The Fighting Temeraire Tugged to her Last Berth to be Broken up (1838)
"Turner paints the veteran warship, hero of the battle of Trafalgar, as a pale and ghostly mass looming against a rich, panoramic sunset. It has a sense of latent power still not quite eclipsed by the raw mechanical energy of the flaming and smoking steam tug. Here we see Turner's interest in the new as well respect for what is past. This may be an elegy to what is gone, but is also an affirmation of the continuing energy, power and modernity of Victorian England."
Rain, Steam And Speed (1844)
"This is an elemental painting. However this is not simply about the natural elemental forces, but the man made. There is an expression of the awesome nature of speed, the excitement of the machine. The blurred, diffuse and expressive brushwork conveys a sense of movement, pace and impermanence. The train is painted as an indistinct, brutal shape powering through the rain. (Spot the hare glimpsed running ahead)."
Snowstorm, Steamboat Off A Harbour's Mouth (1842)
"This is a great whirling vortex of sea, snow and sky articulated by Turner's gestural, fluid handling. A steamboat struggles in the eye of the storm, sending up distress flares. A depiction of peril, all the more disturbing when you realise that the viewpoint is from out at sea, that is, from another ship.
Turner is said to have had himself tied to the mast of a ship in order to observe such a storm first-hand. You can believe it when you study this painting."
Dido Building Carthage (1815)
"Turner frequently references the classical world.
This a calm, atmospheric painting, influenced by the painter Claude, one of Turner's heroes. What is distinctive is the intense yellow hued sunrise, which suffuses the entire scene. The composition stretches away to infinity, the sun dominating the whole. Turner's use of yellow is characteristic of many of his paintings. It is as if his brush is dipped in varying degrees of sunlight. As a painting from the earlier part of his career, note the high level of detail deployed in rendering the architecture."
Slavers, Throwing Overboard The Dead And Dying (1840)
"Turner tackles a serious social subject, and produces a dazzlingly powerful image. Paradoxically, for a scene set at sea, he deploys a fiery palette of oranges and yellows to show the sunset reflecting a scene of human brutality. Turner was not just an artist pre-occupied by the aesthetic. This painting was owned by John Ruskin, Turner's great supporter."
Calais Pier (1803)
"An early masterpiece. The sun momentarily breaks through dark and stormy clouds to illuminate a scene of boats desperately trying to reach the pier through turbulent waves. There is a palpable sense of hazard, of people at risk in the elemental forces of wind and sea. Turner pursues this narrative throughout his career."
Snow Storm, Hannibal And His Army Crossing the Alps (1812)
"A sweeping depiction of a 'sublime' subject. Man is at the mercy of vast elemental forces, expressed in this threatening and inhospitable world. Turner paints smoky clouds and whirlwinds of paint. An orange sun glows through the storm at the top of the painting. A host of despairing figures are cowed by the forces of nature. Can you spot the elephant?"
Peace, Burial At Sea (1842)
"Another great sea piece. A memorial for another painter, Turner's contemporary Wilkie, who died and was buried at sea. A sombre almost black ship is silhouetted against a luminous sky. As a late Turner the paint is handled loosely and expressively, the rougher handling of paint in the sky contrasting with the luminous glazes defining the reflective surface of the sea. The ship is almost symbolic, a ghost ship, freighted with loss. Turner confided that he would have liked to paint it darker still."
Helvoetsluys, The City Of Utrecht, 64, Going To Sea (1832)
"A subdued and subtle painting, which is important because of the role it played in an incident between Turner and Constable. At The Royal Academy's exhibition in 1832. It was hung next to Constable's "Opening of Waterloo Bridge", which featured a lot of strong reds. On varnishing day, when painters were allowed to add finishing touches to their paintings, Turner came into the gallery, contemplated Constable's picture for a while, left the room and returned with his palette. He added a blob of red lead paint to his own picture, much to the consternation of those present, including Constable, who said "he has been here...and fired a gun". Turner returned later to fashion the blob into a buoy. This is a good example of Turner's grandstanding. He was well known for putting on public displays of virtuoso painting. He had a very sure idea of his own status and would not allow anyone to upstage him.
The bright red pigment has faded somewhat."
Sunrise (1825-30)
"A watercolour, showing the simplest of scenes. A luminous sun at the centre of the paper, pulsing in a haze of translucent yellow with the merest suggestion of a horizon. It looks as if Turner really is painting with light. Some of the last words he uttered are said to be: "the sun is God."
Mr. Turner is out now. entertainmentone.com
