A Castle in Normandy 

Here we see John Sell Cotman’s sketch, “A Castle in Normandy.” Cotman, living in a Britain that was rapidly industrializing, was part of a movement of artists who looked to the past for a sense of cultural identity. This drawing can be viewed as part of the broader Romantic movement, which valued emotion and the sublimity of nature over the Enlightenment's emphasis on reason and order. Cotman was interested in architecture, ruins, and their emotional impact. His choice of subject reflects a nostalgia for a pre-industrial past, a longing for a connection with history, and a sense of awe in the face of time's passage. There is a melancholy feeling emanating from this image of a majestic structure that has succumbed to time. Cotman emphasizes the quiet dignity of the castle, with its strong verticals and simple shapes, and it invites us to reflect on the changing tides of power and the endurance of memory.