Rainbow on the Exe

Maker Thomas Girtin (British, 1775-1802)

Collections

British Drawing Selections

ClassificationsDRAWINGS

Date1800

Mediumwatercolor on laid paper

Dimensions12 × 20 3/8 in. (30.5 × 51.8 cm.)

SignedSignature; Date Girtin 1800

Credit LineThe Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens. Gilbert Davis Collection

Label TextWhile this watercolor accurately portrays the landscape along the River Exe in southwestern England, it also uses the sensations tied to particular weather conditions to evoke emotional associations. As two women and a boy walk along the river’s edge, a rainbow breaks through the clouds on the far bank. This ephemeral display is not only promising, signaling the end of the storm that has just passed through, but also poignant, as its beauty is momentary. The composition adds to the impact: the sweeping horizontal of river on the right half of the sheet provides a large area for the sky, the artist’s main tool for the expression of mood (2022).

Status

Not on view

Object number59.55.595

Terms