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.
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