Footpath to Burg Katz, View of Burg Rheinfels Turner
spends the afternoon of 24th August 1817 exploring the area around St.
Goarshausen. He clambers up to Burg Katz and from this vantage point
makes the sketch which is later the basis for the watercolour he paints
on his return to London. The main body of the painting is taken up by
rocky crags and walls – an outlandish and striking compositional choice.
The viewer’s gaze is drawn upstream to the brightly illuminated valley
and Burg Rheinfels. The ruins of Burg Katz in the middle of the
picture, which do not exist in this form, are another striking feature.
Here Turner has placed a lone figure standing in an archway, in order
to emphasize the proportions of the picture. The scene appears almost
monochromatic with only a few yellow and brown hues. Today Burg Katz is
privately owned and is not open to the public.
William Turner
Nähe An der Burg Katz
56346 St. Goarshausen
Phone
e-mail
websitehttp://www.turner-route.de