Watercolor Artist - USA (2019-10)

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GIVEN BY MRS. M. V. MACGEORGE/VICTORIA AND ALBERT MUSEUM

Notre-Dame,placedinthedistance,isseenbacklit.

Althoughthecathedraltowersovercityrooftops,its

blue shadow mass connects it to neighboring buildings.

Notre-Dame’s refl ection in the Seine anchors the

composition and seems to emanate naturally from

the arched bridge in the middle distance.

Thebridgeisa mostimportantelement,traversing

thecenterofthepaintingandprovidinga strong

tonal accent. Closer to us, a series of small boats

animates the view. The composition is constructed

upon alternating vertical and horizontal shapes;

broad planes of land and sky are complemented by

urban architecture. In the foreground, the sweeping

diagonal of the riverbank leads us into the scene.

Notre-Dame de Paris has long been a favorite subject of artists. Ground

was broken for the cathedral in 1163, and building was largely completed by

1260. The grandeur of its Gothic design, fl ying buttresses and monumental
      twin towers made it a symbol of French pride—and the most popular
      attraction for visitors to Paris. “I believe,” wrote philosopher Jean de Jandun
      inthe14thcentury,“thatthischurchoffersthecarefullydiscerningsuch
      causeforadmirationthatitsinspectioncanscarcelysatethesoul.”

A limited palette aids in the impression

of atmospheric unity. Foreground tones are

warmer and chromatic while distant colors are

paler and cooler in temperature. The simplifi ed

colorschemeandbreadthofhandlingimpart

a spiritoffreshnesstoLong’spainting.