Joseph Mallord William Turner (1775 - 1851)

We – students of the faculty of foreign languages – are to be aware of the English language itself, of its origin and history, of English culture and traditions of this nation, of British literature and it would be a nice addition to know something of British art.

That is why I’d like to continue Julia’s idea mentioned in the conclusion and introduce you a British artist William Turner.

Joseph Mallord William Turner, a great romantic English landscape painter, was born in Devonshire in 1775. He lived with his uncle in Middlesex, where he began to attend school. His first drawings are dated 1787, when he was only twelve years of age. His childish sketch-books, filled with drawings, are still preserved in the British Museum.

When he was 21, he began to exhibit oil paintings as well as water-colours at the Royal Academy. The first, «Fishermen at Sea» is now in the Gate Gallery.

He traveled much in France, Germany, Switzerland, Italy. But he never lost his interest in his own country.

As a landscape painter Turner was interested mainly in light and colour effects. One of his famous paintings is even called «Light and Colour». His work is high praised by great critics.

Turner died in London in 1851. His pictures and drawings became the property of the British nation.

William Turner is considered to be one of the world greatest painters.

Rain, Steam and Speed - The Great Western Railway

Looking at this picture one can feel the atmosphere of dynamic power. With the help of the rich palette based on yellow, fawn and buff hues the artist expresses swiftness, velocity and vivid motion. The main figure is the train that is rushing along the bridge like a dark, fierce animal. The landscape behind it fades into the smoky haze. The picture is seemed to be spacious due to its special composition: beneath the endless sky there are the lines of the railway and the contour of the bridge running away into the very depth of the picture, into the perspective what makes it look three-dimensional. In the lower part of the picture we can notice tiny boat and a man and illusive silhouettes of people on the bank of the river hypnotized by the view of the train.

They are depicted in the static way symbolizing the sluggish and slow-moving era becoming a thing of the past. “Rain, Steam and Speed - The Great Western Railway” is known to delight the beginner-impressionists and it still enraptures connoisseur of art of the Romantic period.

The fighting Temeraire tugged to her last berth to be broken up

On the background of the flaming sunset sky we see the veteran of the Battle of Trafalgar the ship “Temeraire”. The tug boat draws the old ship to the dock where it will be scrapped. The artist loved this picture very much and even called it “my dear” and refused to sell it. It hardly seems that the picture was painted from nature. Most likely, this poetic and sad image of the old ship going to it last way was born in artist’s imagination. And this image was not only the symbol of the era of sailing ships going to an end but a reminder of frailty of the earthly existence on the whole. I was captured by the incredible colour combination: bright reddish and tangerine hues of the sunset and the reflection on the water surface contrast with light pure lilac blue sky colour. Thanks to the marvellous palette the picture gives the feeling of atmosphere of the fairy tale such as the scene from Gans Hristian Andersen’s “The Little Mermaid”. Majestic, stately sailing ship with its young capitan Prince enjoys the last moments of glory and admiration under the rays of the setting sun. As the steam engine was invented the sailing ships became needless, so an old tale reached its logic end.

Shipwreck of the Minotaur

Actually, all chosen pictures are united by the idea of depicting picturesque nature and sea views using the technique of oil painting and by the idea of reflecting industrial progress. But if we go into the details we find out that all these paintings are connected by the idea of inevitable farewell. And every of these canvases conceal behind its superficial solemn beauty a feeling of apprehension, anxiety and sadness.

So, paintings of W. Turner didn’t leave me indifferent. Unique artist’s style and confident usage of contrast colours released in my favourite genre of art - landscape and seapiece – make W. Turner an irreproachable model representing British art of XIX century And the most important thing is that W. Turner in his paintings not always tried to show the subject with all its reality. Extraordinary imagination and ability to create unusual effects with the help of canvas and oil paint make every Turner’s masterpiece embodiment of fantasy in real life.