William Turner ( Joseph Mallord * 1775 † 1851 )

William Turner, the Master of Romantic Landscape

 

Joseph Mallord William Turner, born on April 23, 1775, in London, was a prodigious talent in the world of art. By 1789, he was already enrolled at the Royal Academy, and a year later, he had his first exhibition featuring his watercolor paintings. Turner later expanded his skills under the mentorship of artist Thomas Malton and by 1796, he made his debut in oil painting.

In the early 1800s, after extensive travels to destinations like Scotland, Switzerland, and France, Turner founded his own gallery. By 1807, he had secured a professorship at the Royal Academy and took on the task of managing the "Liber Studiorum," a register where he sorted paintings based on his unique classifications.

A trip to Italy in 1819-1820 marked a turning point in his artistic style. Although the new direction led to some criticism and the Royal Academy discontinuing the exhibition of some of his later works, Turner remained undeterred. He continued to travel, particularly to Southern Europe and Venice, where he drew inspiration from the rich, romantic colors of the landscape.

Turner passed away on December 19, 1851, in London, leaving behind a legacy as one of the most preeminent artists in romantic landscape painting.

William Turner was born on April 23, 1775. He is one of the most significant English artists, having been admitted to the Royal Academy in 1789. Alongside his studies, he trained with the watercolorist Thomas Malton. Turner first participated in an exhibition at the Royal Academy with his watercolors in 1790 and submitted his first oil painting for an exhibition there six years later.

After a period of travels that took him to Scotland, Switzerland, and France, he opened his own gallery in 1804, where he sold his paintings. In 1807, he received a professorship at the Royal Academy and began Liber Studiorum, a catalog in which he classified painting under specific criteria. A trip to Italy in 1819/20, during which he spent an extended period in Rome, led to a change in Turner's style, causing his paintings to increasingly depart from realism. This transformation sparked intense criticism, resulting in some of his later works not being exhibited at the Royal Academy due to their dissolution of the representational.

William Turner is considered a pioneer of modern painting, as he revolutionized traditional landscape depiction and redefined the possibilities of light and atmosphere in art. Particularly his later works, in which he almost completely dissolved the representational, demonstrate his innovative approach to color and form. His famous paintings like The Slave Ship or Rain, Steam and Speed vividly showcase his ability to capture movement, light reflections, and dramatic weather conditions. This almost impressionistic technique made him an inspiration for later artists like Claude Monet and other representatives of Impressionism.

Turner later frequently traveled to southern Europe, especially to Venice, which captivated him with its ethereal colors and inspired several paintings. The artist died on December 19, 1851, in Chelsea, London.

Although Turner was both admired and heavily criticized during his lifetime, his influence on art history is undeniable. His works are now housed in the most prestigious museums worldwide. Turner's bold color experiments and his nearly abstract style were far ahead of his time and established his reputation as one of the greatest painters of Romanticism. His ability to capture natural forces and atmospheric moods in spectacular plays of light makes him one of the most fascinating artists in art history to this day.

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All images by William Turner

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