Originating from the Occident, watercolor is listed as one of the three major painting types which include oil painting, engraving and watercolor.
We can see its embryonic form in cultural relic. But the relatively integrated form appeared in the prayer books of Middle Ages in Europe. In the Renaissance, landscape sketches of watercolor appeared, but they were only the objective depiction of architecture and landscape: In 1494, the famous German artist Albrecht Durer traveled to Italy, and, on the journey across the Alps, he drew many landscape sketches and watercolors, the first pieces of watercolor painting of Europe included in this· group of works. Not until the mi dle of the 18th century, because of the continuous work of such painters as Paul Sandby, William Turner, Bonington, Constable, watercolor acquired rapid development. The theme and form of their works expanded much wider than before. There were not only drawings depicting nature, but also works expressing grand historic occasions such as ((The Campaign of Macedonia)), drawn by Gilbert. These masterpieces of realistic style pushed watercolor to its peak. And from then on, British watercolor kept enjoying high prestige in Europe.

For the sake of the intimacy in culture between UK and USA, watercolor was attached great importance in USA, and progressed rapidly. Winslow Homer is deemed as one of the most import8nt artists of USA in the 19th century. In his unique paintings, we can see the rocky shore of the Atlantic, the shining wave of sea water and the clear color of sky, and every touch is forceful and determined, presenting an appearance of exuberance, ambition and inspiration.

The development of skill widened the expressive power of watercolor. But the most obvious features of its language are “moist”, “clear”. As it developed to the middle of the 20th century, it accumulated a wealth of skills, and the tendencies that deviated from tradition appeared. Andrew Wyeth, the great master of water­color of USA, by continuous exploration, absorbed the merits of the other sorts of painting on modeling and form, expanded the expressive power of watercolor, and his works got an entirely new, definite and absolute appearance.

From the end of the 19th century, accompanied with the collision and exchange of Chinese and Occidental culture, and for the sake of the Chinese natural intimacy to water material paintings, watercolor became one of the earliest painting types that were introduced to China from the West.
Just like the other types of painting, in the development of watercolor, it has evolved a language style and aesthetic feature of its own gradually. As the sprinkle of water and color is incisive and vivid, it is especially suitable to grasp the fast-changing appearance of the transient view, and it is imbued with the quality of making the viewer feel that he is personally on the scene and can express one Is emotion fully. But it is so fantastic that, behind the effect of “incisive and unrestrained” is the tremendous challenge to the painter Is artistic attainment and skills. It is necessary to paint smoothly as well as to control properly and to depict fully on one hand, and no touch can be covered or modified on the other, so the difficulty should be imagined easily.

As an architect, Lu Yingyu Is endeavor to watercolor originates from her love for Architecture and the interlinked relation of arts. In her paintings, she depicts the landscape and features in her trips, and shows the strong personal impression. As to art characteristics, the pure and strong colors and the imposing touches indicate the solid basic skills stemming from her early training. Grasping the objective character of space and nature of the landscape, and at the same time, adding her subjective understanding, breaking through the monotonous and overcautious quality of “architecture watercolor”, her paintings have the features of abstraction and expressivity. She paid much attention to the refinement of the painting, and the expression of artistic conception, and merged into her art ideal. In some paintings, we can see that she takes the skills of Chinese traditional painting of water and ink for reference. It is always said: “Love is the best teacher”. Lu Yingyu Is practice in watercolor gives eloquent proof of this once again.