Goodwin loved painting dramatic, poetic landscapes. The richly glowing deep blue of the sky in this painting is very typical of his work. Whitby Abbey was a favourite subject for Goodwin, partly because of its ruinous appearance, but also because he was a deeply religious man, with a profound interest in spiritual subjects. When Goodwin painted this in 1910, he had been painting Whitby Abbey intermittently for at least 14 years. Goodwin spent much of his life travelling, visiting Egypt, India and America, as well as travelling extensively in Britain and Europe. He painted many of the places he visited.