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 The Victorians
-
The Whitechapel Murders: Into the Str...
Today, the East End of London is a thriving centre of commerce. In the 19th century however, it was a maze of dark alleys, gas lit courts and foggy wharfs. It was a particularly dangerous place for women, a number of whom were murdered at the hands of Jack the Ripper. Dr Julia Laite takes Dan Sno...
-
Could You Survive On the SS Great Bri...
What was working on SS Great Britain really like? Isambard Kingdom Brunel's SS Great Britain is undoubtedly one of the most important historic ships in the world. When she was launched from Bristol by Prince Albert in 1843, she was called 'the greatest experiment since the creation'. No one else ...
-
Could You Survive SS Great Britain? P...
When she set out on her first voyage to New York in 1845, SS Great Britain was the largest passenger ship ever built, and she would go on to transport over 30,000 people during her 41-year-working life.
For most of that period, the ship carried emigrants between Liverpool and Melbourne on the n...
8 Comments