JMW Turner: a master of the stormy or the calm sea?

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.

Figure 1. JMW Turner, The Shipwreck, 1805, Oil on Canvas 170.5 x 241.5cm, Tate: Turner Bequest 1856.

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.

Nicholas Pocock (1740-1821) - an apogee of British naval art?

According to Richard Johns in the Turner & the Sea exhibition book (2013) Nicholas Pocock (1740-1821) represents the apogee of British naval art in the 18th century. Pocock represents a similar technique to Dominic and Thomas Serres which was looked at in the last post yet has his own distinct style. The era of Pocock's paintings fitted perfectly with Britain's naval encounters with the French and the main painting chosen for the Turner & the Sea exhibition is 'His Majesty's Ship the 'Brunswick' engaging the 'Vengeur' on the First of June, 1794' (see figure 1).

The painting depicts the Third Battle of the Ushant, which is known in British history as the 'Glorious First of June' battle. This battle was the first large scale naval battle of the French Revolutionary War and was fought about 400 miles off the coast of Brittany. I find Pocock's paintings of this period intriguing as neither the French or the British could claim complete victory but paintings of the battle were key to public morale back home. The battle ended up lasting five days and the French ship the 'Vengeur du Peuple' was sunk, as well as 6 French ships being captured by the British fleet which was led by Admiral Lord Howe.

Pocock purportedly witnessed the battle and even though there is large amounts of smoke from cannon fire the details of the boats involved is still visible. The British ship in the centre is standing firm against the onslaught of two French ships. It is a perfect example of art displaying what the British government and monarchy wanted to the public to see. The painting is also very large for one that only depicts a couple of ships. If you compare Pocock to the Serres this is even more obvious, with Serres including many ships in his battle canvases. However, as future posts will show I think British artists followed further in Pocock's style and this can be seen in works by JMW Turner and Clarkson Stanfield later in the next century.

Figure 1. Nicholas Pocock, His Majesty's Ship the 'Brunswick' engaging the 'Vengeur' on the First of June, 1794 (1796), Oil-on-canvas, 139.7 x 190, National Maritime Museum, Greenwich.

Figure 1, detail

Dominic Serres (1722-93) and the depiction of eighteenth century naval warfare

The link between empire and art was growing steadily in Britain from the times of the van de Veldes onwards. This is particularly linked to the growing worldwide British Empire together with the British dominance of the seas. Dominic Serres R.A (1722-93) was one of the most accomplished naval warfare artists of his generation. Interestingly, Serres link van de Velde the Elder was not born in England but instead in his native France. In the 1740s he became a ships captain and sailed to Cuba where the British had strong imperial desires and was taken prisoner here. Eventually Serres settled in London in 1758 and became the prominent marine artist that we all know under the guidance of Charles Brooking. In 1780, following in the footsteps of the van de Veldes was appointed a royal marine artist by King George III.

In the Turner & the Sea exhibition Serres' famous The Battle of Negapatam, 6 July 1782 (see figure1) is on display. The painting itself belongs to a group of seven canvases that help to depict the pursuit and continuous engagement of the French East Indies squadron with the British fleet of Vice-Admiral Sire Edward Hughes off the coast of east India. The painting itself is cluttered with engagement between the two nations and is a departure from the sublime and picturesque that the van de Veldes often aimed for. JMW Turner did not follow in Serres's work like he did with the Dutch masters but it is hard to ignore the impact that Serres would have had back in England where his painting would have brought naval battles to life. The legacy of Serres was continued by his son John Thomas Serres (1759-1825) and for pure levels of battle details I don't think even Turner or the van de Veldes equal his father. This was confirmed with Dominic Serres becoming one of the founding members of the Royal Academy in 1768 and set maritime art high in national taste and interests.

Figure 1. Dominic Serres, The Battle of Negapatam, 6 July 1782 (1786), oil-on-canvas: 111.7 x182.8 cm, National Maritime Museum, Greenwich.