By Erin Blakemore
English artist Edward Francis Burney’s “Road in the Forest,” an undated painting in watercolor and pen and black ink. The Watercolour World, financed by the London-based Marandi Foundation, is a free online database of watercolors painted before 1900 documents a world before the ravages of climate change, overhunting, urbanization and other human activity.
In the 18th century, (click here) watercolors became a popular way for professional and amateur artists alike to document the landscapes, animals and plants that were important to them. Portable and aesthetically pleasing, watercolors helped bring painters’ worlds to life.
Today, these works are precious and unwitting documents of a world altered by the ravages of climate change, overhunting, urbanization and other human activity. The Watercolour World, financed by the London-based Marandi Foundation, is a free online database of watercolors painted before 1900.
It’s the brainchild of Fred Hohler, a former British diplomat devoted to art preservation. His last project, the Public Catalogue Foundation, a charity that is also called Art UK, catalogued all of Britain’s publicly owned oil paintings....
To be completely clear, Europe loves the natural areas of the USA. Most of Europe are small countries with use for their forests. They have natural areas and many are beautiful and unique. Europe has many world famous forests like the Black Forest of Germany (click here). But, the European love of nature comes to America often in the way of tourism.
This project by a British diplomat does not surprise me, it honors the country and the love Europe and the USA have had for nature.
