Thomas Girtin, ‘Bamburgh Castle’, c. 1797-9, watercolour on paper

Thomas Girtin (1775-1802)

English Romantic Painter

Girtin rejected the familiar view of Bamburgh in favour of a battered fragment of the outer wall. The low and close viewpoint and the vertical composition add drama, and help to exaggerate the height of the rock. This is also enhanced by the seagulls touched in with bodycolour to the left. These features, combined with the dark sky, encourage the viewer to imagine the violent natural forces that have wrecked the walls.

Had Tom Girtin lived, I should have starved JMW Turner