About the artist
Thomas Girtin Thomas Girtin (1775-1802) was born in London in the same year as J.M.W. Turner and had a short life of just 27 years. Aged 14, during the time of the French Revolution, Girtin began his apprenticeship and by 19, he was showcasing his work at London's Royal Academy and creating watercolour landscapes for private collectors. Unlike Turner though, Girtin never quite fit into the art establishment. He didn't study at the Academy's schools and was rumored to hold radical sympathies. He tried to shift from the conventional reliance on wealthy patrons selling his art in the open market.
In Girtin's brief lifetime, the art of watercolour underwent a significant transformation, notably in landscape watercolours, which became grander in scale and ambition. Led by Girtin and Turner, watercolourists moved from careful stained drawings to a dramatic painting style capturing varied moods and light and weather effects. Despite resistance to these rapid changes, particularly amidst revolution and war, watercolour painting briefly epitomised modern art.
