Easby Abbey 1800 - 1900

Thomas Girtin made this watercolor of Easby Abbey around 1800, a time when the picturesque qualities of ruins held great appeal. Girtin here captures the romantic charm of a decaying religious structure, but this image is not politically neutral. In the late 18th century, Britain was undergoing rapid social and economic change. The aristocracy was firmly in control, and the church was an establishment that reinforced the existing social order. The ruins of Easby Abbey, dissolved during the Reformation, served as a reminder of a time before the rise of industrial capitalism. They harked back to a period when the Church was a dominant force in everyday life. Artists like Girtin, consciously or unconsciously, played a role in shaping the cultural perception of the past. The study of artworks, like this one, benefits from historical research, allowing us to interpret their meaning within their specific social and institutional context.