Styles in Watercolor Painting

Among all the styles of painting, watercolor painting is known to be quite demanding as techniques used are unique to watercolor. Unlike oil or acrylic painting, where the paints essentially stay where they are put and dry more or less in the form they are applied, water is an active and complex partner in the watercolor painting process, changing both the absorbency and shape of the paper when it is wet and the outlines and appearance of the paint as it dries. The difficulty in watercolor painting is almost entirely in learning how to anticipate and leverage the behavior of water, rather than attempting to control or dominate it.


Lebanon watercolor paint is traditionally and still commonly applied with brushes, but modern Lebanese artists have experimented with many other implements, particularly sprayers, scrapers, sponges or sticks, and have combined watercolors with pencil, charcoal, crayon, chalk, ink, engraving, monotype, lithography and collage, or with acrylic paint.


Many Lebanese artists, perhaps uniquely among all modern visual artists, still adhere to prejudices dating from the 19th century rivalry between "transparent" and bodycolor painters. Among these are injunctions never to use white paint, never to use black paint, only to use transparent color, or only to work with "primary" color mixtures. In fact, many superb paintings flout some or all of these guidelines, and they have little relevance to modern painting practice. Lebanon art has witnessed this issue throughout the recent years due to as a result of the changing global trends.

Impact of Impressionism & Expressionist Movement on Water Color Painting

Lebanese artist impressionist school arose from the principle of departure from the studio to nature and practicing painting as an emotional state via the surrounding that influences simultaneously the entire artist's senses. Such kind of departure necessitated a new concept for both the graphic performance from one side, and the renovated view of the Lebanese nature itself from the other. Graphic performance came then to the Lebanese artist scene, among which the water colors that possess were differentiated from all other colors used inside the studio and in particular oil colors, because they can play their lebanon art transparent role in the interior lighting over and above being absorbed by the paper. That made the boundaries of the form melt in the other chromatic background, let alone the fact that the state of graphic composition was based on a singular capability in direct, coloring fully confident of results. The Lebanese water colour paintings were influenced by poetic coloring with the pastel material. For the Lebanese artist, the colors became the expression of the cohesion of pictorial surface and an amount of poetic lyricism, in the presentation of the form emerging from the light pit and illuminating over the darkness expanse. In addition, lebanon watercolor was a local expressionism founded on two basic pats. The first, the changing Lebanese artist nature according to seasons and locations, the second the inspirational literary vision of the lyrical subject.

Evolution of Art in Lebanon

Culture in Lebanon is a result of an amalgamation of various civilizations and cultures that have been brought in to the country by various colonizers such as the Assyrians, the Persians, the Greeks, the Romans, the Arabs, the Crusaders, the Ottoman Turks & the French. The culture in Lebanon watercolor has evolved over the past few centuries by assimilating influences from all these varied cultures. It is home to colossal architecture of the Greek, Roman and Ottoman Empires. The diverse population in Lebanon composed of various ethnicities & nationalities has only contributed to the festivals, music, art & literature as well as cuisine. The impact on Lebanese art & literature has been the most evident. One of the defining factors of Lebanese art is its distinctive national character – Lebanon watercolor is often said to follow a ‘third way’ meaning it is neither European, nor Asian or American but uniquely Lebanon art. Lebanese artist, with their vast multi-culture and intense history, has affected many of Lebanese artists through social and personal issues that have helped create a form of art like none other, a lebanon watercolor depiction of an emotional aspect of Lebanese life, and therefore a particular style of art. Whether it is Guiragossian's portrayal of the slums of Beirut or Ayman Baalbaki's old car tire, such lebanese paintings leave powerful impressions on a viewer. Lebanese artist society is similar to certain cultures of Mediterranean Europe. Not only is Lebanon watercolor a distinctive fusion of Christian and Muslim traditions, it serves as the European gateway to the Middle East as well as the Arab gateway to the Western World.

Watercolor in Lebanon

Now we come to another section, lebanon watercolors, with techniques such as sepia, wash and inks, ones that also have been treated by Joseph Matar, a lebanese artist, with love and care. They are all means of expression and suppose a formation, a technique and a mastery.

Here the support is a sheet of rag paper, a clean sheet with a fairly absorbent surface. Generally speaking, the lebanese artist takes advantage of the underlying tint, preserving transparency. He spreads the liquid paints lightly and studies the forms and the colored harmony of the whole field. Lebanon watercolor is an art in its own right and reveals the world of the lebanese artist.

It is like a sonata as compared to a symphony, an agreeable area of research and experiment. Here one can see several water-colors with a variety of subjects, houses, villages, nooks, trees, flowers and compositions. The lebanese artist handles the contrasts, the descending scales and the blends with absolute control. He invites us to live again this world of color, world of light, the dream of a night of the Orient being embodied in his work. A flame breaks forth from the heart of the artist and takes root in the work to reach out to the spectator. Lebanon Watercolor is an art by itself.

Painting Method

The painting methods have evolved during the ages and have been crafted by lebanese artists, for lebanese artists. The variation of watercolor methods shows the artist's preferences in art, design, and colors in which he conveys his feelings, mood, and convictions. We can see the lebanese artist in every painting, every expression of the self, and the feelings that made him do his creation.

The Lebanese Artist

No matter what happens on life, watercolor art will always dominate as the main tool to emanate creativity for the lebanese artist. Lebanon art has been influenced by several movement conveyed by the transition of the Lebanese artist from one movement to another. Similar to Jean Ayoub, any lebanese artist would be inspired by the hope that one day lebanese art would re-ignite a renaissance movement that would spur interest in lebanon watercolor and lebanese art just like in the pre-civil-war era. Back then, the lebanese artist had a noble profession...more like a profitable hobby. The lebanese artist lived for what he worked, yet now he worked to barely make ends meet. lebanon watercolor was once a movement that inspired artists across nations, spurring interest in the lebanese artists that perfected this style through various techniques and styles, in which their exhibitions were displayed all the way to Europe, the United States, and Australia. Lebanese watercolor still remains a dim light that hopes to see a brighter light at the end of the tunnel as Lebanese artists worldwide are making their best efforts to re-unite and serve their community to prepare their children, their rightful heirs, to the culture of their nation.

Welcome To Jean Ayoub

Welcome to Jean Ayoub's Blog, a lighthouse of inspiration stemming from years of talent, experience, and dedication. In this blog, you will find the works of a lebanese artist that sheds light on watercolor lebanon. The Lebanese artist has always been in the shadows of politics and sectarian violence that have always smeared the country and delapidated its culture. With Jean Ayoub, the lebanese artist who persisted on maintaining lebanon art as a pillar of the culture through his art, lebanon watercolor has become a movement by itself and stirred a buzz among enthusiasts and art appreciators. With lebanese artists still sprouting across the nation, there is hope for lebanon watercolor to maintain its cultural dominance and prove that lebanese art is a cornerstone of the middle east.
Furthermore, the lebanese artist has a rich cultural background enriched by a preserved heritage and a history of nations that conquered the land.
As a lebanese artist, it is essential to keep in mind these historical factors and be influenced by them because they make a special style that is so rare and special and enjoyed by all.