Turner’s Modern World
J. M. W. Turner, Slave Ship (Slavers Throwing Overboard the Dead and Dying, Typhoon Coming On) (detail), 1840. Oil on canvas. Henry Lillie Pierce Fund.
J. M. W. Turner, Rockets and Blue Lights (Close at Hand) to Warn Steam Boats of Shoal Water (in situ), 1840. Oil on canvas. Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute, Williamstown, Massachusetts. Image courtesy Clark Art Institute.
J. M. W. Turner, Slave Ship (Slavers Throwing Overboard the Dead and Dying, Typhoon Coming On) (detail), 1840. Oil on canvas. Henry Lillie Pierce Fund.
J. M. W. Turner, Rockets and Blue Lights (Close at Hand) to Warn Steam Boats of Shoal Water (in situ), 1840. Oil on canvas. Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute, Williamstown, Massachusetts. Image courtesy Clark Art Institute.
A radical artist confronts changing times
One of Britain’s greatest artists, J. M. W. Turner (1775–1851) lived and worked at the peak of the industrial revolution, when steam replaced sail, machine power replaced manpower, and wars, political unrest, and social reforms transformed society. “Turner’s Modern World” explores how this artist, more than any of his contemporaries, embraced these changes and developed an innovative painting style to better capture the new world.
This landmark exhibition brings together more than 100 paintings, watercolors, drawings, and sketchbooks by Turner, including Snow Storm: Hannibal and his Army Crossing the Alps (1812) from Tate Britain, The Burning of the Houses of Lords and Commons, October 16, 1834 (1835) from the Cleveland Museum of Art, and the MFA’s own Slave Ship (Slavers Throwing Overboard the Dead and Dying, Typhoon Coming On) (1840). These vivid and dramatic compositions demonstrate Turner’s commitment to depicting the great events and developments of his time, from technological advances to causes such as abolition and political reform.
- Ann and Graham Gund Gallery (Gallery LG31)
J. M. W. Turner, Snow Storm—Steam Boat off a Harbour’s Mouth, 1842
Oil on canvas. Tate Britain. Photo: © Tate.
J. M. W. Turner, Slave Ship (Slavers Throwing Overboard the Dead and Dying, Typhoon Coming On), 1840
Oil on canvas. Henry Lillie Pierce Fund.
J. M. W. Turner, Venice: The Dogana and San Giorgio Maggiore, 1834
Oil on canvas. National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, Widener Collection. 1942.9.85. Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington.
J. M. W. Turner, Keelmen Heaving in Coals by Moonlight, 1835
Oil on canvas. National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, Widener Collection. 1942.9.86. Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington.
J. M. W. Turner, Venice by Moonlight, with Boats off a Campanile, 1840
Watercolor on paper. Tate Britain. Photo: © Tate.
J. M. W. Turner, The Battle of Trafalgar, as Seen from the Mizen Starboard Shrouds of the Victory, 1806–8.
Oil on canvas. Tate Britain. Photo: © Tate.
J. M. W. Turner, The Burning of the Houses of Lords and Commons, October 16, 1834, 1835
Oil on canvas. The Cleveland Museum of Art, bequest of John L. Severance. Image source: www.clevelandart.org/art/1942.647
J. M. W. Turner, Peace—Burial at Sea, 1842
Oil on canvas. Tate Britain. Photo: © Tate.
J. M. W. Turner, The Fall of Anarchy, about 1833–34
Oil on canvas. Tate Britain. Photo: © Tate.
J. M. W. Turner, The Northampton Election, 6 December 1830, about 1830–31
Watercolor, gouache, and ink on paper. Tate Britain. Photo: © Tate.
J. M. W. Turner, Staffa, Fingal’s Cave, about 1831–32
Oil on canvas. Yale Center for British Art, Paul Mellon Collection. Image courtesy Yale Center for British Art.
J. M. W. Turner, Fall of the Rhine at Schaffhausen, about 1805–6
Oil on canvas. Bequest of Alice Marian Curtis, and Special Picture Fund.
J. M. W. Turner, Venice with the Salute, about 1840–45
Oil on canvas. Tate Britain. Photo: © Tate.
J. M. W. Turner, The Field of Waterloo, 1818
Oil on canvas. Tate Britain. Photo: © Tate.
J. M. W. Turner, Rockets and Blue Lights (Close at Hand) to Warn Steamboats of Shoal Water, 1840
Oil on canvas. Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute, Williamstown, Massachusetts. Image courtesy Clark Art Institute.
