Here's a photo of Parisian-trained American artist Edwin Lord Weeks (1849-1903) in his studio. He was known for his paintings of the Near East and India.
Above him on the walls are many of his plein-air paintings made during his travels. He used these studies for reference as he created new studio paintings.
The purpose of plein-air painting for most artists of his era was not to produce a commodity to sell to collectors, but rather to generate a record of the artists observations that they could revisit from the confines of their studios.
The purpose of plein-air painting for most artists of his era was not to produce a commodity to sell to collectors, but rather to generate a record of the artists observations that they could revisit from the confines of their studios.
I spent several hours today looking for and perusing the watercolor sketches Edward Lear made during his three visits to Egypt in the late 19th century - as you say, making sketches and notes to later work up into paintings in the studio. But how I would love to see the sketches in "person" or even prints of them. So many featured the variety of sailing boats on the Nile, and Lear conveyed great elegance in the simple watercolors!
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