French watercolorist with an impressive talent for capturing city life Thierry Duval was born in Paris, France in 1968. He is one of the best watercolor artists of the moment. His watercolors are characterized by a strong light and precision in drawing, being almost or hyperrealism in the results mainly in his Paris watercolors.
By using glazing technique he works in several steps up to get the final, very realistic result. Thierry enjoys photographing the Seine in the early morning, he likes to filter light below decks, roofs gleaming in the rain, the silhouettes of majestic monuments that arose at the turn of an alley, the sounds of Paris, barges, markets, cafes. He likes to observe these lonely passers on the Pont des Arts, he likes to soak up the fall in Paris. This photographic work, nourishes and inspires him in his painting: this leads to the realism of a Paris dreamlike, poetic, nostalgic and timeless. If you love Paris you’ll find these Paris watercolors irresistible!
Thierry Duval paints the streets, buildings, plazas — and especially, bridges — of his home city in crisp, precisely observed watercolors. Some of his paintings brim with light and contrast, others are poetically muted and atmospheric. Almost all have a palpable sense of the textures of stone, water and natural forms.
I can’t find a dedicated website for Duval, but you can see examples of his work on his Flickr galleries, and lots of images and videos of his process on his Instagram feed. There is a collection of his work, Vues de Paris à L’aquarelle that I cannot find on Amazon US, but it is apparently available directly from the artist (information here); you can also see it on Amazon.fr. It is also apparently available from Gourcuff Gradenigo.
Hits: 207