Sarageto Sunset XXV

Graham Nickson is best known for his vibrantly colored landscapes and figurative paintings. Since his first trip to Italy in 1972, he has made regular visits to the Italian countryside to paint images such as this one. A plein air artist, he has returned repeatedly to scenes of sunrise and sunset, breathing new life into these traditional subjects. In this drawing, he captures the most transient of moments in an arrangement of vivid colors that borders on the abstract. Increasingly in recent years, he has favored watercolor for the spontaneity that it demands. While he descends from a line of English landscape watercolorists such as J.M.W. Turner, Nickson is also engaged in a lively discourse with contemporary artists who approach traditional subjects in innovative ways.