Turner was a British painter born in 1775 who became famous for his landscape paintings and seascapes depicting the effects of light and weather. He was influenced by Romanticism and sought to portray nature's power through dramatic depictions of storms, fires, shipwrecks, and other disasters. Turner's style evolved over his career to use bolder colors and looser brushwork focused more on light than physical forms. He is now seen as a precursor to Impressionism and one of the greatest artists of the 19th century.

1. First created 11 Aug 2012. Version 2.0 - 24 Jul 2019. Daperro. London.
J M W Turner
The Evolution of an Artist
[1775 – 1851]

2. Turner was a full member
of the Royal Academy at
25. By 1920s, we was
very well-known.
Turner as an Artist
He is now considered
one of the most
remarkable 19C artists.
Turner overshadowed his
rival Constable.
Turner was born in
London, in 1775. His
father was a barber, who
had a shop in Covent
Garden. His father
encouraged his artistic
talents by exhibiting
Turner’s drawings in his
shop. The painting
below shows Covent
Garden, at the time when
Turner was a boy.

3. This is one of his earliest paintings. It already marked his interest in seascape drama.
Fishman at Sea, 1796

4. The Historic Landscape
This is his first historic landscape, based on the Biblical story. He began a life-long love of painting
natural catastrophes and destructions. Note how Turner used reflected light on the pyramid to signify
Egypt, on an otherwise European landscape.

5. Dutch Boat in Gale. 1801

6. Dutch Boat in Gale (detail). 1801

7. Calais Pier. 1803

8. In 1802, Turner went on his first trip to continental Europe. On his crossing, he had a hair-raising
experience at Calais. A year later he painted this scene of a turbulent stormy sea.
Calais Pier (Detail). 1803

9. Desperation on the pier
Calais Pier (Detail). 1803

10. Calais Pier (Detail). 1803

11. To emphasize the stormy weather Turner used a darker tone for the waves and cloudy sky. It contrasts
with the turbulent lighter colour waves in the foreground.
The Shipwreck. 1805

12. Romanticism is a major artistic, literary,
musical and intellectual movement in the 18C
and 19C. It is primarily a reaction to the
industrial Revolution and the Age of
Enlightenment.
It advocates that strong emotion is an
authentic source of aesthetic experience. It
also believes that nature, as an inescapable
force in human destiny. It is capable of
crushing man-made objects and human
civilization.
Friedrich is one of the best known painters
of Romanticism. Sea of Ice 1823-25.
Romantic Landscape

13. Looking toward Snowdon. 1799

14. London (Greenwich). 1809

15. Seeing his painting in this light, gives us the insight into his obsession with the destructive forces of
nature against human and products of the Industrial Revolution.
Avalanche 1810

16. The Historic Landscape. 1812
This was inspired by Turner’s own journey across the Alps. The painting depicts the defeat of the invading
army of Hannibal by a snow storm. Frequently, Turner depicted violent storms with apocalyptic whirling
dark clouds in a vortex.

17. Wolverhampton. 1796

18. Conway Castle. 1800

19. Landscape. 1802
Note the use of near-side tree in the composition.

20. Landscape. 1817
Note the use of reflective luminous water.

21. This is Turner’s answer to Lorrain’s dramatic lighted landscape. It is displayed next to Claude
Lorrain’s version, in the National Gallery, London, as requested by him.
The Historic Landscape. 1815

22. Taking in Stores. 1818

23. The Historic Seascape
The painting depicts Polyphemus, the Cyclops on the cliff and Nereids in front of the ship’s bow. Their forms are
integrated with the natural elements of the clouds and waves.
Polyphemus
Nereids

24. The Historic Seascape
The blending of Polyemus and the Nereids with the mountain, the clouds and the waves created illusions
of forces derived from nature.

25. A Historic Seascape of his time
The rivalry between Britain and France was at its height during the life of Turner.

26. William Blake, John Constable, John Martin and
John Waterhouse were some of the well known
painters of English Romanticism.

27. The Forces of Nature

28. Turner visited Venice many times. His Venice paintings are often colourful but without the apocalyptic
drama. Many of his Venice paintings are in watercolour.
Views of Venice

29. Views of Venice

30. Views of Venice

31. Views of Venice
The painting shows the interplay of lights and delicate pastel shades. Houses, windows, bridges
and boats are blended into this interplay and becomes almost indistinguishable.

32. Burning of the Houses of Parliament
Turner painted a series of
paintings on the burning of the
Houses of Parliament, with
dramatic colours.
In the painting, the fire was
fanned by the wind and stretched
to tremendous height over the
Thames.

33. Burning of the Houses of Parliament

34. Burning of the Houses of Parliament

35. The Coming of an Industrial Age

36. This is one of his most popular paintings. It shows a veteran fighting ship, Temeraire,
which fought heroically in the Battle of Trafalgar, being towed by steamer tug on the
Thames, to be broken up in the wrecker’s yard. The Temeraire was painted in ghostly but
nevertheless bright and majestic colours. This contrasted strongly with the demonic black
tug, a product of the Industrial Revolution.
The Fighting Temeraire. 1838

37. The blazing blood red sunset is a symbol of the passing age of the sail, replaced by the
industrial era of steam. The painting was well received when it was first seen in the
exhibition,
The Fighting Temeraire. 1838

38. The Dire Vision of a Slave ship

39. This is one of Turner’s dire visions on painting. It shows slaves being thrown overboard with fishes
feasting on the victim. The painting was inspired after he read ‘The History and Abolition of the Slave
Trade’ by Thomas Clarkson. In 1781, the captain of the slave ship Zong had ordered 133 slaves to be
thrown overboard so that insurance payments could be collected, as he could claim insurance on those
who drowned, but not on those who died of disease.
The Dire Vision of a Slave ship

40. The Painter of Light
In Turner’s later life, disappearing
forms were increasing replaced
by emphasis on the depicting of
lights. His paintings became
more and more like a sketch.
His paintings were widely
criticised as ‘unfinished’.
Paradoxically it was these
changes that earned him the
greatest admiration today.
Large part of his canvas
became a battle between areas
of light and areas of darkness.
There was a companion painting
to this painting called ‘War’,
depicting Napoleon imprisoned in
the island of St Helena. This
painting showed the burial of his
friend David Wilkie at sea.

41. The Painter of Light
In this painting the form of a paddle steamer became a vague impression. The waves. snow and winds
were reduced to the turbulence of the brushstrokes, suggesting movements, as the sun momentarily broke
through the clouds.

43. The Painter of Light
In the painting, Turner painted the man-made railway and the viaduct contrasting it with the light-filled
natural landscape. The railway was emerging with the sun from behind, making its way through the winds
and rains at 50 miles an hour, as it entered into our space.

44. The Painter of Light

45. ThePainterofLight
This is near pure light. The colours are bright. The lights are diffused. Forms are dissolved. Turner used oils
with similar delicacy to his watercolours.

46. Turner was a supreme Romantic painter and he was a
precursor of the changing world of art to come. He had
reached beyond the conformity of his age, often
beyond the comprehension of his critics.

47. Turner’s later paintings were precursors of the coming of the Impressionism. In a letter signed in 1860s by
Monet, Pissarro, Degas, Renoir and others, it acknowledged “that they have been preceded in this path by
a great master of the English, the illustrious Turner.”
Precursor to Impressionism

48. Beethoven is regarded as a composer of the Romanticism movement
together with Paganini and Rossini.
Music – An extract from Symphony No 6, ‘Pastoral’ –
Shepherds’ Hymn after the Storm, composed by
Ludwig van Beethoven.
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The
End

49. British Painting