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‘Luminous’ British watercolors at the Getty Museum

Thomas Girtin - Durham Cathedral and Castle

Thomas Girtin
Durham Cathedral and Castle, about 1800

Turner - Long Ship's Lighthouse, Land's End

Joseph Mallord William Turner
Long Ship’s Lighthouse, Land’s End, about 1834–35

‘Luminous’ British watercolors at the Getty Museum The exhibition ‘Luminous Paper: British Watercolors and Drawings’ displays more than 25 works of the 1700s and 1800s by some of the greatest British masters of the medium, such as J.M.W. Turner or Thomas Girtin.

July 19 – October 23, 2011

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Source: Getty Museum / theartwolf.com

‘Luminous Paper: British Watercolors and Drawings’ exhibits several works that have been recently acquired by the Getty Museum. Among them, one of the most notable is Thomas Girtin’s “Durham Cathedral and Castle”.

Girtin died when he was just 27, but at that time he was already a very respected artist. According to the Getty Museum, Joseph Mallord William Turner -widely considered the best British artist of his era- is reputed to have said “Had poor Tom [Thomas Girtin] lived, I would have starved.” Turner himself is represented at the exhibition with his “Long Ship’s Lighthouse, Land’s End”.

Another important artist of the era is Thomas Shotter Boys, who -according to the press note- “excelled in capturing effects of atmosphere and mood”. His “View of the Church of Our Lady of Hanswijk, Mechelen” was purchased by the Getty in 2009.

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'Luminous' British watercolors at the Getty Museum