What does aquarellist mean?
An aquarellist is an artist who paints in watercolour, the translucent medium in which pigments suspended in a water-based solution are applied to paper. The term derives from 'aquarelle', the French word for a watercolour painting, and ultimately from the Latin 'aqua', meaning water. An aquarellist is thus distinguished not by subject matter but by chosen medium: whether depicting landscapes, portraits, or botanical studies, the defining characteristic is mastery of watercolour's particular demands, including its transparency, its unforgiving permanence once laid down, and the expressive use of white paper for highlights. The word is comparatively formal and infrequent, appearing chiefly in art-historical scholarship, museum catalogues, and critical writing; in general conversation, speakers more often say 'watercolourist' (British) or 'watercolorist' (American). Related terms include 'aquarelle' itself, which names the artwork rather than its maker. For readers of exhibition reviews or collectors' literature, recognizing 'aquarellist' signals a writer engaging seriously with the watercolour tradition.
nounAn artist who paints in watercolours; a specialist in the medium of watercolour painting.
- An artist who specializes in painting with watercolours.
"The gallery's summer exhibition celebrates a local aquarellist whose luminous landscapes have won her an international following."
"Trained as an aquarellist in Paris, she brought a delicate transparency to her botanical studies."
"The auction featured works by several nineteenth-century British aquarellists."
Standard pluralization; used when referring to multiple watercolour artists collectively, e.g. in surveys of a school or period.
"The exhibition gathers works by aquarellists from across the twentieth century."
Every aquarellist owes their title to Latin 'aqua' — the same root that gives us aquarium and aqueduct — because water isn't just their subject, it's their medium.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of aquarellist
The word 'aquarellist' comes from 'aquarelle', the French term for a watercolour painting, which was borrowed into English in the nineteenth century alongside growing enthusiasm for watercolour art. 'Aquarelle' itself combines the Latin 'aqua' (water) with the suffix '-elle', reflecting the medium's water-based nature. The same Latin root 'aqua' underlies related English words such as 'aquarium', 'aquatic', and 'aqueduct'. As watercolour societies flourished in Britain and France during the 1800s, 'aquarellist' emerged as a natural agent noun denoting one who practises this art.
Related word forms
How aquarellist is actually used
The term is relatively formal and somewhat rare compared to its near-equivalents 'watercolourist' and 'watercolorist', which are more common in everyday usage. It appears most often in art-historical writing, exhibition catalogues, and criticism.
Easily confused with aquarellist
An aquarelle is a watercolour painting itself, whereas an aquarellist is the person who creates such paintings.