Feb 16, 2012
— read in fullFamous artists: JMW Turner
Who was he?
Joseph Mallord William Turner was born in London in 1775. By the time he was 15 he had already been accepted into the Royal Academy of Arts, and had exhibited his first paintings there. His early success funded his travels, and he began making regular trips to Yorkshire to paint and sketch the landscapes. He also travelled to Europe during a break in the Napoleonic wars, beginning in France and Switzerland before making his way over to Venice. Turner became a full member of the Royal Academy in 1802 and was made ‘professor of perspective’, although he preferred to spend most of his time with his father, who lived with him for 30 years. Turner died in 1851, leaving behind him thousands of paintings, drawings, engravings and prints.
Why is he famous?
Turner was fascinated by the power of nature, and many of his most famous paintings like The Slave Ship show violent storms, while others like Tintern Abbey are more peaceful but still portray the huge scale of the landscape. Working first in watercolours and later oils, Turner is sometimes called ‘the painter of light’, because of the way he emphasised the colour and texture of landscapes instead of trying to paint exact details. This technique was controversial at the time, with some critics saying his paintings looked unfinished, although it would become a great influence on the French impressionists like Monet, who also tried to capture the ‘mood’ of landscapes. Over 150 years after his death, Turner is now one of the most famous British artists, with the annual Turner prize for contemporary art named in his honour, and his painting The Fighting Temeraire (pictured) was voted 'Britain’s greatest painting’ in a BBC poll.
Famous quotes
'If I could find anything blacker than black, I'd use it'
'Indistinctness is my forte'
'My job is to paint what I see, not what I know'
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