Thomas Girtin

This work is believed to represent the ruins of the 13th-century abbey Valle Crucis (Valley of the Cross) in North Wales. It is a subject that Girtin depicted several times, but because he portrayed only a fragment here, it cannot be identified with certainty. Its role is to heighten the moodiness of the shadowy setting that points up the lone, despondent woman lit by sunlight streaming through the trees. In Girtin’s short life, he developed a broad-ranged handling of the medium and a rich expressiveness that was recognized along with Turner’s contributions as instrumental in elevating watercolor to a serious art medium in the 1790s.