J M W
TURNER
Great Britain
1775
–
1851
90.2 (h) x 120.0 (w) cm Tate Accepted by the nation as part of the Turner Bequest 1856 Photo: © Tate 2013
Dramatic alpine scenes were a stock feature of the Sublime landscape. Though Turner had visited the Alps in 1802, there is no evidence that he visited the area represented in this painting, or actually witnessed an avalanche. Instead, the stimulus may have been reports of an avalanche at Selva in the Grisons region, Switzerland, in December 1808 that killed twenty-five people. Far from attempting reportage, Turner creates an abstract scene of overwhelming elemental forces.
Dramatic alpine scenes were a stock feature of the Sublime landscape. Though Turner had visited the Alps in 1802, there is no evidence that he visited the area represented in this painting, or actually witnessed an avalanche. Instead, the stimulus may have been reports of an avalanche at Selva in the Grisons region, Switzerland, in December 1808 that killed twenty-five people. Far from attempting reportage, Turner creates an abstract scene of overwhelming elemental forces.
Dramatic alpine scenes were a stock feature of the Sublime landscape. Though Turner had visited the Alps in 1802, there is no evidence that he visited the area represented in this painting, or actually witnessed an avalanche. Instead, the stimulus may have been reports of an avalanche at Selva in the Grisons region, Switzerland, in December 1808 that killed twenty-five people. Far from attempting reportage, Turner creates an abstract scene of overwhelming elemental forces.
