Left: La Rue St Denis, Paris 1802, Thomas Girtin.
Smita Patel headed Thameside to check out this dramatic assessment of a great British painter.
If you've ever been asked to name a great watercolour painter, chances are Thomas Girtin is not the first name that springs to mind.
However, Girtin was one of the greats, and his extensive body of work is top of the bill at Tate Britain until September 29, highlighting a great British painter and marking the 200th anniversary of his death.
Girtin died tragically young, at 27 and this collection runs to over 200 works, dating from 1790 to 1802.
Right: Bamburgh Castle, Northumberland c.1797-9, Thomas Girtin.
It's an extraordinary voyage from his beginnings as Edward Dayes' apprentice, through his development as a landscape artist and influence on peers such as Turner.
Turner is known to have once remarked: "If Thomas Girtin had lived, I should have starved."
The exhibition is split into eight rooms and chronologically charts his work over 12 years. Room one sets the scene well, detailing Girtin's contemporaries. It leads to his early works, in which a prominent theme is his view of the sky.
Left: Rievaulx Abbey, Yorkshire c. 1798, Thomas Girtin.
It's apparent from 1793's 'Rochester Cathedral', that the sky can influence the whole aura of a Girtin watercolour; it is both thunderous and unsteady.
Although he specialised in painting architecture in great detail, it's the landscapes that hold your attention in this collection. A prime example is 'Dunnottar Castle' from 1794, which is perched on a mountain amid a storm, and a bolt of lightning cuts the sky beautifully.
Another is 'Dunstanburgh Castle', 1797, which portrays the tempestuous, raging sea and two men, valiantly attempting to reel in a boat wreck. Their struggle is reflected in the surrounding storm. Girtin's landscapes all have the effect of placing you in the scene, in the centre of that storm.
Right: Appledore, North Devon c. 1798, Thomas Girtin.
The spectacular re-creation of his 1802 'London Panorama', destroyed in a Paris fire in 1807, is an added treat to the collection. Not only do we get a room filled with a 360-degree contemporary picture of London from the Thames, but also Girtin's original sketches before he completed his masterpiece.
One can only imagine what his version looked like, but this modern reversion provides an alternative to usual gallery pieces.
The exhibition concludes with his legacy: works from Turner, Constable and Cotman, just a few of the names he influenced. The whole collection admirably charts his development as a painter, over such a short period of time.
Left: The White House at Chelsea 1800, Thomas Girtin.
This is a wonderful exhibition, and the next time you are asked to name a great British painter, Thomas Girtin should head your list.
Reader Feedback Love the watercolours shown on the website. Had heard a review on radio 4 and now I've actually seen some of his work on the internet. Thank you!
Liz Bayley
