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Standing in the Sun: A Life of J.M.W. Turner
Back in print after a decade, this book, which A. S. Byatt called “a pleasure to read,” explores the life of J. M. W. Turner (1775–1851), Britain’s most mysterious painter, whose range of work encompasses seascapes and landscapes, executed in both immensely powerful oil paintings and intimate watercolors. Anthony Bailey crafts what the Guardian called a “very fine portrait” of Turner, the short and stout son of a Covent Garden barber, who achieved fame and fortune during his lifetime and whose works remain enormously popular and influential today. Bailey “writes with flair and imagination” (Sunday Times), using archival material, scholarly literature and research, and many of Turner’s sketchbooks, paintings, and watercolors to shed new light on this complicated and secretive artistic figure.
504 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1997
18 people are currently reading
128 people want to read
About the author
Anthony Bailey
188 books8 followersAnthony Bailey (born 1933) was a British non-fiction writer, and art historian.
He was evacuated to Dayton, Ohio, in 1940 during World War II. For many years he was a writer for the New Yorker magazine.
He died of corona virus in Colchester, Essex, which he contracted whilst in hospital for hip surgery after a fall at his home.
He lived in Mersea Island, near Colchester, Essex, with his wife Margot. They have four daughters: Liz, Annie, Katie and Rachel.
His obituary in the New York Times:
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/26/bo...
He was evacuated to Dayton, Ohio, in 1940 during World War II. For many years he was a writer for the New Yorker magazine.
He died of corona virus in Colchester, Essex, which he contracted whilst in hospital for hip surgery after a fall at his home.
He lived in Mersea Island, near Colchester, Essex, with his wife Margot. They have four daughters: Liz, Annie, Katie and Rachel.
His obituary in the New York Times:
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/26/bo...
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
May 10, 2025
An excellent biography of Joseph Mallord William Turner 1775-1851 .
He was a printmaker, watercolorist and oil painter.
He reached the heights in skill and popularity. A respected member of the Royal Academy only to face some degree of ridicule in time.
In later life, he moved away from the Romantic movement towards impressionism. This was a break from the Realism becoming the trend.
He was ahead of his time and fell from favor towards the end of his life.
He left behind more than 550 oil paintings, 2,000 watercolours, and 30,000 works on paper.
He was championed by the leading English art critic John Ruskin.
His landscapes and seascapes reflecting the light of the sun is famous.
He died in the house of his mistress Sophia Caroline Booth in Cheyne Walk, Chelsea in December 1851. He is said to have uttered the last words "The sun is God" before dying.
He was a printmaker, watercolorist and oil painter.
He reached the heights in skill and popularity. A respected member of the Royal Academy only to face some degree of ridicule in time.
In later life, he moved away from the Romantic movement towards impressionism. This was a break from the Realism becoming the trend.
He was ahead of his time and fell from favor towards the end of his life.
He left behind more than 550 oil paintings, 2,000 watercolours, and 30,000 works on paper.
He was championed by the leading English art critic John Ruskin.
His landscapes and seascapes reflecting the light of the sun is famous.
He died in the house of his mistress Sophia Caroline Booth in Cheyne Walk, Chelsea in December 1851. He is said to have uttered the last words "The sun is God" before dying.
June 13, 2013
An in-depth look at the Turner's life and works. The author draws on numerous observations from Turner's peers and contemporaries which gives a rounded perspective on who Turner was, both the man and the artist. I found these glimpses into his personality fascinating. He could run hot and cold, as the saying goes, being very social and generous at times and then extremely aloof and gruff at others. He was shrewd with his money, and tight-fisted in many social situations, but then could be very generous with loans or purchases for those in need.
Turner was apparently very secretive about his artistic and personal life to the public and even his closest friends. He often traveled alone on his sketching journeys, which took him all around England and abroad, and those he met along the way frequently didn't know who he was or where he was going. This secrecy extended particularly to his romantic relationships. Very few ever knew about his two serious romances, one when he was a young man and then the next when he was in his sixties, thereabouts. I think fewer still even knew he had children - Turner himself seems to not have had much interest, according to this author. And yet Turner's passion, energy, and love of the natural environment was life-long and undisputed. He was particularly drawn to rivers and ships, even as a very young man, and he had a life-long drive and desire to understand and capture light and colour, and transform them into emotion on his canvas. He clearly was not an unfeeling man, and he did form life-long friendships with others in the art community, but he did have trouble expressing himself verbally to people, as the author notes when discussing lectures Turner gave at the Royal Academy. He could be awkward interacting with others socially, even amongst those he knew well. It seems likely that Turner had his own way of relating to others, of acknowledging the ties he had with those he counted as friends, and sometimes he had difficulty in showing his feelings directly.
In this book the author works to strike a balance between analyzing Turner the individual and Turner the artist. I think he emphasizes Turner the individual more but, as noted, I did find that very interesting. There are any number of books out there that discuss Turner's works in depth and I think this book gives good context to that sort of discussion, something you could keep in mind as you read about his works specifically (a discussion which often doesn't take the time to provide a lot of detailed context).
Turner was apparently very secretive about his artistic and personal life to the public and even his closest friends. He often traveled alone on his sketching journeys, which took him all around England and abroad, and those he met along the way frequently didn't know who he was or where he was going. This secrecy extended particularly to his romantic relationships. Very few ever knew about his two serious romances, one when he was a young man and then the next when he was in his sixties, thereabouts. I think fewer still even knew he had children - Turner himself seems to not have had much interest, according to this author. And yet Turner's passion, energy, and love of the natural environment was life-long and undisputed. He was particularly drawn to rivers and ships, even as a very young man, and he had a life-long drive and desire to understand and capture light and colour, and transform them into emotion on his canvas. He clearly was not an unfeeling man, and he did form life-long friendships with others in the art community, but he did have trouble expressing himself verbally to people, as the author notes when discussing lectures Turner gave at the Royal Academy. He could be awkward interacting with others socially, even amongst those he knew well. It seems likely that Turner had his own way of relating to others, of acknowledging the ties he had with those he counted as friends, and sometimes he had difficulty in showing his feelings directly.
In this book the author works to strike a balance between analyzing Turner the individual and Turner the artist. I think he emphasizes Turner the individual more but, as noted, I did find that very interesting. There are any number of books out there that discuss Turner's works in depth and I think this book gives good context to that sort of discussion, something you could keep in mind as you read about his works specifically (a discussion which often doesn't take the time to provide a lot of detailed context).
December 17, 2015
I have, of late, been going in for Turner, somewhat: between seeing Mike Leigh's "Mr.Turner" (which I heard him talking about making over ten years ago at the San Francisco Film Festival), seeing the amazing exhibit of Turner's later works (twice) at the De Young, purchasing the DVD of "Mr. Turner", and viewing the five watercolors on display at the Legion of Honor, it's been quite an immersion. And now this exhaustive biography.
While there can be no doubt that J.M.W. Turner was a rather rum cove, I feel that Bailey makes a little too much of the contradictions in Turner's character: I believe that most humans are given to contradictory impulses, but that Turner may have acted on them to a slightly higher degree than us normal humans. And Bailey does belabor the point that Turner was given to incoherence (especially in public speaking) and unclear writing: lord knows he provides us enough examples of Turner's tortured syntax, as well as his sub-doggrel verse, that his repeated scoffing at Turner's abilities with language comes off as a bit mean-spirited. The man may not have been able to write a lucid paragraph, he sure as hell knew his way around a palette.
While there can be no doubt that J.M.W. Turner was a rather rum cove, I feel that Bailey makes a little too much of the contradictions in Turner's character: I believe that most humans are given to contradictory impulses, but that Turner may have acted on them to a slightly higher degree than us normal humans. And Bailey does belabor the point that Turner was given to incoherence (especially in public speaking) and unclear writing: lord knows he provides us enough examples of Turner's tortured syntax, as well as his sub-doggrel verse, that his repeated scoffing at Turner's abilities with language comes off as a bit mean-spirited. The man may not have been able to write a lucid paragraph, he sure as hell knew his way around a palette.
January 21, 2016
"Just the facts, ma'am, just the facts."
And that's what you get in this biography of J.M.W. Turner. For me, it was slow-going, arranged only loosely chronologically, with events crisis-crossing over the chapters. For instance, there is a one chapter devoted to a patron of Turner's and another to a detractor. There is a chapter on travels on the continent, with some trips described in previous or later chapters. If you are looking for a good narrative you won't find it here. However, scholars will enjoy this biography, as It is very well-researched with many notes, lists of paintings and quotes.
While I won't remember all the details of his life, I now understand Turner's genius in his art and something of his complex character. He was prone to vicious outbursts as well as unexpected generosity.
Fortunately, this biography served a purpose for me since I was looking for background on J.M.W. Turner in anticipation of viewing the Turner exhibit at the AGO In Toronto. It definitely enhanced my viewing experience there. I have yet to see the movie, Mr. Turner, but plan to do so.
And that's what you get in this biography of J.M.W. Turner. For me, it was slow-going, arranged only loosely chronologically, with events crisis-crossing over the chapters. For instance, there is a one chapter devoted to a patron of Turner's and another to a detractor. There is a chapter on travels on the continent, with some trips described in previous or later chapters. If you are looking for a good narrative you won't find it here. However, scholars will enjoy this biography, as It is very well-researched with many notes, lists of paintings and quotes.
While I won't remember all the details of his life, I now understand Turner's genius in his art and something of his complex character. He was prone to vicious outbursts as well as unexpected generosity.
Fortunately, this biography served a purpose for me since I was looking for background on J.M.W. Turner in anticipation of viewing the Turner exhibit at the AGO In Toronto. It definitely enhanced my viewing experience there. I have yet to see the movie, Mr. Turner, but plan to do so.
November 25, 2024
Like his paintings, Turner’s life story is hazy, mesmerizing, and hard to comprehend or categorize fully, but this book gives an impressive insight.
It covers all the major events of the great man’s life and his major paintings. I found the reading captivating.
I learned a lot; I was surprised and sometimes shocked.
Because his works were, and still are, revolutionary, and his personal life has so many unknowns, he is still very much of an enigma.
As a man, he had a lot of shortcomings. It is not clear if they were due to his lack of maternal care in childhood, the class system he felt it was against him, pure misogyny, single mindless or maybe even autism or another affection like dyslexia that also stopped him from being articulate (on numerous occasions in his company, people did not know what Turner was talking about).
He was full of contradictions – he died rich but lived like a poor man; except for his father, he neglected his family, he loved his pictures, but let many moulder with damp and dust.
He might have had an eye disease, but even so, it doesn’t diminish the magical results of his strive to paint visions of pure light, fire, or speed.
Many of his paintings got mixed responses, but he was a revolutionary genius who brought something new and shocking to the art world.
“Turner’s pictures are abstractions of aerial perspective and representations not properly of the objects of nature as of the medium through which they were seen.
They are the triumph of the knowledge of the artist, and of the power of the pencil, over the barrenness of the subject. They are pictures of the elements of air, earth, and water.
He wanted to capture the moment and put practical considerations aside.”
He didn’t paint views but visions. Golden visions, glorious and beautiful, as Constable once said.
“He wanted to paint pure light, the ultimate measurement, and the final unity.”
It covers all the major events of the great man’s life and his major paintings. I found the reading captivating.
I learned a lot; I was surprised and sometimes shocked.
Because his works were, and still are, revolutionary, and his personal life has so many unknowns, he is still very much of an enigma.
As a man, he had a lot of shortcomings. It is not clear if they were due to his lack of maternal care in childhood, the class system he felt it was against him, pure misogyny, single mindless or maybe even autism or another affection like dyslexia that also stopped him from being articulate (on numerous occasions in his company, people did not know what Turner was talking about).
He was full of contradictions – he died rich but lived like a poor man; except for his father, he neglected his family, he loved his pictures, but let many moulder with damp and dust.
He might have had an eye disease, but even so, it doesn’t diminish the magical results of his strive to paint visions of pure light, fire, or speed.
Many of his paintings got mixed responses, but he was a revolutionary genius who brought something new and shocking to the art world.
“Turner’s pictures are abstractions of aerial perspective and representations not properly of the objects of nature as of the medium through which they were seen.
They are the triumph of the knowledge of the artist, and of the power of the pencil, over the barrenness of the subject. They are pictures of the elements of air, earth, and water.
He wanted to capture the moment and put practical considerations aside.”
He didn’t paint views but visions. Golden visions, glorious and beautiful, as Constable once said.
“He wanted to paint pure light, the ultimate measurement, and the final unity.”
February 23, 2020
This took me forever to get through. Inspired by his show in Mystic, I wanted to learn about this artist. And so I did. Eccentric, but brilliant; didn't want to get married and have responsibilities that would take him away from work. An art conservator's worse nightmare!!
April 18, 2023
An easily read,full of facts and an insight into the techniques he used and experimented with.
September 17, 2023
Exceptional
February 23, 2015
Very interesting book - and hugely thorough. I wanted to read a bio on Turner after seeing the film 'Mr Turner' because although Timothy Spall's performance was brilliant - the film does not tell you very much at all about Turner which was very frustrating - especially as it was quite a long movie.... 10 Random Things that were not particularly well depicted in the film
1) Turner was incredibly successful in his own lifetime (alluded to admittedly but not the scale of his success)
2) He never spoke ill of his fellow artists and often helped artists during Varnishing days
3) His letters to friends were very incoherent at times!
4) He wanted to leave most of his estate to help impoverished artists
5) His mother was insane and finally committed to Bedlam
6) Sarah Danby was his mistress and he effectively ignored his children by her (OK - Sarah Danby was in the film but their relationship was not well depicted)
7) Turner did not say the Sun is God on his death (He mentioned a few times that he would like to see the sun again which is a bit different)
8) He was very committed to the Royal Academy
9) He travelled extensively in Europe and UK and was very fit - walked for miles and was nipping up mountains at age 69
10) He worked incredibly hard and was a very shrewd businessman
1) Turner was incredibly successful in his own lifetime (alluded to admittedly but not the scale of his success)
2) He never spoke ill of his fellow artists and often helped artists during Varnishing days
3) His letters to friends were very incoherent at times!
4) He wanted to leave most of his estate to help impoverished artists
5) His mother was insane and finally committed to Bedlam
6) Sarah Danby was his mistress and he effectively ignored his children by her (OK - Sarah Danby was in the film but their relationship was not well depicted)
7) Turner did not say the Sun is God on his death (He mentioned a few times that he would like to see the sun again which is a bit different)
8) He was very committed to the Royal Academy
9) He travelled extensively in Europe and UK and was very fit - walked for miles and was nipping up mountains at age 69
10) He worked incredibly hard and was a very shrewd businessman
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 22, 2015
Very detailed and interesting biography. Turner was definitely ahead of his time with painting and was a unique individual. I wonder if he were alive today if he would be diagnosed as having Aspergers. The recent movie on Turner is what inspired me to read the book. The acting is wonderful and after having read the book I recognize what an accurate job the movie does of portraying the man and his adult life. Now if I could only get to the UK to see his paintings!
December 21, 2009
A well-written biography of J.M.W. Turner which gets into his character and his painting styles. I wish there were more illustrations, of course, but many were available on the internet, i.e. Dido Building Carthage, which is mentioned several times.
July 12, 2022
Turner is one of my favourite artists and Bailey provides an excellent rounded portrait of a man of so many contradictions, so many convictions, a complex character who was both intensely respectable and intensely subversive at the same time, Fascinating.
October 14, 2015
So many facts, yet so dryly put together.
October 10, 2018
A fantastic biography. Turner was a visionary artist and before his time. I loved this book. Learned much about this fellow as both artist and private person.
November 9, 2015
Excellent biography of a complicated man. His devotion to his art is inspiring.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews