J M W
TURNER
Great Britain
1775
–
1851
88.9 (h) x 119.4 (w) cm Tate Accepted by the nation as part of the Turner Bequest 1856 Photo: © Tate 2013
Turner showed this Lake District scene at the 1798 Royal Academy, along with several other North of England subjects, the result of his first tour of the region the previous year. The painting is based on a sketchbook study worked up in watercolour; it is inscribed ‘Black’ on the surface of the lake, suggesting he witnessed the stormy conditions. The dramatic, sombre mood is enlivened by the rainbow. Turner is making a consciously Sublime statement, intended to capture the viewer’s awe at the grandeur of Nature.
Turner showed this Lake District scene at the 1798 Royal Academy, along with several other North of England subjects, the result of his first tour of the region the previous year. The painting is based on a sketchbook study worked up in watercolour; it is inscribed ‘Black’ on the surface of the lake, suggesting he witnessed the stormy conditions. The dramatic, sombre mood is enlivened by the rainbow. Turner is making a consciously Sublime statement, intended to capture the viewer’s awe at the grandeur of Nature.
Turner showed this Lake District scene at the 1798 Royal Academy, along with several other North of England subjects, the result of his first tour of the region the previous year. The painting is based on a sketchbook study worked up in watercolour; it is inscribed ‘Black’ on the surface of the lake, suggesting he witnessed the stormy conditions. The dramatic, sombre mood is enlivened by the rainbow. Turner is making a consciously Sublime statement, intended to capture the viewer’s awe at the grandeur of Nature.
