After dazzling the London art scene, Girtin died tragically young in 1802 at the age of 27. But he left behind a powerful body of work (including 'Appledore, North Devon', 1798, below) completed during a key period in the development of watercolour painting. Thomas Girtin - The Art Of Watercolour, from Thursday 4 July, Tate Britain, Millbank, SW1 (020-7887 8008).