Turners Modern and Ancient Ports

An engaging look at one of the central motifs in the work of the great 19th-century painter Widely considered Britains greatest painter, Joseph Mallord William Turner (17751851) is best known for his light-filled landscapes and seascapes. A relentless traveler, Turner often turned his artistic attention to the theme of modern and ancient ports. In the mid-1820s, Turner exhibited two monumental, and controversial, paintings of ports: Cologne and Dieppe. Shocking for their intense luminosity and yellow tonality, as well as for Turners unorthodox handling of paint, these works marked a transition in the artists career as he moved away from naturalism and toward a new, poetic topography. This in-depth study of these two seminal paintings also addresses a wide selection of Turners works in both oil and watercolor from the 1820s, placing them in the context of radical changes in British social and economic structures taking place at the time. Drawing from period travel accounts, contemporary critical commentary, and new technical analyses of Turners work, this magnificently illustrated book brings a fresh, new perspective to the pivotal middle years of Turners career. Published in association with The Frick Collection Exhibition Schedule: The Frick Collection, New York (02/22/17 05/14/17)