The untold story of J.M.W. Turner's friend and greatest rival,
pioneering watercolor artist Thomas Girtin
Part historical narrative, part modern fiction, this book consists of
two interlinked stories: The first focuses on the 18th-century painter
Thomas Girtin and his relationship with his friend and rival J.M.W.
Turner; the second tells the tale of three amateur artists in the
present day, united by a shared interest in Girtin's art. Using this
dual narrative to draw parallels between two eras of rapid technological
advancement and sociopolitical turbulence, Oscar Zárate's long-awaited
new graphic novel restores to modern eyes this unjustly forgotten
figure, whose work has been almost entirely ignored despite his huge
influence in British painting. At the time of death, aged just 27,
Girtin had already established himself as a pioneer and a master: His
expressionist approach was a significant turning point in the British
watercolor tradition. But the brevity of his career, coupled with his
chosen medium (compared to oils, watercolors were a humbler and less
easily exhibited form) meant that his work came to be overshadowed by
that of Turner. As Turner himself famously remarked, "If Tom had lived,
I should have starved.
