Above Lyme Regis, looking across Marshwood Vale, Dorset 1797 - 1798

Curator: Ah, Girtin's "Above Lyme Regis, looking across Marshwood Vale, Dorset," a watercolor wash capturing a sweeping landscape. The piece resides here at the Harvard Art Museums. Editor: It's lovely, like a faded dream. The colors are so soft, almost like they've been washed away by time itself. Gives it a serene, almost melancholic feel. Curator: He was quite young when he painted this, wasn't he? And he died so young, too. I always feel like there's a longing imbued in his pieces, a sort of ephemeral quality. Editor: Notice how the Vale sort of rolls off into the distance? It’s a symbol of nature's embrace, but also of the fleeting nature of earthly beauty. Girtin almost seems to be hinting at mortality itself through the landscape. Curator: Perhaps! It's a reminder, isn't it, that even the most breathtaking vistas are temporary. I think he saw the divine in nature, that it was worth documenting. Editor: Definitely an interesting viewpoint on how we view the beauty and symbolic essence of our natural surroundings.