J. M. W. Turner: 12 works

'Fishermen at Sea was the first oil painting Turner exhibited at the Royal Academy.'

'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.'

'A key figure of the Romantic generation, JMW Turner created the image with deftly applied washes, preserving the feeling of translucency, directness and suggestiveness.'

'With these bold techniques, Turner came close to modern abstraction in his efforts to expand the expressive and stylistic range of landscape painting. He made this watercolor for a series of engravings entitled Picturesque Views in England and Wales, published between 1827 and 1838.'

'In Juliet and her Nurse, Joseph Mallord William Turner presents a view of the main Piazza and the eastern parts of Venice from high above the western end of the Procuratie Nuove, close to the rooftops of the Hotel Europa in which he stayed.'

'Turner, ca.'

'The stock of engraved plates and prints was auctioned off, and Turner paid more than £3,000 to buy them all back. Although the series never materialized, it inspired some of his finest watercolors, including "Lyme Regis," a work titled after the small coastal town near the Dorset/Devon border.'

'Instead he explored Venice's unique combination of water, light and grand Renaissance architecture, all of which seem to blend together. Here he is transfixed by the spectacle of the churches of Santa Maria della Salute and Santa Maria della Presentazione, known as the 'Zitelle' (or Citella), reflected in the waters of the Guidecca Canal.'

'Turner was captivated by the picturesque town of Lucerne and its lake. He visited the location each summer between 1841 and 1845, staying at the lakeside inn, La Cygne (The Swan).'

'While scholars are uncertain of the exact historical event Turner described, one probable interpretation is that the man depicted here is Dutch naval officer Cornelis Van Tromp, who was dismissed from naval service in 1666 after failing to follow orders.'

'Turner used quick, slanting brushstrokes to describe the stormy sky.'

'It was Turner's practice to send canvases in an incomplete state to London, to the Royal Academy or the British Institution, and then to finish the pictures in a last-minute frenzy. He often used the so-called varnishing day to add vital details to a composition, transforming a mass of colour into a recognizable scene or incident.'