Thomas Girtin @ Tate Britain

Thomas Girtin: The Art of Watercolour
Tate Britain, August 2002

Thomas Girtin was born in 1775, the same year as Turner. His work up
until 1802 closely mirrors that of the great J M W. But whereas Turner
went on to create a celebrated body of work drawn from numerous
continental tours, studies of English landscapes and the occasional
decommissioned warship, Girtin had the misfortune to die of asthma in
the autumn of 1802. Turner said that if his contemporary had lived then
he (Turner) would have starved. Such is the modern discrepancy in the
reputations of the two men that this exhibition on Millbank is promoted
with a Turner, rather than a Girtin, watercolour.

This excellent exhib sets out to inform in two distinct areas. One is
the straight forward rehabilitation of Thomas Girtin, which it achieves
largely by laying out a significant body of his work in chronological
order. Thus room one is the early work from his apprenticeship, we then
go through his first commissions to paint places he had never seen to
his huge panorama of London (burnt in 1808 so we get a modern-day photo
and audio reactions to Girtin's 1802 show) and, finally, his later
watercolours which hint at what greatness might have lain ahead. Some
commentators have seen sombre moods in these later works but that's
largely because in watercolours world browns last longer than
blues.

Alongside this fine collection is a little sub-exhibition showing how a
watercolour might have been created, for what reason and where it might
have ended up. So we follow an amateur's line-drawing through its
conversion to a first draft with grey wash until it emerges as a
picture so perfect it's hard to believe the artist had never even seen
the place. There are also antiquarian portfolios, recreations of
studios and a fair amount of talk on the walls about how Girtin was
forever the outsider - he was never admitted to the RA for reasons
which had more to do with class than talent, although he exhibited
there and was lauded.

His death in 1802, aged 27, might have been the sort to create myths
but for a few nagging details. He was a popular, well-liked man who
lived comfortably and didn't have a poetic disease. Also, everything he
might have achieved that was innovative was being done by J M W Turner
anyway. Girtin had the misfortune to only live during one period of
peace and so could only reach mainland Europe once. Turner, of course,
was able to make several more journeys. Ultimately his longevity was
the reason why his work hangs permanently on Millbank and the annual
prize for overblown rubbish of the year is awarded in his honour not
Girtin's.

All in all, this is a very satisfying exhibition - and a pretty large
one too - that manages to highlight areas of art history about which
many of the viewing public (well me anyway) will be pretty ignorant
without being either patronising or stupefyingly highbrow. It almost
restores your faith in the Tate. Now if only they could stop calling
this gallery Tate Britain and give it a proper name. All those in
favour of "Tate Millbank" say "aye". "Aye!"