The Chancel and Crossing of Tintern Abbey 1794, graphite and watercolor on paper, 15 3/16 x 10 1/16. Collection Tate, London, England.

J.M.W. Turner
February 10 through May 18
Dallas Museum of Art
Dallas, Texas
(214) 954-0234
www.dallasmuseumofart.org

June 24 through September 21
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
New York, New York
(212) 535-7710
www.metmuseum.org

The prolific output of J.M.W. Turner (1775-1851)—widely considered the greatest English landscape painter of all time—is featured in this exhibition, the largest retrospective ever presented in the United States of the artist’s career. With more than 146 works of art on display, including both finished pieces and preparatory plein air sketches, “J.M.W. Turner” provides an excellent opportunity for landscape painters to get an up-close look at the incredible luminosity and atmosphere this artist was able to achieve in his work.

Stangate Creek, on the River Medway ca. 1823-1824, watercolor on paper, 6⅜ x 9 7/16. Collection Tate, London, England.	Shields, on the River Tyne 1823, watercolor on paper, 6 1/16 x 8½. Collection Tate, London, England.

Turner was an artist who traversed the world, traveling to all continents and countries that might provide inspiration for his landscape paintings. One of his most often visited and beloved countries was Italy, especially the town of Venice. Filling sketchbooks with on-site studies of the city’s distinctive light, and the way it played off the clear Mediterranean waters surrounding the historic marble architecture, Turner captured all the distinctive characteristics for which Italy was celebrated. Finished works such as Venice, From the Porch of Madonna Della Salute show the passion and skill with which he painted the Italian landscape.

The Tower of London ca. 1825, graphite and watercolor on paper, 12 x 17. Collection Thomas H. Lee and Ann Tenenbaum.	Venice, From the Porch of Madonna Della Salute 1835, oil, 36 x 38. Collection The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, New York.

Around the time that Turner was making his world travels and painting the country sides and industrial cities of Italy, France, Germany, and Switzerland, he began exploring a new direction in his palette and technique, shifting from naturalistic hues to a brighter, bolder range of pure-pigmented colors. He also became interested in painting atmospheric effects and developed a particular penchant for capturing the cataclysmic elements of nature, including storms, clouds, raging seas, mist, fog, and a vortex of clouds that often surrounded his subjects. While his bright-yellow sunsets and sunrises reflected the sublime, these elements conveyed the unpredictable and often intimidating forces of nature.

Toward the end of Turner’s life, atmospheric elements continued to reign in his work, but the depiction of light was now the most dominate characteristic. His use of thin veils of luminous color and gauzy layers of atmosphere inspired generations of artists after him and had a considerable effect on the forthcoming French Impressionist movement. When Turner died in 1851, he left behind an impressive body of work that testified to the pioneering role he had in ushering in a new aesthetic in landscape painting.