Joseph Mallord William Turner is one of Britain's greatest artists. He was the ‘master of light’ who pioneered radical techniques to interpret the changing world around him.
In this documentary Alice Loxton heads to the National Gallery to examine some of Turner’s most remarkable works, including ‘Calais Pier’ and ‘Rain, Steam, and Speed’. She also meets curator Christine Riding to examine two Turner paintings on loan from the New York’s Frick Collection: ‘Harbour of Dieppe: Changement de Domicile’ and ‘Cologne, the Arrival of a Packet-Boat: Evening’.
These paintings demonstrate Turner’s extraordinary use of light, colour and tone that is emblematic of his later work. With Christine’s expert guidance, Alice discovers how Turner was an artist full of juxtaposition and contrast - a mixture of nature and industry, of classical ideals and contemporary life, of Old Master techniques and the abstraction of later artists. It was this fusion which created that spark of genius.
This exhibition can be found in Room 46 of the National Gallery, London and is on until the 19th February 2023.
Up Next in Art
-
Dicking About
Penises, they’re everywhere in ancient art and sculpture…But back in Ancient Greece they were artistically embodied a bit differently…why? Size spoke volumes.
Dr Kate Lister and her handy tape measure are on a quest to get the measure of Ancient Greek statues in the Cambridge Museum of Classics...
-
War Art of the Western Front
It was the war to end all wars. In 1914, catastrophe struck Europe as great power diplomacy failed and alliance systems mobilised vast armies against one another in a conflict that dragged on in bloody stalemate for four long years. Nations geared their entire economies towards victory and called...
-
How Do I Look? The History of Body Mo...
When you wake up every morning and get dressed, you probably don’t stop to think that you’re taking part in a millennia-old cultural tradition. How you choose to look is all part of the long history of humans altering their appearance to make a statement - from self-expression and individuality t...
10 Comments