spreads and develops in the culture of European nations.

Meanwhile, in southern Europe, in Italy, the main technique of painting is gradually being formed - multi-layer glazing, washing and working out forms with small strokes with a small water content on dry paper. This technique of painting was called classical watercolour, or the Italian manner of painting.
This technique of painting was used in all European art academies, and the principle of painting with watercolour was essentially little different from the then existing glazing technique in oil painting. 

In the XVIII-XIX centuries, participants in scientific and military expeditions widely used watercolour technique using weakened contours and brush feathering to sketch archaeological and geological objects, plants, animals and landscape sketches. The improvement of techniques for visualizing topographic plans, namely the replacement of sharply noticeable contours with a pen for feathering with a brush, was the reason for the birth of watercolour as an independent kind of painting. Soon, many of the skilled painters proved with their works that the opportunities of watercolour allow you to perform independent paintings and its role may be more interesting than the role of material for quick sketches and sketches, as was previously customary. Many began to note the superiority of watercolour painting to oil in solving the problems of transmitting transparency, as well as delicacy in performing small details.

The usual course of history began to change in the late XVII - early XVIII centuries, when the industrial revolution began. This was a time of rapid development of technologies and industries, the widespread replacement of manual labor by machine one. For manufacturers, the main goal was to reduce the cost of the production process, which sometimes led to a loss of quality of the final product. So, many expensive materials began to be replaced by cheaper, but less high-quality analogues.
In the development of watercolour painting, two factors played a large role, the first of which was the improvement of the recipe for the manufacture of watercolour paints, and the second was the tireless work of chemical scientists, which led to the emergence of new, cheaper synthetic pigments.

Paints of the epoch:

• 1704 – Berlin azure, or Prussian Blue was discovered
• 1778 - Scheelian greens were discovered; 1800 - Schweinfurt greens were discovered
• 1793 - yellow and orange chromes (chromic acid lead) were found
• 1793 - green chromium oxide (anhydrous) was discovered
• In the XVIII century, synthetic yellow, red, and brown iron oxides began to be produced

• In 1781, a new recipe for watercolour paints was patented. It has been observed that pigments mixed with honey and Arabic gum do not dry and are formable. Soon, the paints began to be poured into special molds and sold in boxes.

At the beginning of the XIX century, an English watercolour school was formed and a new technique of painting on raw paper appeared, it is called English watercolour. English artists used the technique of specific washing – washing off the paints to achieve the impression of faded out matte colourfulness and the complete fusion of colouristic transitions. The name of Joseph Mallord William Turner (1775-1851) became a landmark for the history of watercolour. Turner's watercolour painting went through the entire evolutionary path of development from neatly executed topographic to associative, colourful landscapes. From classical academic techniques of writing to revolutionary, innovative.

Along a special path in the XX century, the American school of watercolour developed, the difference of which was the widespread use of dry brush technique (brush work with a minimum amount of water on dry paper). Andrew Wyeth (1917-2009) applied this technique most masterly and originally, his work is a brilliant example of a realistic direction in painting, which certainly inspired many artists of our time in search of their creative style.

The assertive energy of Alexander Samokhvalov's watercolours shows how freely the artist possessed both drawing and painting. Harmonious, bold composition, clear details create images of a new era. His technique is sufficiently pure and rich in colour. Gabriel Malysh's watercolours are a vivid example of wet painting techniques in one session - ala-prima. Stylistically continuing the traditions of the post-Impressionists, Gabriel Malysh painted soft and cheerful, bright in colour landscapes and still lifes.

Paints of the epoch:

• 1804 – cobalt blue is synthesized. Later, methods for producing pigment of different shades were proposed.
• 1817 – metal cadmium and its coloured compounds were discovered.
• 1827 – a method of producing artificial ultramarine was discovered.
• 1856 – aniline purple was obtained
• 1859 –the first durable, beautiful, non-poisonous green paint – emerald green was successfully obtained
• 1868 - a method for producing alizarin from anthracite was found
• 1880 - a method for producing artificial indigo was discovered
• 1935 - the first quinacridone pigments were discovered. By 1958, industrial production was established
• 1938 - quality pigments of phthalocyanine dyes group were obtained.

• In the XIX century, it was possible to synthesize cobalt, cadmium and other synthetic pigments, which reduced the cost on painting, and also were able to enrich the palettes of artists significantly.
• In 1832, glycerol was added to watercolour paints. This improved recipe became the basis for the production of modern watercolour paints for professional artists.
• In 1841, a prototype of modern tubes was patented.

With the development of chemistry at the beginning of the XVIII century and especially actively - in the second half of the XIX century, a wide variety of new colours appeared in the artist's palette. Thanks to new technologies, new pigments appear, giving new shades, and with them new opportunities, compositions of watercolour mediums are being developed.
Saturated, deep and pure colors of the modern watercolor palette create fascinating subjects. The shape and mood are outlined white bold expressive and broad strokes, the depth of shadow and the play of light are conveyed with transparent glaze. Despite the presence of small details, there is no torment in the works, they are filled with air and light.