Fortified Entrance to a Welsh Town (East Gate of Caernarvon) 1797 - 1807

John Varley made this watercolor of the East Gate of Caernarvon at the turn of the 19th century. At this time, watercolor was becoming an increasingly important medium for British artists looking to capture the spirit of the nation through picturesque views. Varley's image creates meaning through its cultural references to British identity and historical associations with the medieval past. Note that Caernarvon Castle was originally built by Edward I as a symbol of English power over Wales. However, by the late 18th century, figures like Varley began to represent such sites of military occupation as important British heritage sites. This shift can be attributed to anxieties about national identity during the Napoleonic Wars. The aesthetic category of the 'picturesque', with its emphasis on rugged, irregular, and 'natural' forms, helped to assimilate formerly foreign landscapes into a British visual culture. By drawing attention to the patina of age, artists like Varley turned sites of former conflict into objects of national pride. Art historians draw on a variety of resources to understand these shifts in cultural attitudes.