The Fish Market at Hastings Beach

J. M. W. Turner is arguably Britain's greatest artist and, in this early work, he very effectively conjures up the wet, blustery weather brought on by the storm offshore. Shafts of light burst through the clouds, illuminating the distant ships and the fishermen who sell their fresh catch. Despite his originality as a precursor of Impressionism in his treatment of light and air, Turner had an enormous respect for the art of the past. This work recalls similar images by 17th-century Dutch painters, examples of which Turner could have seen in many English private collections. The scene takes place in East Sussex on the South Coast of England.