A Look Into the Creative Process of one of Britain's Greatest Artists

This sketchbook provides an important avenue into Turner's artistic process. In this ordinary ledger book, Turner recorded his scenes in pencil and made written notes. He then flipped the book over and worked from back to front filling the pages with watercolor paintings of remarkable vivacity.

Turner's handwriting is notoriously illegible but we can make out some words that record colors (yellow, red, purple). This allows us to see how Turner planned out the placement of different colors in order to recreate the sunset in a larger watercolor in his studio.

Thought to contain scenes from the English Channel, this sketchbook records the different weather conditions, the ships that passed by, and a series of incredible sunsets. Turner used sketchbooks throughout his career; leaving close to 300 of them in his bequest to the nation, now at Tate Britain. The sketchbook at the Yale Center for British Art is a rare exception from this gift and was acquired by the YCBA's founder, Paul Mellon, in 1993.

Although Turner focused on the intersection of the water and sunlight in many of his studies, in this sketch he captures the outline of the buildings along the coastline.

Turner's process perplexed many other landscape artists, who worked with their easel, canvas or paper and a watercolor box, 'en plein air'. Turner's way of working allowed him to make dozens of sketches, take notes, and record a great number of scenes that he could then recreate in his studio. So while other artists would spend hours on one painting, he could gather material for a dozen paintings.

Colors can evoke strong feelings. Beautiful purples, oranges, and blues create a sense of calm and serenity while the greys, reds, and dark blues feel stormy and dangerous. The power of the sea and the emotions it summons can also be felt through Turner's brushwork, here using rapid flicks of his brush to create a sense of violence and unease.

This sketchbook was likely used throughout the year 1845 and is representative of Turner's later style - more fluid and gestural. Many consider Turner to be a precursor to the impressionist movement in the late nineteenth century, as well as twentieth-century abstraction.

The entirety of the sketchbook is viewable on the Yale Center for British Art's website. It is also available to download and can be accessed in person by request in the Center's study room.