Joseph Mallord William Turner.

His life and artistic

activity, works.
Prepared by Kamila Kadirova
Student of Bukhara State University
Foreign languages faculty
11-7ING-22
Key words: Painter, art, royal academy, watercolour, gallery, paintings,
landscape.
Plan:
1. Joseph Mallord William. Early life and The Royal Academy of Art schools.
2. Artworks and materials.
3. Famous artworks: “The Burning of the Houses of Lords and Commons”,
“The Fighting Temeraire, tugged to her last Berth to be broken up” and
“Rain, Steam, and Speed – The Great Western Railway”.
4. Reflection.

Joseph Mallord William. Early life and The Royal Academy of Art schools.
Joseph Mallord William Turner (23 April 1775 – 19 December 1851), also known
as William Turner, was an English Romantic landscape painter, watercolourist and
printmaker, who is considered to be progenitor of such direction in art as
impressionism. He left behind more than 550 oil paintings, 2,000 watercolours, and
30,000 works on paper. Because of his growing fascination in using vivid colors as
the primary element in his landscape and seascape paintings, he became known as
"the painter of light." His works include watercolours, oils and engravings.
Joseph Mallord William Turner was born in Maiden Lane, Covent Garden, in
London, England. His father William Turner was a barber and wig maker. His
mother, Mary Marshall, came from a family of butchers. He also had a younger
sister Mary Ann, but she passed away in the age of five, which is said to be a
reason why his mother became mentally unstable.
Possibly, due to unstable atmosphere within the family after his sister’s death, he
was sent to his uncle’s house from mother side, in Brentford in 1785, which was
then a small town in west of London on the banks of the River Thames. It was
there, when he started to become interested in art and drawing. By the time he went
to school in Margate on the north-east Kent coast, he had already created a great
portfolio, which contained a lot of pictures of landscapes.
At the age of 14, he applied to the Royal Academy of Art schools in 1789, and a
year later, he was accepted. Turner initially had a strong interest in architecture,
but he was persuaded to choose painting than architecture. His outstanding talent
was noticed, as soon as he entered the academy, which consequently played a
crucial role in his artistic development. He was given an opportunity to take part in
Summer Exhibition of 1790 after only one year's study. He exhibited his first oil
painting in 1796, Fishermen at Sea, and thereafter exhibited at the academy nearly
every year for the rest of his life.
Turner's eccentricity increased with age. With the exception of his father, who
lived with him for thirty years and served as his studio assistant, he didn't have
many close friends. Following the devastating loss of his father in 1829, he
experienced periods of despair, which was especially seen in some of his artworks.
He never got married, but it is believed that he had two daughters: Evelina Dupuis
and Georgiana Thompson.
Turner died of cholera on 19 December 1851. He is buried in St Paul's Cathedral,
where he lies near the painter Sir Joshua Reynolds. According to some sources, his
last words were: “The Sun is God”.
An important aspect in his career can be considered the Royal Academy of Art.
Thanks to his passion for painting and indescribable talent, his name often stood
out among not only his classmates and professors, but also the entire academy.
After a relatively short time after admission, he was enrolled in life classes, where
he mastered his skills. Turner painted in the winter and traveled extensively around
Britain in the summer, especially to Wales, where he created a variety of sketches
for working up into studies of watercolors.
Turner's first oil painting for the school, Fishermen at Sea (1796), depicted a
moonlit nighttime picture of the Needles off the Isle of Wight, including boats in
danger. "A summary of all that had been said about the sea by the artists of the
18th century," according to Wilton, was what the picture represented. Turner's
reputation as an oil painter and a painter of sea landscapes appeared after this
painting, which, by the way, was well regarded by critics of the time.
 Art works and materials
Early in Turner's life, his brilliance was acknowledged. His financial independence
let him to experiment; his mature work is distinguished by a vivid palette and
widely applied atmospheric paint washes. His latest paintings were referred to as
"fantastic puzzles" by David Piper in The Illustrated History of Art. Turner was
regarded as a creative genius; the English art critic John Ruskin said that he was
the one who could "measure the moods of Nature most stirringly and truthfully."
Turner was inspired by shipwrecks, fires (such as the 1834 burning of Parliament,
which he personally watched and illustrated in a series of watercolour paintings),
and natural phenomena like sun, wind, rain, and fog. The immense power of the
sea captivated him, as seen by his works The Slave Ship (1840) and Dawn after the
Wreck (1840).
It should be mentioned that, for that time, his innovative and at some point,
provocative approach to art was noteworthy. Turner enjoyed experimenting with
different paint types and creating unique combinations, even though the majority
of the works were painted in a traditional style, followed by all rules in painting.
One such method that the artist frequently employed was combining watercolour
and oil paint in one artwork.
Turner frequently depicted people drinking, having a good time, or working in the
foreground of his paintings to show his love for humanity, but also to highlight the
vulgarity and fragility of humanity in the face of the "sublime" world. Here,
"sublime" refers to awe-inspiring, savage grandeur, a natural world beyond human
control, and proof of God's power—a theme that poets and artists were delving into
during this time. The significance of light was to Turner the emanation of God's
spirit and this was why he refined the subject matter of his later paintings by
leaving out solid objects and detail, concentrating on the play of light on water, the
radiance of skies and fires.
The Burning of the Houses of Lords and Commons, 16th October, 1834

The Burning of the Houses of Lords and Commons, 16th October, 1834
Oil paintings on canvas by Turner, showing various angles of the fire that broke
out at the Houses of Parliament on October 16, 1834. They are currently in the
Cleveland Museum of Art and the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Turner saw the
burning of Parliament, along with thousands of other people, from the south bank
of the River Thames, across from Westminster. It's unclear if the sketches were
done immediately, en plein air, but he drew in two sketchbooks using pencil and
watercolour from various viewpoints, including a rented boat. The sketchbooks,
which Turner bequeathed to the National Gallery, are currently at the Tate Gallery.
Turner painted two depictions of the same event in oil, but it is unclear why. More
engravings from his works could have been made if there had been more funding.
Nonetheless, Turner may have wanted to examine various perspectives of the same
incident because the two paintings depict the fire in quite different ways.

The Fighting Temeraire, tugged to her last Berth to be broken up, 1838
One of the most popular paintings that was exhibited at the academy for more than
40 years. Usually artists place the main subject of the composition in the middle,
but Turner decided to draw it differently. The oldest warship, which takes center
stage in this composition, is positioned unusually far to the left of the picture,
rising in a stately splendor and with colours that are almost ghostly against a
triangle of blue sky and rising mist that brings it into relief. The blackened tugboat
with its tall smokestack, which stirs up the otherwise calm river surface, stands in
stark contrast to the old ship's beauty.
A second triangle of masted ships, which get smaller as they get farther away, is
framed by the blue triangle. There's a small river craft that the Temeraire and
tugboat have passed, its gaff-rigged sail barely catching the breeze. Past this, a
square-rigger sails with its sail fully extended. A little distance down the river,
another small craft appears as a patch of white. Off in the distance, past another
tugboat heading in their direction, a three-masted ship is anchored. Sail is rendered
obsolete by the becalmed vessels.
Sun sets over the estuary, with rays reaching into the clouds above and across the
water's surface, on the opposite side of the painting from Temeraire, at the same
distance from the frame as the ship's main mast. Replicating the color of the
tugboat's smoke, the river reflects the red hue of the clouds. A new era, marked by
steam instead of sail, is signified by the setting of the sun.

Rain, Steam, and Speed – The Great Western Railway

Although it might have been completed sooner, the painting debuted at the Royal
Academy in 1844. The National Gallery in London currently has it in its
collection. The piece uses technology and the power of nature to create an
emotional tension related to the idea of the sublime.
There are a lot of interpretations on this work and the meaning can vary from
person to person due to different perception that each person possesses. The train
appears to be traveling quickly towards us, suggesting a change from the past to
the future, which is why some people compare this painting to The Fighting
Téméraire. Furthermore, a contrast between technology and the lovely, serene
landscape is produced by both paintings. According to other interpretations, Turner
included a second stone bridge at the painting's left that is an analogue of the
bridge in Apullia and Appullus from 1814.

Reflection:
As I conclude my exploration into the life, career, and works of Joseph Mallord
William Turner, I find myself compelled to share a perspective that differs from
the commonly held belief that his artworks are masterpieces. While many celebrate
Turner's impact on the art world, I must admit that my personal viewpoint leans
towards a sense of repetitiveness, dullness, and an unchanging colour palette in his
creations.
Delving into Turner's extensive body of work, one cannot help but notice a
recurrent theme that runs through his paintings – a feeling of sameness. The
consistent portrayal of seascapes, landscapes, and historical events, while
undoubtedly capturing attention, left me pondering whether this unwavering
dedication to specific subjects diminished the uniqueness of each piece. Instead of
each artwork standing out on its own, I found myself encountering a sense of
repetition that made it challenging to distinguish between them.
Another aspect that struck me during my exploration, was the perceived dullness
that emanates from Turner's works. While acknowledging his technical prowess
and innovative use of light, there were moments when I yearned for a greater
variety of emotions in his palette. It seemed as if his colour choices, once vibrant
and revolutionary, transformed into a somewhat predictable range over time. This
predictability, in turn, led to a feeling of monotony that, for me, challenged the
notion of his works as consistently brilliant masterpieces.
Turner's mastery of color, often praised for its ability to evoke emotion and capture
the sublime, became a focal point for my reflections. While recognizing the
revolutionary nature of his approach, I couldn't shake the feeling that the consistent
application of specific hues limited the potential for diverse emotional responses
from the viewer. The challenge lay in discerning whether the very techniques that
initially captivated audiences had, in some instances, become constraints,
contributing to an overall sense of an unchanging and, at times, uninspiring
aesthetic.
Differing from the commonly held view of Turner's masterpieces doesn't diminish
the significance of his contributions to art history. Instead, it invites a
reconsideration of the criteria by which we define artistic brilliance. Turner's
departure from traditional norms, celebrated in his time, prompts contemporary
viewers like me to question whether this departure has, over time, evolved into its
own form of predictability.
In conclusion, my journey through the life, career, and works of Joseph Mallord
William Turner has been a reflective exploration challenging the prevailing
narrative surrounding his art. While acknowledging his undeniable impact, I find
myself questioning the extent to which consistent themes and a seemingly
unchanging colour palette contribute to a sense of repetitiveness and, at times,
dullness.

Vocabulary:
 Painter - an artist who uses paint to create pictures, or a worker whose job is to
cover parts of buildings with paint.
Art - the making of objects, images, music, etc. that are beautiful or that express
feelings.
Watercolour - a paint that is mixed with water and used to create pictures, or a
picture that has been done with this type of paint.
Gallery - a room or building that is used for showing works of art, sometimes so
that they can be sold.
Painting - a picture made using paint.
Landscape - a large area of land, especially in relation to its appearance.
Seascape - a view of the sea or a work of art that represents this.
Portfolio - a collection of drawings, documents, etc. that represent a person's,
especially an artist's, work.
Eccentricity - the state of being strange or unusual, sometimes in a humorous way.
En plein air - the act of painting outdoors.
Composition - the way that people or things are arranged in a painting or
photograph.
Sublime - of very great excellence or beauty.
Impressionism - a style or movement in painting originating in France in the
1860s, characterized by a concern with depicting the visual impression of the
moment, especially in terms of the shifting effect of light and colour.