J.M.W. Turner

By Tate Gallery

Book Overview

Widely regarded as one of the greatest landscape painters in the history of art, Turner's influence on the development of Impressionism has been well documented. What has been less explored is the way his influence spread beyond Europe, providing a foundational model for American artists challenged with tackling the vast panoramas of the New World. Landscape painting was seen as the art form most closely allied to the identity of the newly independent nation which encompassed an unparalleled diversity of landscape scenery. Turner's revolutionary depictions of light, colour and atmospherics in the landscape coupled with his understanding of the sublime in nature made him among the most acclaimed and keenly studied European artists in the New World. Accompanying the largest ever touring exhibition of Turner's works in the USA, J.M.W. Turner will explore the artist's legacy and the importance of his ideas for succeeding generations of painters on both sides of the Atlantic. Written by leading Turner scholars from Britain and America, the book will be extensively illustrated in full colour throughout, providing both an overview of Turner's career and an exploration of Turner's relevance to the USA today and to American art history. Containing new research by some of the world's leading authorities on Turner and North American landscape painting, and combining expertise from British and American museums and institutions, this publication will prove invaluable to all with a serious interest in one of history's most influential and remarkable artists.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 185437690X
• ISBN13: 9781854376909
• Release Date: October 2007
• Publisher: Tate Publishing
• Length: 224 Pages
• Weight: 4.15 lbs.
• Dimensions: 12.0" x 1.0" x 10.0"
• Age Range: 13 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 8 to Postsecondary

Customer Reviews

Turner is an inspiration

Beautiful. Turner is amazing. I'm in a painting class and there is so much to learn from him, either his use of color, or his brilliant composition. I'm inspired to try new things when I see how Turner did it.

Turner at home in America

This is the catalogue for the current Turner exhibition held at the National Gallery in Washington and which will later come to the Met in NYC. Many of the paintings come from American and British museums, as well as from private collections and it is also an opportunity to view a significant part of Turner's watercolor output. The book is divided into three parts following a chronological pattern after an introduction that studies Turner's "desire to rise to the top of the British art world" and his pursuit of fame. Part one deals with Turner's beginnings and building of his career, from 1790 to 1824 (the historical and economic contexts are not omitted). Part two studies the painter at the peak of his art (1818-1839)and part three dwells on the role of history in his art, the study of his masterpieces on the burning of the Houses of Parliament (1831), his late seascapes (1835-1846) and his mastery of light (1840-1851). An interesting conclusion studies Turner's relationship with America, which he never visited, but where his works were collected in depth very early. All the illustrations are of a high quality, including some close-ups of details. A valuable addition to the literature on the artist.