Turner

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Description

From humble beginnings as the son of a London barber, J.M.W Turner (1775-1851) came to dominate British landscape painting in the first half of the 19th century. Turner achieved professional success and the admiration of his peers at a young age, and gained the place in the canon of European painting that he always desired. He measured himself against the Old Masters such as Claude Lorrain, yet his work, particularly the chromatic brilliance and unconventional compositions of his late paintings, has often been viewed from the perspective of its effect on later artists such as the Impressionists and the Abstract Expressionists. In this analysis of Turner's life and art, Barry Venning argues that to understand the painter's creative decisions and the problems with which he was faced, it is important to look at Turner's work in its original context. The early part of his career was dominated by the Napoleonic Wars, and he also witnessed agrarian change, industrialization, urban growth and constitutional reform, all of which are reflected in his work. Turner travelled extensively and studied natural phenomena, creating paintings as richly textured in meaning as visual effects. Barry Venning covers all aspects of the artist's career and concludes with a fresh look at Turner's artistic legacy.

Reviews

'This lively, prolifically illustrated survey illuminates the career of Britain's greatest artist in a host of ways. Deftly sketching in the political, social and artistic background to his career, Venning notes how Turner's humble origins made him far more receptive to radicalism than the country gentleman, Constable. Thackeray was telling the truth when he wrote of 'Rain, Steam and Speed': "the world has never seen anything like this picture." Mark Rothko acknowledged his debt in a joke: "This man Turner, he learnt a lot from me." Christopher Hirst, Independent on Saturday magazine 21 June 2003 UK ' - accessible and engagingly written but with sufficient room to explore topics in some depth - Venning conveys very well indeed the visual curiosity and intellectual fizz with now associate with the artist. - a successful and rounded account. - The general reader, approaching Turner for the first time, will find here a lucid and persuasive narrative that renders comprehensible Turner's sometimes bewildering achievement. Students and Turner scholars alike can likewise turn to Venning's book not merely for its intelligent survey of Turner, but also for its fresh insights into the British art world in which he made his career, as well as valuable comments on the political and cultural context for his paintings and his posthumous reputation. The book also has the enormous merit of providing all its readers with an emphatic demonstration of why Turner matters and why new generations of artists scholars, and art lovers are impelled to return to his art.' Sam Smiles, Turner Society Newsletter, December 2003 UK

Author Bio

Barry Venning is Associate Lecturer in Art History at the Open University. He has written and lectured extensively on Turner, and his articles have appeared in Burlington Magazine and Turner Studies. Author's residence: Weybridge, Surrey