Ύδρα

About this work

This watercolor shows a blur of blues and whites that’s clearly the Greek island Hydra. The brushstrokes are loose, almost liquid, so buildings and water seem to breathe and move. Koula Maragopoulou squeezes color straight from the tube and lets it drip, so the paper stays alive. She painted Hydra in the 1950s when artists loved watercolor for its quick honesty. Back then, most Greek painters worked big and dark; she chose a tiny sheet and a light touch. Try her other watercolors at the Museum of Ethnography.