What is more awe-inspiring, nature or man? During the romantic era from the late eighteenth century to the mid-nineteenth century the answer would have been nature. Romanticists stressed that instead of being in awe over what man has done, we should be in awe over what nature has done and undone. Nature is gentle yet harsh with man-made things, breaking them down while adding to their beauty, something clearly shown in "Tintern Abbey" and "Landscape". Both paintings are classic examples of artwork from the romantic period, getting the viewer to feel awed at the grace and beauty of the paintings while the underlying theme of nature being a greater force than man is still present.

             A beauty created by man's hand for God's worship lays broken and weathered on the cool ground, weeds and ivy slowly splitting it into even more pieces. Yet hope still resonates in this old sanctuary, people still coming to visit and marvel at its wonders. .

             Light bounces off every piece of this aged abbey, chasing away the darkness that has worn it down so that another generation may be instilled with the beauty and hope it portrayed during its splendor. This is exactly what is portrayed in J.M.W. Turner's painting, "Tintern Abbey". The colors he uses easily mesh together, instilling the viewer with a sense of wonder as they gaze at the ruins of "Tintern Abbey". His pallet consists mainly of light colors that easily blend into each other, making it seem as if the abbey is a celestial reminder of an older time. People poke around the ruins in the shadows of the massive walls, exploring the beauty while trying to imagine what it looked like in her prime. Ivy clings to the abbey's walls, the colors for it done in darker shades than the walls and light not only to add a contrast but to signify how time can destroy beauty. The message that comes across is that time is fleeting and beauty lasts only for a moment before time takes its course, because in the end nature will overturn things created by man.