Artwork Page for A Selection of Twenty of the Most Picturesque Views in Paris: The Water Works at Marli, and St. Germain en Laye seen in the distance

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A Selection of Twenty of the Most Picturesque Views in Paris: The Water Works at Marli, and St. Germain en Laye seen in the distance

1803

Thomas Girtin

(British, 1775–1802)
aquatint by

J.B. Harraden

(British)
Culture
England, 19th century
Medium
softground etching and aquatint printed in brown, hand-colored with watercolor
Support
Wove paper
Measurements
Sheet: 45.3 x 63.2 cm (17 13/16 x 24 7/8 in.); Platemark: 22.7 x 54.5 cm (8 15/16 x 21 7/16 in.)
Credit Line
Gift of John Bonebrake 2006.226
Catalogue raisonné
Abbey 102, 15b with letters
Public Domain
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Location
Not on view
Print

Description

Girtin, along with his rival J. M. W. Turner, extended the technical possibilities of watercolor and in doing so demonstrated that watercolors could have the visual impact of oils. His reduction of landscape to simple and monumental forms, his panoramic compositions, and his sensitivity to natural effects, such as cloud formations, influenced subsequent generations of watercolor painters. Anxious to take advantage of the Peace of Amiens (October 1, 1801), Girtin went to Paris to see the artistic treasures brought back from Italy by Napoleon and installed in the Louvre. He made graphite sketches of the city and its environs and upon his return to London made etchings based on his drawings. Girtin died of tuberculosis shortly thereafter, and the series was published by his widow and brother.
A horizontal etching and aquatint depicts a wide river valley under a brooding sky. On the left, a grassy slope dotted with cattle descends to a long, red-roofed building. A stone structure crowns the hilltop. The river winds around a central island with spindly trees toward a horizon where another building sits. Heavy gray clouds loom over a pale yellow glow, casting the landscape in shadow. Text appears in the lower margin.

A Selection of Twenty of the Most Picturesque Views in Paris: The Water Works at Marli, and St. Germain en Laye seen in the distance

1803

Thomas Girtin, J.B. Harraden

(British, 1775–1802), (British)
England, 19th century

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