J. M. W. Turner: The Man Who Set Painting on Fire

by Olivier Meslay

In 1801, at the age of 26, Joseph Mallord William Turner became the youngest ever member of the Royal Academy. His early paintings combined great historical themes with inspired visions of nature, but subsequent experiments with the effects of light led him swiftly towards a evolutionary dissolution of forms. In this profusely illustrated book, Olivier Meslay invites us to follow the development of Turner's incandescent art, a bridge between Romanticism and Impressionism and one of Britains' most remarkable contributions to art.

Genres: Art

160 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

Reviews

[Jakob Thor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fannst eins og þessi bók hafi verið skrifuð af vísindarmanni í staðinn fyrir rithöfundi því það var engin auka orð eða setningar sem þurftu ekki, sem mér fannst ÆÐI! Bókin fór í gegnum sögu J.M.W. Turner sem var mjög einstök, hélt allan tíman að hann spilaði fyrir litríkaliðið og svo í síðasta kaflanum var skrifað að hann dó í húsi sem hann var að legja undir fake nafni “beacuse of his secret life”, svo kom bara í ljós að leynó lífið var að hann átti konu og börn sem var pínu let down. Finnst hann vera nýji uppáhalds listamaðurinn minn!

[Dylan Rock · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful study of perhaps Britain's greatest if misunderstood painter.

[Benjamin Fasching-Gray · Rating 4 out of 5]

My favorites were always the snow storms and the Alps and ruined castles in the background, and I was never that into all the boats or (good grief) all the water. The Slave Ship is amazing, though. This book gets into Turner's life and art in an easy, fun way. I was prepared to wade through stuffiness and British "harumph, harumph" but found myself breezing through a light read. I like the idea of Turner as this very competitive gentleman who puts on a big show on varnishing day and part of the show is his inaccessibility. When he leaves, he faces the wall and shuffles out sideways so he doesn't have to look anyone in the eye. I also like the idea that when Parliament was burning there were all these artists, including him and Constable, standing out there hastily sketching and watercoloring, watching it burn: Probably all excited, thinking about how their masterpieces will be received, but having to keep up the appearance that it's a terrible tragedy. One thing I appreciate about this book is the focus on Turner in his time, in context, as opposed to his place in art history. This book is apparently part of a series from Thames and Hudson called "New Horizons." I'll be looking out for more of those.

[lookingformanon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is very well written. It goes from telling his life story, through his earlier life, by what influenced him throughout his style and the legacy that he has left. It isn’t too long and has pictures of either his artworks or other artworks related to what the book is saying. I recommend if you want to learn more about one of Britain’s most famous painters!

[George Foord · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best biography about turner

[Patsy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very compact and yet complete and very well illustrated little book on Turner. A very good introduction to the great English artist.

[Greta · Rating 4 out of 5]

An insightful look into the life and painting of J.M.W. Turner. A nice accompaniment to the 2014 film "Mr. Turner".

[Lesley Botez · Rating 5 out of 5]

This books is an excellent companion to the exhibition and film that came out at the same time, filling in the reader's knowledge of Turner's remarkable art.