Artwork
A Selection of Twenty of the Most Picturesque Views in Paris: View of Pont au Change, the City Theatre, Pont Neuf, Conciergerie Prison, and taken from Pont Notre Dame
A Selection of Twenty of the Most Picturesque Views in Paris: View of Pont au Change, the City Theatre, Pont Neuf, Conciergerie Prison, and taken from Pont Notre Dame is a print by the Romanticist artist Thomas Girtin. It dates from 1802 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art.
- Accession no.
- 1950.219.9
- Credit line
- Dudley P. Allen Fund
About this work
Overview
Created in 1802, this watercolour by English artist Thomas Girtin presents a panoramic view of several Parisian landmarks situated along the Seine.
Created in 1802, this watercolour by English artist Thomas Girtin presents a panoramic view of several Parisian landmarks situated along the Seine. The composition includes the Pont au Change, the City Theatre, the Pont Neuf, the Conciergerie prison, and a perspective from the Pont Notre‑Dame. Rendered in a compact format, the print captures the bustling riverbank with its bridges, buildings, and river traffic.
Subject & Meaning
The scene portrays a stone bridge crowded with pedestrians and a horse‑drawn cart, while the opposite bank is lined with a mixture of grandiose façades and modest dwellings. A prominent church tower rises near the bridge, accompanied by a smaller, sharply‑topped spire behind it. The turbulent water, dotted with rocks and debris, suggests the lively, sometimes chaotic, atmosphere of early‑19th‑century Paris.
Technique & Style
Girtin employs a restrained palette of washes to model light and shadow, creating a sense of depth without excessive detail. The interplay of illuminated surfaces and deep shadows highlights the architectural forms and conveys atmospheric conditions, a hallmark of his approach to topographical accuracy combined with mood. The delicate handling of water and sky demonstrates his contribution to the elevation of watercolour as a serious medium.
History & Provenance
The work belongs to a series of twenty views that Girtin completed shortly before his untimely death at the age of twenty‑seven. Though the series was intended as a comprehensive visual record of Paris, only a few prints survived, and this particular piece is now held in a public collection, illustrating the artist’s brief but influential career in early British watercolour painting.
Artist & collection
Artist
Thomas Girtin (18 February 1775 – 9 November 1802) was an English watercolourist and etcher. A friend and rival of J. M. W. Turner, Girtin played a key role in establishing watercolour as a reputable art form.
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