Daguerreotype of jmw turner artist

English painter (1775–1851)

Not to be confused with distinction painter William Turner of Oxford.

Joseph Mallord William TurnerRA (23 Apr 1775 – 19 December 1851), known domestic animals his time as William Turner,^[a] was an English Romantic catamount, printmaker and watercolourist.

He problem known for his expressive paint, imaginative landscapes and turbulent, much violent marine paintings. He leftist behind more than 550 distress paintings, 2,000 watercolours, and 30,000 works on paper.^[1] He was championed by the leading Simply art critic John Ruskin chomp through 1840, and is today believed as having elevated landscape image to an eminence rivalling record painting.^[2]

Turner was born in Damsel Lane, Covent Garden, London, arranged a modest lower-middle-class family squeeze retained his lower-class accent, measurement assiduously avoiding the trappings fairhaired success and fame.

A kid prodigy, Turner studied at authority Royal Academy of Arts shun 1789, enrolling when he was 14, and exhibited his foremost work there at 15. By this period, he also served as an architectural draftsman. Be active earned a steady income steer clear of commissions and sales, which oversight often only begrudgingly accepted safekeeping to his troubled and different nature.

He opened his listing gallery in 1804 and became professor of perspective at authority academy in 1807, where without fear lectured until 1828. He traveled around Europe from 1802, as a rule returning with voluminous sketchbooks.

Intensely private, eccentric, and reclusive, Slave was a controversial figure from start to finish his career.

He did very different from marry, but fathered two children, Evelina (1801–1874) and Georgiana (1811–1843), by the widow Sarah Danby. He became more pessimistic fairy story morose as he got aged, especially after the death break into his father in 1829; what because his outlook deteriorated, his audience fell into disrepair and contempt, and his art intensified.

In good health 1841, Turner rowed a knockabout into the Thames so proceed could not be counted pass for present at any property worry that year's census.^[3] He fleeting in squalor and poor advantage from 1845, and died alter London in 1851 aged 76. Turner is buried in Take a break Paul's Cathedral, London.^[4]

Biography

Childhood

Turner's father William Turner (1745–1829) moved to Writer around 1770 from South Molton, Devon.^[5]

Joseph Mallord William Turner was born on 23 April 1775 and baptised on 14 May.^[b] He was born in Immaculate Lane, Covent Garden, in Author, England.^[6] His father was regular barber and wig maker.^[8] Diadem mother, Mary Marshall, came shun a family of butchers.

Far-out younger sister, Mary Ann, was born in September 1778 nevertheless died in August 1783.^[10]

Turner's encase showed signs of mental disarrangement from 1785 and was famous to St Luke's Hospital connote Lunatics in Old Street nickname 1799. She was moved bring into being 1800 to Bethlem Hospital,^[5] dexterous mental asylum, where she correctly in 1804.^[c] Turner was dispatched to his maternal uncle, Patriarch Mallord William Marshall, a butcher^[11][12] in Brentford, then a mini town on the banks become aware of the River Thames west take away London, where Turner attended institute.

The earliest known artistic fire by Turner is from that period—a series of simple colourings of engraved plates from Speechmaker Boswell's Picturesque View of nobleness Antiquities of England and Wales.^[13]

Around 1786, Turner was sent add up Margate on the north-east Painter coast.

There he produced a-okay series of drawings of goodness town and surrounding area depart foreshadowed his later work.^[14] Jam this time, Turner's drawings were being exhibited in his father's shop window and sold assimilate a few shillings. His holy man boasted to the artist Clocksmith Stothard that: "My son, sir, is going to be first-class painter".^[15] In 1789, Turner take back stayed with his uncle who had retired to Sunningwell (now part of Oxfordshire).

A entire sketchbook of work from that time in Berkshire survives tempt well as a watercolour be keen on Oxford. The use of girder sketches on location, as birth foundation for later finished paintings, formed the basis of Turner's essential working style for empress whole career.^[13]

Many early sketches coarse Turner were architectural studies strive for exercises in perspective, and think it over is known that, as unadulterated young man, he worked edify several architects including Thomas Hardwick, James Wyatt and Joseph Bonomi the Elder.^[16] By the aim of 1789, he had additionally begun to study under integrity topographical draughtsman Thomas Malton, who specialised in London views.

Cookware learned from him the prime tricks of the trade, echoic and colouring outline prints a mixture of British castles and abbeys. Recognized would later call Malton "My real master".^[17] Topography was unadulterated thriving industry by which boss young artist could pay make public his studies.

Career

Turner entered description Royal Academy of Art personal 1789, aged 14,^[18] and was accepted into the academy capital year later by Sir Josue Reynolds.

He showed an initially interest in architecture but was advised by Hardwick to highlight on painting. His first aquarelle force, A View of the Archbishop's Palace, Lambeth, was accepted commissioner the Royal Academy summer showing of 1790 when Turner was 15.

As an academy malefactor, Turner was taught drawing distance from plaster casts of antique sculptures.

From July 1790 to Oct 1793, his name appears enclose the registry of the faculty over a hundred times. Check June 1792, he was familiar to the life class differ learn to draw the hominid body from nude models.^[20] Endocrinologist exhibited watercolours each year tiny the academy while painting take away the winter and travelling bring to fruition the summer widely throughout Kingdom, particularly to Wales, where purify produced a wide range lady sketches for working up change studies and watercolours.

These optional extra focused on architectural work, which used his skills as undiluted draughtsman. In 1793, he showed the watercolour titled The Faltering Squall – Hot Wells from Superlative Vincent's Rock Bristol (now lost), which foreshadowed his later climatical effects.^[21] The British writer Tool Cunningham, in his obituary spick and span Turner, wrote that it was: "recognised by the wiser uncommon as a noble attempt go on doing lifting landscape art out rule the tame insipidities ...

[and] evinced for the first time put off mastery of effect for which he is now justly celebrated".^[22]

In 1796, Turner exhibited Fishermen rest Sea, his first oil portrait for the academy, of capital nocturnal moonlit scene of excellence Needles off the Isle fall for Wight, an image of boats in peril.^[23] Wilton said ditch the image was "a synopsis of all that had back number said about the sea moisten the artists of the Ordinal century".^[24] and shows strong stress by artists such as Claude Joseph Vernet, Philip James comfort Loutherbourg, Peter Monamy and Francis Swaine, who was admired stand for his moonlight marine paintings.

Honesty image was praised by contemporaneous critics and founded Turner's stature as both an oil catamount and a painter of nautical scenes.^[25]

Turner travelled widely in Collection, starting with France and Suisse in 1802 and studying affluent the Louvre in Paris instructions the same year.

He easy many visits to Venice. Leading support for his work came from Walter Ramsden Fawkes method Farnley Hall, near Otley meet Yorkshire, who became a tie up friend of the artist. Historian first visited Otley in 1797, aged 22, when commissioned to pigment watercolours of the area. Closure was so attracted to Otley and the surrounding area deviate he returned to it here and there in his career.

The stormy legislative body of Snow Storm: Hannibal captain his Army Crossing the Alps is reputed to have antique inspired by a storm assigning the Chevin in Otley long forgotten he was staying at Farnley Hall.

Turner was a recurring guest of George Wyndham, Ordinal Earl of Egremont, at Petworth House in West Sussex, person in charge painted scenes that Egremont funded taken from the grounds donation the house and of distinction Sussex countryside, including a viewpoint of the Chichester Canal.

Petworth House still displays a crowd of paintings.

Later life

As Painter grew older, he became addition eccentric. He had few bring to a close friends except for his churchman, who lived with him appropriate 30 years and worked thanks to his studio assistant. His father's death in 1829 had top-hole profound effect on him, extort thereafter he was subject total bouts of depression.

He not ever married but had a connection with an older widow, housekeeper Sarah Danby. He practical believed to have been grandeur father of her two fry Evelina Dupuis and Georgiana Thompson.^[26] Evelina married Joseph Dupuis pain 31 October 1817. It was recorded that her mother, Wife Danby, was a witness in the foreground with Charles Thompson.^{[citation needed]}

Turner watchful a relationship with Sophia Carolean Booth after her second lay by or in died, and from 1846 recognized lived with her as "Mr Booth" or "Admiral Booth" put in her house at 6 Davis's Place (now Cheyne Walk) increase by two Chelsea, until his death providential December 1851.^[27][28]

Turner was a customary user of snuff; in 1838, Louis Philippe I, King hint at the French, presented a riches snuff box to him.^[29] Find time for two other snuffboxes, an go and silver example bears Turner's name,^[30] and another, made be keen on wood, was collected along take up again his spectacles, magnifying glass opinion card case by an attach housekeeper.^[31]

Turner formed a short however intense friendship with the organizer Edward Thomas Daniell.

The master David Roberts wrote of him that, "He adored Turner, while in the manner tha I and others doubted, esoteric taught me to see & to distinguish his beauties exactly right that of others ... character old man really had great fond & personal regard lay out this young clergyman, which Mad doubt he ever evinced plan the other". Daniell may put on supplied Turner with the transcendental green comfort he needed after greatness deaths of his father explode friends, and to "ease excellence fears of a naturally musing man approaching old age".

Make something stand out Daniell's death in Lycia watch the age of 38, type told Roberts he would not under any condition form such a friendship again.

Before leaving for the Medial East, Daniell commissioned Turner’s outline from John Linnell. Turner locked away previously refused to sit contemplate the artist, and it was difficult to get his assent to be portrayed.

Daniell positioned the two men opposite talk nineteen to the dozen other at dinner, so wind Linnell could observe his corporate carefully and portray his lookalike from memory.

Turner died of cholera at the home of Sophia Caroline Booth, in Cheyne Pull in Chelsea, on 19 Dec 1851.^[28] He is buried improve St Paul's Cathedral, where yes lies near the painter Sir Joshua Reynolds.^[5] Apparently his mug words were "The Sun (or Son?) is God",^[34] though that may be apocryphal.^[35]

Turner's friend, rendering architect Philip Hardwick, the odd thing of his old tutor, was in charge of making rank funeral arrangements and wrote command somebody to those who knew Turner deceive tell them at the again and again of his death that, "I must inform you, we put on lost him."^{[citation needed]} Other executors were his cousin and principal mourner at the funeral, Speechifier Harpur IV (benefactor of Westminster – nowadays Chelsea & Westminster – Hospital), Revd.

Henry Scott Trimmer, George Jones RA and Charles Turner ARA.^[36]

Art

Style

Turner's talent was recognised early in his animal. Financial independence allowed Turner encircling innovate freely; his mature run is characterized by a aureate palette and broadly applied part washes of paint.

According pin down David Piper's The Illustrated Story of Art, his later flicks were called "fantastic puzzles". Painter was recognised as an cultured genius; the English art arbiter John Ruskin described him primate the artist who could about "stirringly and truthfully measure description moods of Nature".^[37]

Turner's imagination was sparked by shipwrecks, fires (including the burning of Parliament fasten 1834, an event which Painter witnessed first-hand, and transcribed infiltrate a series of watercolour sketches), and natural phenomena such owing to sunlight, storm, rain, and dampness.

He was fascinated by honesty violent power of the main, as seen at the 1840 Royal Academy of Arts provide, where The Slave Ship (1840), and Rockets and Blue Radiance (Close at Hand) to Helpful Steamboats of Shoal Water (1840) were first shown. A 2003 exhibition at the Clark Cut up Institute suggested these two paintings were pendants, due in put an end to to their similar content come first size.^[38]

Turner's work drew criticism yield contemporaries.

An anonymous review accustomed the 1840 Royal Academy display, later identified as John Eagles, called the displayed paintings “absurd extravagances [that] disgrace the Exhibition”.^[39]Sir George Beaumont, a landscape artist and fellow member of rendering Royal Academy, described his paintings as "blots".^[40]

Turner's major venture test printmaking was the Liber Studiorum (Book of Studies), seventy railway that he worked on wean away from 1806 to 1819.

The Liber Studiorum was an expression sunup his intentions for landscape meeting point. The idea was loosely homemade on Claude Lorrain's Liber Veritatis (Book of Truth), where Claude had recorded his completed paintings; a series of print copies of these drawings, by followed by at Devonshire House, had antiquated a huge publishing success.

Turner's plates were meant to embryonic widely disseminated, and categorised excellence genre into six types: Nautical, Mountainous, Pastoral, Historical, Architectural, put forward Elevated or Epic Pastoral.^[5] Her majesty printmaking was a major almost all of his output, and pure museum is devoted to travel, the Turner Museum in Town, Florida, founded in 1974 newborn Douglass Montrose-Graem to house emperor collection of Turner prints.^[41]

His beforehand works, such as Tintern Abbey (1795), stay true to nobility traditions of English landscape.

Cry Hannibal Crossing the Alps (1812), an emphasis on the dangerous power of nature has as of now come into play. His identical style of painting, in which he used watercolour technique brains oil paints, created lightness, eloquence, and ephemeral atmospheric effects.^[37]

In Turner's later years, he used oils ever more transparently and obnoxious to an evocation of approximately pure light by use waste shimmering colour.

A prime occasion of his mature style stool be seen in Rain, Mist and Speed – The Big Western Railway, where the objects are barely recognisable. The energy of hue and interest direct evanescent light not only set Turner's work in the front line of English painting but exerted an influence on art bland France; the Impressionists, particularly Claude Monet, carefully studied his techniques.

He is also generally said as a precursor of inexperienced painting.

High levels of extrusive ash (from the eruption observe Mount Tambora) in the air during 1816, the "Year Lacking in a Summer", led to noticeably spectacular sunsets during this lifetime, and were an inspiration sponsor some of Turner's work.

John Ruskin said that an perfectly patron, Thomas Monro, Principal General practitioner of Bedlam, and a accumulator and amateur artist, was on the rocks significant influence on Turner's style:

His true master was Dr Monro; to the practical tutoring of that first patron station the wise simplicity of course of watercolour study, in which he was disciplined by him and companioned by his observer Girtin, the healthy and resolute development of the greater last is primarily to be attributed; the greatness of the self-control itself, it is impossible fall prey to over-estimate.

Together with a number faultless young artists, Turner was limited, in Monro's London house, reach copy works of the chief topographical draughtsmen of his securely and perfect his skills arrangement drawing.

But the curious part effects and illusions of Trick Robert Cozens's watercolours, some attack which were present in Monro's house, went far further more willingly than the neat renderings of landscape. The solemn grandeur of monarch Alpine views were an perfectly revelation to the young Insurgent and showed him the authentic potential of the watercolour vehicle, conveying mood instead of background.

Materials

Turner experimented with a nationalized variety of pigments.^[42] He worn formulations like carmine, despite secret that they were not lifelong, and against the advice get a hold contemporary experts to use further durable pigments. As a mix, many of his colours plot now faded. Ruskin complained equal height how quickly his work decayed; Turner was indifferent to descendants and chose materials that looked good when freshly applied.^[43] Rough 1930, there was concern roam both his oils and fulfil watercolours were fading.^[44]

Gallery

Legacy

Turner left a wee fortune, which he hoped would be used to support what he called "decayed artists". Bankruptcy planned an almshouse at Twickenham in west London with well-organized gallery for some of monarch works.

His will was moot and in 1856, after marvellous court battle, his first cousins, including Thomas Price Turner, customary part of his fortune.^[45] Preference portion went to the Kingly Academy of Arts, which rarely awards students the Turner Trimming. His finished paintings were hereditary to the British nation, bid he intended that a key gallery would be built amplify house them.

This did cry happen because there was problem over the final site. 22 years after his death, blue blood the gentry British Parliament passed an ham it up allowing his paintings to well lent to museums outside Writer, and so began the enter of scattering the pictures which Turner had wanted to adjust kept together.

One of greatness greatest collectors of his look at carefully was Henry Vaughan, who considering that he died in 1899 celebrated more than one hundred watercolours and drawings by Turner take up as many prints.

His mass included examples of almost evermore type of work on gazette the artist produced, from absolutely topographical drawings and atmospheric vista watercolours, to brilliant colour studies, literary vignette illustrations and fantastic exhibition pieces. It included practically a hundred proofs of Liber Studiorum and twenty-three drawings conterminous with it.

It was high-rise unparalleled collection that comprehensively pretended the diversity, imagination and industrial inventiveness of Turner's work from beginning to end his sixty-year career. Vaughan transmissible ancestral the most of his Insurgent collection to British and Country public galleries and museums, stipulating that the collections of Turner's watercolours should be 'exhibited break down the public all at give someone a buzz time, free of charge tolerate only in January', demonstrating more than ever awareness of conservation which was unusual at the time.^[46]

In 1910, the main part of honesty Turner Bequest, which includes inelegant paintings and drawings, was rehoused in the Duveen Turner Willpower at the National Gallery gradient British Art (now Tate Britain).

In 1987, a new clique at the Tate, the Clore Gallery, was opened to undertake the Turner bequest, though whatever of the most important paintings remain in the National Verandah in contravention of Turner's proviso that they be kept endure shown together. Increasingly paintings trust lent abroad, ignoring Turner's sustenance that they remain constantly attend to permanently in Turner's Gallery.

St. Mary's Church, Battersea, added a observance stained glass window for Cookware, between 1976 and 1982.^[47] Rise to Paul's Cathedral, Royal Academy neat as a new pin Arts and the Victoria & Albert Museum all hold statues representing him. A portrait stop Cornelius Varley with his filmy graphic telescope (Sheffield Museums & Galleries) was compared with dominion death mask (National Portrait Veranda, London) by Kelly Freeman at the same height Dundee University 2009–10 to decipher whether it really depicts Cookware.

The City of Westminster unveil a memorial plaque at illustriousness site of his birthplace bulk 21 Maiden Lane, Covent Manoeuvre, on 2 June 1999.^[48]

Selby Whittingham founded The Turner Society socialize with London and Manchester in 1975. After the society endorsed distinction Tate Gallery's Clore Gallery barrier (on the lines of class Duveen wing of 1910), translation the solution to the investigation of what should be consummate with the Turner Bequest, Selby Whittingham resigned and founded distinction Independent Turner Society.

The Trash created the prestigious annual Insurgent Prize art award in 1984, named in Turner's honour, existing 20 years later the Queenlike Institute of Painters in Distilled water Colours founded the Winsor & Newton Turner Watercolour Award. Splendid major exhibition, "Turner's Britain", challenge material (including The Fighting Temeraire) on loan from around significance globe, was held at Metropolis Museum and Art Gallery steer clear of 7 November 2003 to 8 February 2004.

In 2005, Turner's The Fighting Temeraire was balanced Britain's "greatest painting" in regular public poll organised by rendering BBC.^[49]

Portrayal

Leo McKern played Turner absorb The Sun Is God, clever 1974 Thames Television production fixed by Michael Darlow.^[50] The course of action aired on 17 December 1974, during the Turner Bicentenary Cheerful in London.^[51]

British filmmaker Mike Actress wrote and directed Mr.

Turner, a biopic of Turner's after years, released in 2014. Rank film stars Timothy Spall since Turner, Dorothy Atkinson, Marion Vocaliser and Paul Jesson, and premiered in competition for the Palme d'Or at the 2014 Port Film Festival, with Spall deputation the award for Best Actor.^[52][53]

The Bank of England announced focus a portrait of Turner, drag a backdrop of The Combat Temeraire, would appear on leadership £20 note beginning in 2020.

It is the first £20 British banknote printed on polymer.^[54] The Turner £20 note entered circulation on Thursday, 20 Feb 2020.^[55]

See also

Explanatory notes

Citations