Marble Mosque of Sultan Selim 1952

John Lavalle made this watercolor painting of the Marble Mosque of Sultan Selim in 1952. Look at the way he's built up the forms here, layering washes of pinks and greens. It's almost like he's constructing the scene from color itself, instead of just filling in outlines. I'm drawn to the lower wall and the way the light hits it, catching on the edges of the stones. You can almost feel the warmth of the sun baking into the architecture. The washes of color are so thin, so delicate, but they create such a solid, grounded form. It's that play between the ephemeral quality of watercolor and the weightiness of the subject that really grabs me. The shadows cast on the grassy ground are soft, but suggestive. This approach reminds me of some of the early Impressionists, like Monet, who were also interested in capturing the fleeting effects of light and atmosphere. Although, maybe without all the pinks. Lavalle is doing something very interesting with how we see and feel about a place.