1594
gouache
vellum
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
Dominant colour
Plate 26: Gurnards, Dragonets, and Other Fish is a 1594 gouache by Joris Hoefnagel, a Renaissance work, held at National Gallery of Art.
This image shows ten different fish floating in a light blue circle, each painted in soft watercolors. Some have spiky fins, others look smooth and silvery, and a few have strange, almost armored bodies. The background is simple, just a faint sky-blue shape with a gold border around the edge. The fish are labeled with tiny numbers, like a science notebook. The artist used gold paint for the border and maybe some highlights, making the whole thing look like a fancy, old book page. Next, check out watercolor, glazing to see how artists built up colors like this.
Joris Hoefnagel or Georg Hoefnagel (1542 – 24 July 1601) was a Flemish painter, printmaker, miniaturist, draftsman and merchant.
See the richer artist pageYour cart is empty
Explore artworks →
