Enjoying Turner

Today I thought it might be nice to gaze into the artwork of Joseph Mallord William Turner. I came across one of his paintings today and it stopped me in my tracks. He’s an artist I have known and loved but admittedly I have barely explored the breadth of his work. The colours, the depth of them are what I love, so subtle yet so impactive.

A troubled youth with a mum who suffered from mental illness, Turner was passed between uncles, I wonder if he sort solace in his art. His father encouraged his skill at an early age, proudly displaying his son’s paintings in his shop. To pay for his art education which he started at 14, Turner used his creative talents commercially. Painting sets for the theatre as well as teaching, however it is his landscapes that drew me in.

Most artist when Turner were painting kept to their studios, unusually Turner painted outdoors, amongst the elements and the ever changing light he so wonderfully captured. Perhaps thats why they don’t feel like a recalled memory but a moment you are standing in – with the artist, gazing.

(Main picture: Venice: San Giorgio Maggiore – Early Morning,” 1819)