Florence Streets

Florence streets watercolour by Robert Scholten

Florence Streets
Watercolour on paper · A2 · 42 × 59.4 cm · 2023

This Florence watercolour looks beyond the city’s monumental image to the experience of moving through its streets: tall façades, compressed perspective and people passing through alternating light and shade.

The architecture provides a strong framework, but the figures keep the image from becoming static. Loose marks and softened edges allow the scene to breathe, while a few sharper accents establish direction and depth.

BETWEEN DRAWING AND WASH

Structure without losing freshness

The drawing sets the rhythm of the street, but watercolour carries the atmosphere. I let washes connect buildings, road and shadow before returning with a limited number of marks—enough to locate the scene without closing it down.