Erechtheum c. 1915

Rhodes Robertson made this watercolour painting of the Erechtheum, but the exact date of the artwork isn't known. The colours here are so subtle and washy, it's like the ancient stones are blushing! You can see each individual brushstroke, and how Robertson has used the translucent quality of the watercolour to build up the image gradually. The way the light seems to be shimmering off the stonework is gorgeous. I think it has to do with the pinks and the way they contrast with the cool blue of the sky. It makes the architecture feel both monumental and somehow fragile, like it could dissolve back into the landscape at any moment. The tufts of grass add to this effect. It puts me in mind of other artists interested in light like Turner, or perhaps even contemporary artists such as Catherine Goodman. As if the art of painting is as much about process as it is about the end result.