Turner and the Sea

by Richard Johns, Richard Johns

A beautifully produced book showcasing Turner’s depictions of the sea, published to coincide with a major exhibition This is the first publication to focus on J. M. W. Turner’s lifelong fascination with the sea, from his Royal Academy debut in 1796, Fishermen at Sea , to his iconic maritime subjects of the 1830s and 1840s such as Staffa, Fingal’s Cave . It places Turner and his work firmly in the broader field of maritime painting that flourished in nineteenth-century Britain, France, Germany, Holland, and America.
The majority of the works illustrated here―paintings, watercolors, sketches, sketchbooks, and engravings―are by Turner, but there are also comparative works by some forty other artists including Winslow Homer, James McNeill Whistler, John Constable, Benjamin West, and Gustave Courbet. The book is organized thematically and chronologically, and the subjects range from “Contested Waters,” which examines what was at stake for marine painting during the Napoleonic Wars, to “New Wave,” an exploration of Turner’s international and often surprising legacy for the art of the sea. 200 illustrations in color and black and white

Genres: Art, Nonfiction, Art History, History, British Literature, 19th Century

288 pages, Hardcover

First published November 11, 2013

Reviews

[Keen Reader · Rating 2 out of 5]

4 Art
2 Text

2.5 Stars!

I enjoy much of Turner’s work, though there’s only so much of his marine work I can take before I start to get a little seasick. We see many examples from his influences, contemporaries and those he went onto influence. Some of the more memorable works include samples from Willem van de Velde the Younger and Claude-Joseph Vernet. The former was regarded as the greatest artist in the field of maritime painting, this claim backed up with some stunning examples, as seen in the likes of “A Calm: A States Yacht, a Barge and many other Vessels under Sail" (1659). Though the use of light, clarity and detail within many of Joseph-Vernet’s work are also particularly stunning, “Evening: Harbour Scene with Boats Being Unloaded and Spectators" (1751) is simply gorgeous.

Now I’m no art historian, but looking at these images of men in boats battling the elements time and time again, I can’t help picking up a xenophobic theme, with the waves appear to be taking the place of a foreign enemy and the boats standing for Empire and then conquering the waves “Britannia ruled the waves!” and “floating monuments of British power.” etc. Once you start to see how they were used as a form of propaganda as well as art then you gain an even deeper appreciation.

Although only three of his works were explicitly about the Napoleonic Wars, a seething belligerence sizzles just below the surface of those tempestuous waves – a chest beating, flag waving mentality, clothed in paint, we come across a classic Empire mentality, showing the world one thing on the surface, whilst all along plotting away on something deeper, something more sinister underneath.

Unfortunately too much of the writing is just too flat, dry and static and this is why so many people get scared away from such art or history, because too often the style of writing around it is really, really bad and seems to exist to bore its audience rather than celebrate or embellish the artworks described. I learned some interesting things, we get depth and many quality reprints all presented in a visually pleasing layout. But at no point did I enjoy the writing. Great art deserves great writing and I found no such writing in here. There is so much great art out there and so many great writers and communicators, and publishers shouldn’t be too shy or reluctant in putting them together, the public deserves better.

[Vincent Fong · Rating 5 out of 5]

Detail analysis and catalouge on Turner and his contemporaries.

[Horatian (amy) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Turner my beloved

[Andrea Engle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Drop-dead gorgeous color plates !!! ... a fascinating survey of Turner as a marine painter ... including various influences on his development ... and his influence on subsequent artists in his turn ...