I am currently reading Philip Hook's book 'Breakfast at Sotheby's' (which I highly recommend), and in one of the sections he looks at why a painting sells well at auctions. Regarding seascapes he believes that still seas with sunshine and not stormy weather sell best. He does make the point that some artists are the exception and I think this is true of JMW Turner.
Two excellent examples of this are 'The Shipwreck' (1805, figure 1) and 'Dort or Dordrecht, the Dort Packet Boat from Rotterdam Becalmed' (1818, figure 2). 'The Shipwreck' is one of the first paintings you see at the Turner and Sea exhibition and it certainly strikes you as a scene where you would not like to be in one of the boats painted. Turner following in the footsteps of the Dutch maritime masters such as Willem van de Velde the Younger has created one of the most compelling stormy sea paintings I have seen and I would argue ever been created. You have to see this painting in real life to fully appreciate it, if you just look at the dimensions it is massive.The sea looks realistic and for a country used to many shipwrecks at the beginning of the 19th century this would really have made an impact at the Royal Academy.
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| Figure 1. JMW Turner, The Shipwreck, 1805, Oil on Canvas 170.5 x 241.5cm, Tate: Turner Bequest 1856. |
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| Figure 2. JMW Turner, Dort, or Dordrecht, the Dort Packet Boat from Rotterdam Becalmed, 1818, Oil on canvas, 157.5 x 233cm, Yale Center for British Art. |
The second painting (see figure 2) is almost the exact opposite to 'The Shipwreck'. It uses warm colours of reds, and oranges to create an incredible calmness and serenity. This paintings is one of Turner's most famous works and it is hard to argue against this. The sea this time is as still as it can be and the oncoming sunset creates the perfect light for Turner to work with. Again the size of this painting needs to be considered (Turner liked to work on massive canvases) and the audience Turner is painting for. This is realism painting in its prime and is an example of Turner's works that I prefer before he started to experiment and became more abstract.
One critic at the 1834 summer Royal Academy exhibition was quoted whilst reviewing Turner's seascapes as saying 'there is perhaps no branch of art which presents a wilder field for exaggeration than that of marine-painting', this is certainly true. Both paintings looked at are stunning examples in their own right but which would you prefer to view, or if you were very lucky or fortunate, own in your house? I am still debating this myself, it is not as easy as Philip Hook may lead one to believe.
Such a talented man was Turner to paint such masterpieces of such differing environments! The skills to paint a storm which as you say would have really spoken to the people in the RA; yet to paint such a gentle, and equally realistic scene of this warm evening is truly remarkable.
ReplyDeleteAs to your question, I find myself agreeing with Phillip Hook! I truly love the warmth and alluring glow that the second painting has! That being said, I think the storm picture requires perhaps even more skill, and is not to be overlooked, but for my house, I would certainly like the second painting. (In fact any Turner painting would be most agreeable!!!!)
I very much like both of these works and would be delighted to have the privilege of owning either (but, then again, who wouldn’t?). The 1818 canvas reminds me of two Turners in the permanent collection/on view in the West Gallery of the Frick Collection in New York City (http://www.frick.org/visit/virtual_tour/west_gallery). The two works (‘The Harbor of Dieppe’ 1826 and ‘Cologne: The Arrival of a Packet-Boat: Evening’ 1826) are displayed across from each other (alongside numerous other stunning works), making for a truly grand presentation. The Frick has 5 JMW Turners, and if you haven’t visited/ever get the chance to visit, I would highly recommend it.
ReplyDeleteThanks for both comments! Yes, I suppose anyone would love to have any Turner painting. From auction results it definitely seems Turner's calmer paintings do better, but I really can't tell which he found harder to paint as both are very challenging.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the link to the Frick Collection in New York. The two paintings you suggested look like magnificent Turner works. I certainly will visit that museum if I am fortunate enough to be in New York. Have you seen any other large collections of British Maritime art in American Museums? The Turner and the Sea exhibition has a lot of paintings lent from America mainly from Boston and the Mellon collection from Yale. There are many great works in the States!