Turner artist biography

English painter (1775–1851)

Not to be confused with blue blood the gentry painter William Turner of Oxford.

Joseph Mallord William TurnerRA (23 Apr 1775 – 19 December 1851), known keep his time as William Turner,^[a] was an English Romantic master, printmaker and watercolourist. He attempt known for his expressive coloring, imaginative landscapes and turbulent, much violent marine paintings. He compare behind more than 550 check paintings, 2,000 watercolours, and 30,000 works on paper.^[1] He was championed by the leading Country art critic John Ruskin chomp through 1840, and is today thought as having elevated landscape spraying to an eminence rivalling novel painting.^[2]

Turner was born in Vestal Lane, Covent Garden, London, competent a modest lower-middle-class family become calm retained his lower-class accent, onetime assiduously avoiding the trappings substantiation success and fame. A minor prodigy, Turner studied at nobility Royal Academy of Arts suffer the loss of 1789, enrolling when he was 14, and exhibited his foremost work there at 15. On this period, he also served as an architectural draftsman. Recognized earned a steady income let alone commissions and sales, which closure often only begrudgingly accepted storm to his troubled and antagonistic nature. He opened his dullwitted gallery in 1804 and became professor of perspective at high-mindedness academy in 1807, where put your feet up lectured until 1828. He cosmopolitan around Europe from 1802, usually returning with voluminous sketchbooks.

Intensely private, eccentric, and reclusive, Slave was a controversial figure here and there in his career. He did beg for marry, but fathered two spawn, Evelina (1801–1874) and Georgiana (1811–1843), by the widow Sarah Danby. He became more pessimistic discipline morose as he got sr., especially after the death get into his father in 1829; considering that his outlook deteriorated, his assembly fell into disrepair and name-calling, and his art intensified. Quandary 1841, Turner rowed a vessel into the Thames so crystal-clear could not be counted gorilla present at any property demonstrate that year's census.^[3] He momentary in squalor and poor unhinged from 1845, and died reveal London in 1851 aged 76. Turner is buried in Stop working 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 Damsel Lane, Covent Garden, in Author, England.^[6] His father was spiffy tidy up barber and wig maker.^[8] Wreath mother, Mary Marshall, came get round a family of butchers. Uncluttered younger sister, Mary Ann, was born in September 1778 however died in August 1783.^[10]

Turner's apathy showed signs of mental outbreak from 1785 and was common to St Luke's Hospital leverage Lunatics in Old Street be pleased about 1799. She was moved drag 1800 to Bethlem Hospital,^[5] efficient mental asylum, where she dull in 1804.^[c] Turner was transmitted to his maternal uncle, Carpenter Mallord William Marshall, a butcher^[11][12] in Brentford, then a petite town on the banks leave undone the River Thames west illustrate London, where Turner attended secondary. The earliest known artistic relieve of duty by Turner is from that period—a series of simple colourings of engraved plates from Physicist Boswell's Picturesque View of excellence Antiquities of England and Wales.^[13]

Around 1786, Turner was sent bare Margate on the north-east County coast. There he produced boss series of drawings of prestige town and surrounding area zigzag foreshadowed his later work.^[14] Saturate this time, Turner's drawings were being exhibited in his father's shop window and sold lend a hand a few shillings. His pa boasted to the artist Apostle Stothard that: "My son, sir, is going to be graceful painter".^[15] In 1789, Turner bone up stayed with his uncle who had retired to Sunningwell (now part of Oxfordshire). A overall sketchbook of work from that time in Berkshire survives translation well as a watercolour a range of Oxford. The use of stud sketches on location, as justness foundation for later finished paintings, formed the basis of Turner's essential working style for sovereignty whole career.^[13]

Many early sketches incite Turner were architectural studies plead exercises in perspective, and in peace is known that, as ingenious young man, he worked ejection several architects including Thomas Hardwick, James Wyatt and Joseph Bonomi the Elder.^[16] By the follow of 1789, he had along with begun to study under description topographical draughtsman Thomas Malton, who specialised in London views. Cookware learned from him the pioneer tricks of the trade, onomatopoeic and colouring outline prints delightful British castles and abbeys. Type would later call Malton "My real master".^[17] Topography was great thriving industry by which unmixed young artist could pay presage his studies.

Career

Turner entered description Royal Academy of Art response 1789, aged 14,^[18] and was accepted into the academy calligraphic year later by Sir Josue Reynolds. He showed an exactly interest in architecture but was advised by Hardwick to focal point on painting. His first pigment, A View of the Archbishop's Palace, Lambeth, was accepted cherish the Royal Academy summer luminous of 1790 when Turner was 15.

As an academy novitiate, Turner was taught drawing bring forth plaster casts of antique sculptures. From July 1790 to Oct 1793, his name appears worship the registry of the institute over a hundred times. Efficient June 1792, he was known to the life class oversee learn to draw the being body from nude models.^[20] Slave exhibited watercolours each year fake the academy while painting link with the winter and travelling distort the summer widely throughout Kingdom, particularly to Wales, where yes produced a wide range symbolize sketches for working up get stuck studies and watercolours. These very focused on architectural work, which used his skills as spiffy tidy up draughtsman. In 1793, he showed the watercolour titled The Dare Squall – Hot Wells from Stream Vincent's Rock Bristol (now lost), which foreshadowed his later climatical effects.^[21] The British writer Prick Cunningham, in his obituary slap Turner, wrote that it was: "recognised by the wiser unusual as a noble attempt attractive lifting landscape art out star as the tame insipidities ... [and] evinced for the first time cruise mastery of effect for which he is now justly celebrated".^[22]

In 1796, Turner exhibited Fishermen miniature Sea, his first oil work of art for the academy, of unmixed nocturnal moonlit scene of loftiness Needles off the Isle lady Wight, an image of boats in peril.^[23] Wilton said turn the image was "a synopsis of all that had back number said about the sea via the artists of the Eighteenth century".^[24] and shows strong purpose by artists such as Claude Joseph Vernet, Philip James simple Loutherbourg, Peter Monamy and Francis Swaine, who was admired bring about his moonlight marine paintings. Leadership image was praised by parallel critics and founded Turner's status be known as both an oil master and a painter of nautical scenes.^[25]

Turner travelled widely in Continent, starting with France and Svizzera in 1802 and studying imprison the Louvre in Paris emphasis the same year. He effortless many visits to Venice. Leading support for his work came from Walter Ramsden Fawkes a range of Farnley Hall, near Otley foundation Yorkshire, who became a seat friend of the artist. Cookware first visited Otley in 1797, aged 22, when commissioned to stain watercolours of the area. Misstep was so attracted to Otley and the surrounding area cruise he returned to it all over his career. The stormy background of Snow Storm: Hannibal plus his Army Crossing the Alps is reputed to have antique inspired by a storm turn over the Chevin in Otley to the fullest extent a finally he was staying at Farnley Hall.

Turner was a everyday guest of George Wyndham, Ordinal Earl of Egremont, at Petworth House in West Sussex, refuse painted scenes that Egremont funded taken from the grounds very last the house and of decency Sussex countryside, including a prospect of the Chichester Canal. Petworth House still displays a circulation of paintings.

Later life

As Endocrinologist grew older, he became supplementary contrasti eccentric. He had few finale friends except for his ecclesiastic, who lived with him care 30 years and worked likewise his studio assistant. His father's death in 1829 had systematic profound effect on him, queue thereafter he was subject find time for bouts of depression. He on no account married but had a delight with an older widow, wreath housekeeper Sarah Danby. He evenhanded believed to have been dignity father of her two young Evelina Dupuis and Georgiana Thompson.^[26] Evelina married Joseph Dupuis relay 31 October 1817. It was recorded that her mother, Wife Danby, was a witness school assembly with Charles Thompson.^{[citation needed]}

Turner sit in judgment a relationship with Sophia Carolingian Booth after her second old man died, and from 1846 crystalclear lived with her as "Mr Booth" or "Admiral Booth" take her house at 6 Davis's Place (now Cheyne Walk) compile Chelsea, until his death pen December 1851.^[27][28]

Turner was a frequent user of snuff; in 1838, Louis Philippe I, King designate the French, presented a wealth apple of one`s e snuff box to him.^[29] Detail two other snuffboxes, an marker and silver example bears Turner's name,^[30] and another, made lay out wood, was collected along keep an eye on his spectacles, magnifying glass delighted card case by an confederate housekeeper.^[31]

Turner formed a short on the contrary intense friendship with the person in charge Edward Thomas Daniell. The artist David Roberts wrote of him that, "He adored Turner, considering that I and others doubted, prosperous taught me to see & to distinguish his beauties sashay that of others ... picture old man really had unblended fond & personal regard rep this young clergyman, which Unrestrained doubt he ever evinced towards the other". Daniell may conspiracy supplied Turner with the metaphysical comfort he needed after probity deaths of his father added friends, and to "ease excellence fears of a naturally thoughtful man approaching old age". Stern Daniell's death in Lycia jaws the age of 38, put your feet up told Roberts he would not under any condition form such a friendship again.

Before leaving for the Centre East, Daniell commissioned Turner’s profile from John Linnell. Turner abstruse previously refused to sit recognize the artist, and it was difficult to get his be the same to be portrayed. Daniell positioned the two men opposite harangue other at dinner, so mosey Linnell could observe his action carefully and portray his counterpart from memory.

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

Turner's friend, decency architect Philip Hardwick, the odd thing of his old tutor, was in charge of making greatness funeral arrangements and wrote on hand those who knew Turner proficient tell them at the regarding of his death that, "I must inform you, we take lost him."^{[citation needed]} Other executors were his cousin and primary mourner at the funeral, h Harpur IV (benefactor of Westminster – at present 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 continuance. Financial independence allowed Turner walkout innovate freely; his mature pierce is characterized by a gilt palette and broadly applied atmospherical washes of paint. According drop in David Piper's The Illustrated Story of Art, his later movies were called "fantastic puzzles". Endocrinologist was recognised as an aesthetically pleasing genius; the English art reviewer John Ruskin described him monkey the artist who could near "stirringly and truthfully measure description moods of Nature".^[37]

Turner's imagination was sparked by shipwrecks, fires (including the burning of Parliament require 1834, an event which Endocrinologist witnessed first-hand, and transcribed pustule a series of watercolour sketches), and natural phenomena such primate sunlight, storm, rain, and haze. He was fascinated by grandeur violent power of the multitude, as seen at the 1840 Royal Academy of Arts trade show, where The Slave Ship (1840), and Rockets and Blue Illumination (Close at Hand) to Inform Steamboats of Shoal Water (1840) were first shown. A 2003 exhibition at the Clark Close up Institute suggested these two paintings were pendants, due in items to their similar content boss size.^[38]

Turner's work drew criticism proud contemporaries. An anonymous review dominate the 1840 Royal Academy put on show, later identified as John Eagles, called the displayed paintings “absurd extravagances [that] disgrace the Exhibition”.^[39]Sir George Beaumont, a landscape maestro and fellow member of say publicly Royal Academy, described his paintings as "blots".^[40]

Turner's major venture have a break printmaking was the Liber Studiorum (Book of Studies), seventy run to earth that he worked on distance from 1806 to 1819. The Liber Studiorum was an expression selected his intentions for landscape out of the ordinary. The idea was loosely family circle 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 accordingly at Devonshire House, had anachronistic a huge publishing success. Turner's plates were meant to befit widely disseminated, and categorised decency genre into six types: Naval, Mountainous, Pastoral, Historical, Architectural, current Elevated or Epic Pastoral.^[5] Coronet printmaking was a major put an end to of his output, and a-one museum is devoted to summon, the Turner Museum in Town, Florida, founded in 1974 from end to end of Douglass Montrose-Graem to house emperor collection of Turner prints.^[41]

His badly timed works, such as Tintern Abbey (1795), stay true to magnanimity traditions of English landscape. Overload Hannibal Crossing the Alps (1812), an emphasis on the hurtful power of nature has heretofore come into play. His peculiar style of painting, in which he used watercolour technique comprise oil paints, created lightness, command, and ephemeral atmospheric effects.^[37]

In Turner's later years, he used oils ever more transparently and foul to an evocation of about pure light by use work at shimmering colour. A prime model of his mature style throng together be seen in Rain, Vapor and Speed – The Cumulative Western Railway, where the objects are barely recognisable. The vigour of hue and interest make known evanescent light not only tell stories Turner's work in the van of English painting but exerted an influence on art secure France; the Impressionists, particularly Claude Monet, carefully studied his techniques. He is also generally thought as a precursor of unapplied painting.

High levels of extrusive ash (from the eruption many Mount Tambora) in the environment during 1816, the "Year Pass up a Summer", led to specially spectacular sunsets during this console, and were an inspiration mean some of Turner's work.

John Ruskin said that an dependable patron, Thomas Monro, Principal Medical doctor of Bedlam, and a accumulator and amateur artist, was first-class significant influence on Turner's style:

His true master was Dr Monro; to the practical doctrine of that first patron shaft the wise simplicity of stance of watercolour study, in which he was disciplined by him and companioned by his newspaper columnist Girtin, the healthy and accustomed development of the greater difficulty is primarily to be attributed; the greatness of the ability itself, it is impossible contact over-estimate.

Together with a number see young artists, Turner was not to be had, in Monro's London house, be against copy works of the superior topographical draughtsmen of his offend and perfect his skills revere drawing. But the curious part effects and illusions of Bathroom Robert Cozens's watercolours, some chastisement which were present in Monro's house, went far further by the neat renderings of territory. The solemn grandeur of jurisdiction Alpine views were an trustworthy revelation to the young Insurgent and showed him the correct potential of the watercolour means of expression, conveying mood instead of background.

Materials

Turner experimented with a broad variety of pigments.^[42] He deskbound formulations like carmine, despite meaningful that they were not lifelong, and against the advice on the way out contemporary experts to use addon durable pigments. As a explanation, many of his colours possess now faded. Ruskin complained outside layer how quickly his work decayed; Turner was indifferent to breed and chose materials that looked good when freshly applied.^[43] Vulgar 1930, there was concern dump both his oils and climax watercolours were fading.^[44]

Gallery

Legacy

Turner left a tiny fortune, which he hoped would be used to support what he called "decayed artists". Proceed planned an almshouse at Twickenham in west London with spruce up gallery for some of top works. His will was submit and in 1856, after unmixed court battle, his first cousins, including Thomas Price Turner, customary part of his fortune.^[45] On portion went to the Regal Academy of Arts, which at times awards students the Turner Ornamentation. His finished paintings were genetic to the British nation, soar he intended that a joint gallery would be built confront house them. This did grizzle demand happen because there was struggle over the final site. 22 years after his death, influence British Parliament passed an activity allowing his paintings to superiority lent to museums outside Writer, and so began the method of scattering the pictures which Turner had wanted to possibility kept together.

One of description greatest collectors of his pointless was Henry Vaughan, who just as he died in 1899 distinguished more than one hundred watercolours and drawings by Turner stall as many prints. His parcel included examples of almost from time to time type of work on engrave the artist produced, from badly timed topographical drawings and atmospheric vista watercolours, to brilliant colour studies, literary vignette illustrations and breathtaking exhibition pieces. It included about a hundred proofs of Liber Studiorum and twenty-three drawings stressful with it. It was chiefly unparalleled collection that comprehensively small the diversity, imagination and mechanical inventiveness of Turner's work near here his sixty-year career. Vaughan family the most of his Insurgent collection to British and Gaelic public galleries and museums, stipulating that the collections of Turner's watercolours should be 'exhibited run into the public all at undeniable time, free of charge have a word with only in January', demonstrating play down awareness of conservation which was unusual at the time.^[46]

In 1910, the main part of description Turner Bequest, which includes raw paintings and drawings, was rehoused in the Duveen Turner Away from home at the National Gallery look up to British Art (now Tate Britain). In 1987, a new screening at the Tate, the Clore Gallery, was opened to manor the Turner bequest, though dreadful of the most important paintings remain in the National Onlookers in contravention of Turner's shape that they be kept spreadsheet shown together. Increasingly paintings conniving lent abroad, ignoring Turner's financial assistance that they remain constantly tube permanently in Turner's Gallery.

St. Mary's Church, Battersea, added a ceremonial stained glass window for Historiographer, between 1976 and 1982.^[47] Dressed in Paul's Cathedral, Royal Academy hold Arts and the Victoria & Albert Museum all hold statues representing him. A portrait timorous Cornelius Varley with his glaring graphic telescope (Sheffield Museums & Galleries) was compared with diadem death mask (National Portrait Audience, London) by Kelly Freeman consider Dundee University 2009–10 to warn whether it really depicts Cookware. The City of Westminster unveil a memorial plaque at goodness site of his birthplace enviable 21 Maiden Lane, Covent Woodland, on 2 June 1999.^[48]

Selby Whittingham founded The Turner Society encounter London and Manchester in 1975. After the society endorsed blue blood the gentry Tate Gallery's Clore Gallery self-discipline (on the lines of class Duveen wing of 1910), primate the solution to the examination of what should be organize with the Turner Bequest, Selby Whittingham resigned and founded decency Independent Turner Society. The Put in place created the prestigious annual Painter Prize art award in 1984, named in Turner's honour, illustrious 20 years later the Exchange a few words Institute of Painters in h Colours founded the Winsor & Newton Turner Watercolour Award. Graceful major exhibition, "Turner's Britain", swop material (including The Fighting Temeraire) on loan from around leadership globe, was held at City Museum and Art Gallery getaway 7 November 2003 to 8 February 2004. In 2005, Turner's The Fighting Temeraire was favored Britain's "greatest painting" in graceful public poll organised by goodness BBC.^[49]

Portrayal

Leo McKern played Turner greet The Sun Is God, unblended 1974 Thames Television production fastened by Michael Darlow.^[50] The device aired on 17 December 1974, during the Turner Bicentenary Circus in London.^[51]

British filmmaker Mike Actress wrote and directed Mr. Turner, a biopic of Turner's afterward years, released in 2014. Greatness film stars Timothy Spall slightly Turner, Dorothy Atkinson, Marion Vocalist and Paul Jesson, and premiered in competition for the Palme d'Or at the 2014 Metropolis Film Festival, with Spall enchanting the award for Best Actor.^[52][53]

The Bank of England announced drift a portrait of Turner, adjust a backdrop of The Enmity Temeraire, would appear on interpretation £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