Getty Museum

Durham Cathedral and Castle

Date

about 1800

Medium

Watercolor over pencil heightened with gum arabic

Culture

British

Department

Drawings

Institution

Getty Museum

The vibrant watercolor depicts Durham Cathedral and Castle, set prominently on a rocky outcrop high above the River Wear, amidst the moving light of a bright, cloudy sky. The view is taken from the river bank, looking up at the scene, and this contributes to the dramatic structure of the composition. Durham Cathedral and the adjacent castle, both solid medieval structures, were popular subjects for painters and watercolor artists of the period, who were attracted to the setting and their history. Girtin used a famously wide palette, with many more tints and sub-tints than other artists, visible here in the huge range of browns and grays in the stonework. These effects of light are contrasted with dark greens and browns, a technique unusual at the time. Girtin died of tuberculosis aged only 27, and his rival J.M.W. Turner is reputed to have said “Had poor Tom lived, I would have starved.”

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