The Doge’s Palace and the Grand Canal, Venice by Samuel Prout (1783-1852)

The Doge’s Palace and the Grand Canal, Venice by Samuel Prout (1783-1852)

Try not to get pigeon-holed into being inspired by only contemporary artists. It is often of much value to study closely the works of masters that lived several hundred years ago. Samuel Prout was just such a master that we can all learn from.

This particular piece is hanging at the Royal Watercolor Society, London, England. There is a lot to learn from this piece but there is one thing I’d like to point out specifically. Do you notice that it doesn’t much look like a watercolor painting? Certain mediums look certain ways. And sometimes it is valuable to play to the look of the medium you’re using, other times, however, it is perfectly fine and even more interesting to push the limits of the medium to look completely opposite.

I love how vivid this piece from Prout looks.