Three Eras of William Turner

Contents:

• Child Prodigy
• Young Genius
• Elderly Innovator

William Turner's name is known to many art lovers, but his popularity among the general public is significantly lower than that of many other artists who came after him. Turner worked during the Napoleonic era and throughout the first half of the 19th century, predating the rise of modernist movements. However, even then, he anticipated the trends that would later form the basis of Impressionism, and in some of his sketches, he even hinted at the emerging forms of abstraction. This master's works continue to have a powerful, transformative effect on viewers. For example, the author of this article became an art critic precisely after becoming acquainted with Turner's late works, and has never regretted his choice.

I invite you to a fascinating journey through the world of this mysterious figure with a unique genius, and we will try to unravel at least some of his secrets.

Child Prodigy

Joseph Mallord William Turner was born on 23 April 1775 in London, at 21 Maiden Lane. His father, also named William Turner, made his living as a hairdresser and wig maker. Joseph's mother, née Mary Marshall, came from a wealthy family of butchers and shopkeepers in the capital.

The artist grew up in a wealthy family, but his youth was not free of difficulties. His younger sister died when William was only eight years old, and his mother struggled with mental illness. As a result, from 1785 onwards, the boy rarely stayed at home, and was most often sent to visit relatives who lived in Brentford, Margate and Sunningville.

William's father encouraged his early passion for drawing, exhibiting his paintings in his shop. At the age of 14, in 1789, Turner enrolled at the Royal Academy Schools and simultaneously began working with the architects and artists associated with them.

During this period, Turner was mentored by the eminent architect and draughtsman Thomas Moulton, whom he would later consider "his true teacher." When analyzing their works, one can notice that both masters use similar techniques of constructing perspective, which Moulton successfully passed on to his talented and grateful student.

In 1794, 19-year-old Turner began an important acquaintance with Thomas Monro, an artist, scholar, philanthropist, and collector. Monro provided the young artist with the opportunity to copy works from his extensive collection. Later, Monro would become the doctor who treated Turner's mother when she was admitted to Bethlem Hospital.

In the early 1790s, the young Turner was actively pursuing his creative work. He went out into the open air to create sketches from nature, produced topographical depictions of locales in a series of watercolors, designed sets for London theaters, and began exhibiting his work at the Royal Academy.

By the first half of the decade, the results of his efforts began to appear: topographical sketches began to be published in magazines as engravings, the first wealthy patrons appeared, and an educated audience dubbed the artist the delightful title "Prince of the Rocks" for his masterful depiction of the island landscape.

During this period, Turner developed his unique style and established a seasonal work schedule. In the summer, he traveled around the country, preferring to paint only outdoors from nature, and in the winter, he returned to his studio to refine his sketches. His strict discipline and growing popularity eventually led to the creation of oil paintings. In 1796, he completed work on the painting "Fishermen at Sea".

Turner begins to attract the attention of wealthy clients. For Lord Beckford's Gothic castle he created a work entitled "The Fifth Plague of Egypt," and for the Duke of Bridgewater he painted "Dutch Fishing Boats in a Storm," which serves as a companion piece to "The Rising Sea," by Willem van de Velde the Younger and owned by the Duke.

By 1802, at the age of 27, Turner became a member of the Academy and was rightfully considered a child prodigy. As his work grew in popularity, he decided to move to more respectable housing with his own garden. However, success did not cloud his judgment: Turner continued to speak with a noticeable Cockney accent, characteristic of the lower social classes, and made no attempt to hide it. Unlike many of his colleagues, who, having risen in society, strive to demonstrate an aristocratic demeanor, he eccentrically emphasizes his humble roots.

In 1802, dressed in modest clothes and at the height of his popularity, he set off for France, taking advantage of the brief peace established in Amiens with Napoleon.

Young Genius

Turner's trip was financed by a group of aristocrats wishing to invest in his artistic development. For much of 1802, the young academic devoted himself to studying the works of great masters in the Louvre and also traveled through the picturesque Swiss Alps. Returning to England, he opened a small private gallery near his home, where he could display up to 30 of his works at a time. This decision only strengthened his reputation and financial well-being. Opening his own gallery allowed Turner to develop a loyal following, including such notable figures as the wealthy landowner Walter Fox and Lord Egremont. They not only acquired his paintings over the years but also offered him their friendship. Turner regularly visited their country estates, which he delighted in depicting on canvas. These landscapes indicate that the artist was able to enter the elite circles of society.

Fame and material wealth opened up new horizons of freedom for Turner, and he used this impetus to experiment with painting techniques. He began applying pure paints from the palette directly to the canvas, mixing them on the spot. This unique approach to working with matter allows him to depict flatter, yet impressive celestial landscapes that appear alive even against the backdrop of tranquil nature.

By 1808, Turner's artistic achievements and influence, coupled with his constant ridicule and harshness toward his rivals, naturally gave rise to fierce critics of his work. The most persistent and uncompromising among them was Sir George Beaumont, considered an authority in artistic circles.

In the field of literary criticism, Beaumont showed himself to be a highly progressive figure, becoming one of the first to appreciate the innovative approach in Wordsworth's poetry. However, in the field of painting, he proved to be a true conservative. Beaumont and his supporters dismissively referred to Turner as a "white artist," pointing to his penchant for overly bright hues, which they believed undermined the classical depth of British artistic heritage. Turner took these constant criticisms seriously, and his diaries from that period reveal an unusual sense of self-pity. However, this state of mind didn't last long. The artist decided to take control of the situation and no longer visited the galleries and exhibitions where Beaumont and his company were often found. Over time, emotional unrest subsides, and moments of happiness come - in 1811 he begins teaching at the Academy, taking the post of professor of perspective.

Contemporaries noted that Turner was a rather unusual teacher. Although his teaching style was criticized as "unfortunate," many admired his broad, encyclopedic knowledge of perspective. Students recalled the artist's use of a large number of high-quality visual aids, including his own works, including a sketch of the auditorium where his lectures were held. Turner continued to teach until 1827, and remained as Professor of Perspective until 1837.

An Old Innovator

Turner is perhaps less visible in popular culture because his adult life was not filled with dramatic events or significant historical moments that could provide the basis for interesting stories, literature, or films. His mother died in a mental hospital in 1804, and after her death, Turner invited his father to move in with him. William Sr. soon began cooking for his son and helping out with the housework. Thus, they lived peacefully together until his father's death in 1829.

Turner never married, but at least two women are known to have had close relationships with him. In the 1800s, the artist frequently entertained Sarah Denby, the widow of a famous musician, who at that time gave birth to daughters Evelina and Georgiana. Turner sometimes depicted these girls in his landscapes. However, some researchers speculate that Sarah may have had an affair with William Sr., not the younger, suggesting that the girls could be either the artist's daughters or his half-sisters. Turner's only confirmed love affair is with Mrs. Booth, a widow with whom he was married from the 1830s until his death.

After the Napoleonic Wars, Turner's life changed, primarily due to his new travels. In 1817, he traveled to Holland, Belgium, and the Rhineland, which is reflected in his dark and timely painting, "Waterloo Field." In this work, Turner depicts a realistic picture of the war, capturing the suffering of those who participated in the famous battle. The artist takes a step towards realism, abandoning patriotic enthusiasm and focusing on universal tragedy.

"Waterloo Field" stands out from other works of its time, as Turner began to enter his late career. In "Dido, Founder of Carthage" and "The Fall of the Carthaginian Empire," Napoleon's fate is depicted differently—through the lens of historical allegory. It is in these two more traditionally themed works that the significant stylistic shift observed in Turner's art is clearly evident.

In "Dido," the composition is organized in a familiar and orderly manner. Despite the fact that the front section is divided into two parts by a river, it maintains strict symmetry. The background appears extremely balanced thanks to the architectural elements that frame it, especially the bridge, which creates a clear transition in space.

"The Fall of the Carthaginian Empire" marks a significant shift in approach compared to his previous work. Turner masterfully transforms the perception of space: the staircase, the circular pier, the leaning columns and walls, and the funnel of clouds at sunset all create an atmosphere of dynamic rotation, despite the fact that the scene itself is virtually motionless.

These canvases present a consistent, yet non-linear, transformation of a new artistic direction. The strong dynamism of space, combined with a fascination with contemporary themes, highlights the characteristic features of Turner's mature work—a combination of conservatism in the choice of genres and an innovative approach to subject matter and technique.

The artist finds himself on the threshold of a new artistic expression, but does not cross this line, remaining within the framework of conventional art. Throughout the 1820s, he worked intensively on a series of watercolors, striving to create collections with detailed images of the main rivers of Europe. Although the project was never fully completed, Turner still managed to publish three volumes of engravings dedicated to the Loire and Seine, which were later published under the title "Rivers of France."

Simultaneously with his main work, Turner was engaged in illustration—he created designs for the works of his friend Walter Scott, and also illustrated the works of Byron, Milton, and even the Bible. Most often, his illustrations were vignettes, which soon became inextricably linked with Turner's name in the minds of his contemporaries.

Over time, a measured and calm life began to bring trials that prompted the artist to reflect on the transience of existence and what he would leave behind. In 1925, Turner's close friend Walter Fox died. In 1829, his father died, followed by Lord Egremont in 1837. Despite the significant time gap between these events, each deeply affected the withdrawn Turner, deepening his sense of loneliness. By the late 1820s, the artist ceased producing new works, occasionally repurchased his old paintings, made a will, and began to observe his surroundings more closely.

In 1834, a fire broke out in the British Parliament building. Turner witnessed this event and managed to create many sketches, which later formed the basis of two impressive paintings.

In the first painting, we see the familiar vortex, which this time appears as a veritable pillar of fire, gradually dissolving into the blue sky. The rest of the painting seems crowded and swirling, so that the eye instantly focuses on the central element. The vivid dynamics and brevity of the flame gave Turner the opportunity not to go into detail, but to convey a strong sense of the power of nature.

In the second canvas, Turner decides to depart from his usual realistic perspective—Westminster Bridge cannot appear so enormous compared to such a small Parliament.

Turner's deliberate "unfinished" paintings and his departure from established traditions provoked a new wave of public criticism. However, this time the artist found support among progressive youth. Young John Ruskin, who was only 17 years old and who would later become a prominent critic and art historian in Britain, enthusiastically defended Turner in his publications. Ruskin became a symbol of a new generation of devoted admirers of the artist, which included, as a rule, professionals, representatives of the middle class, and newly wealthy people, who appreciated his work for its modern approach. And Turner lived up to their expectations.

In the 1830s and 1840s, the artist was the first to recognize that themes such as modernity, industrialization, and technological progress could be compelling subjects for painting. In 1839, Turner created a work capturing a scene where the old warship HMS Valiant was being towed down the River Thames for dismantling. This image became a kind of elegy for the age of sail. A powerful but small steamship pulls behind it a majestic sailing ship, which will never again rise on the waves of the sea.

In his work "Rain, Steam, and Speed," Turner masterfully captures the emergence of the modern world. While the title may seem simple at first glance, it possesses a revolutionary significance comparable to the image itself. In this painting, the artist focuses not on specific objects, but on the dynamics of the rain, the gray cloud of steam, and, in particular, on the very idea of ​​speed. Long before the Futurists and Marinetti, Turner found a unique way to convey the essence of modern life—its relentless pace.

The technique used previously proves quite appropriate in this painting: blurred perspective, distorted proportions, a sense of unfinished work, and a unique texture of brushstrokes all create a unity of theme and artistic approach.

This work alone would be enough to appreciate the talent of a mature artist such as Turner. However, in 1845, the year of his seventieth birthday, he did not rest on his laurels and created a painting entitled "Norham Castle, Sunrise." Under the influence of bright sunlight, reality undergoes such changes that it becomes difficult for the viewer to distinguish the silhouettes of animals and blue rocks. Although painting still retains figurative elements, it is on the verge of becoming pure abstraction.

However, we are talking about oil painting here. Turner had already taken a similar step in his graphic work, however—his lesser-known sketch, "Boats at Sea," serves as evidence of this, despite the lack of a precise date. Certainly, for its time, this was something unusual, and the sketch is most likely simply a prematurely abandoned draft. However, in the context of his entire oeuvre, it is worth considering how this sketch might symbolise yet another expansion of the boundaries of what is considered acceptable in art.

During the winter of 1849, the artist's health deteriorated significantly, and two years later, in 1851, he contracted cholera. Doctors noted that he died on December 19, without uttering a sound, at the age of 76. Turner made arrangements for a luxurious funeral and expressed his wish to be buried in the crypt of St. Paul's Cathedral next to Reynolds and Lawrence—"among fellow artists."

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