Image for Sheila Hancock Brushes Up: The Art of WatercoloursNot currently available on BBC iPlayer

Duration: 1 hour

Watercolours have always been the poor relation of oil painting. And yet the immediacy and freedom of painting in watercolours have made them the art of adventure and action - even war. It has been an art form the British have pioneered, at first celebrating the greatest landscapes of Europe and then recording the exotic beauty of the British Empire.

Sheila Hancock - an ardent fan of watercolours since her childhood, and whose father was an amateur watercolourist - sets out on a journey - from the glories of the Alps and the city of Venice to deepest India - as she traces the extraordinary story of professional and amateur watercolourists, and reveals some of the most beautiful and yet little-known pictures.

Last on

Mon 28 Feb 2011 03:00 BBC One

  • Sheila in Venice, Italy

    Sheila in Venice, Italy

    Sheila visits Venice and interviews watercolour artist Nicola Tenderini who shows her how Turner painted San Giorgio Maggiore.

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  • Sheila at the Taj Mahal, India

    Sheila at the Taj Mahal, India

    Sheila visits the Taj Mahal in Agra, India, where she interviews artist Milind Mulick.

    Watch the clip

  • Locations featured

    St Marks Square, Venice, Italy

    Chamonix & Mont Blanc, France

    Lake Geneva, Switzerland

    Taj Mahal, Agra, India

    Government House, Barrackpore, India

    Bhim Chandra Nag Sweet Shop, Kolkata, India

    Print and Drawings Room, Tate Britain, London

    Eurostar Terminal, Kings Cross, London

    Norwich Cathedral Hostry, Norwich

    Christie's Auctions, London

    Deddington, Oxfordshire

    Millennium Bridge, London

Credits

Presenter
Sheila Hancock
Director
John Mullen
Producer
John Mullen
Executive Producer
Basil Comely

Broadcasts

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