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拍品专文
Girtin made his first northern tour in 1796, and it is widely regarded as a turning point in his career (S. Morris, Thomas Girtin, New Haven, 1986, p. 15). The wide, sweeping views and majestic architecture of the churches and cathedrals drove him towards a scale and grandeur rarely before seen in watercolour painting. He was particularly fascinated by the ruined churches and priories at Jedburgh, Dunstanborough and Lindisfarne, and this series of drawings, in which the vast, crumbling buildings dominate the wild landscape they sit in, are some of his most thrilling. He exhibited two watercolours entitled ‘St Cuthbert’s, Holy Island’ at the Royal Academy in 1797, before returning north in 1799 and 1800, visiting Lindisfarne again in 1800.
The present drawing is one of several made in and around St Cuthbert's Priory, the majority of which are undated. Here the ruins of part of the nave and south transept tower over the left hand side of the composition, whilst two cows in the centre give a sense of scale, and also of the ongoing reclamation of the once-grand stonework by nature. The two small figures to the right look out towards Holy Island, just visible on the horizon. Girtin habitually captured the strong light and shadows falling across the walls on-the-spot in monochrome wash, which he then used as a guide when creating the finished drawing. The drama and strong contrast of his architectural views were inspired by his study of Giovanni Battista Piranesi's etchings, which also frequently depicted crumbling masonry overtaken by vegetation. Here, Girtin, whilst seemingly moving away from an idealised romantic landscape tradition, subtly references his knowledge of the classical.
We are grateful to Susan Morris for her help with this catalogue entry.
The present drawing is one of several made in and around St Cuthbert's Priory, the majority of which are undated. Here the ruins of part of the nave and south transept tower over the left hand side of the composition, whilst two cows in the centre give a sense of scale, and also of the ongoing reclamation of the once-grand stonework by nature. The two small figures to the right look out towards Holy Island, just visible on the horizon. Girtin habitually captured the strong light and shadows falling across the walls on-the-spot in monochrome wash, which he then used as a guide when creating the finished drawing. The drama and strong contrast of his architectural views were inspired by his study of Giovanni Battista Piranesi's etchings, which also frequently depicted crumbling masonry overtaken by vegetation. Here, Girtin, whilst seemingly moving away from an idealised romantic landscape tradition, subtly references his knowledge of the classical.
We are grateful to Susan Morris for her help with this catalogue entry.