It was quite a cold morning when I headed into Dublin a few weeks ago to see the annual exhibition of Turner watercolours. The frost on the car windshield made some great patterns, which quickly disappeared.
When the watercolours, known as The Vaughan Bequest, were given to the NGI over a hundred years ago, the terms were very specific: the watercolours were to only be shown in January each year so as to preserve the colour pigments, and they were to be available freely for public viewing. Henry Vaughan made similar bequests to the National Galleries of Scotland in Edinburgh and to The Tate (Britain) in London.
I have seen this work many times over the years, but this year was special in that the galleries in Scotland and Ireland organised a swap of Turner paintings! So the Turner’s I would be seeing were the Scottish Turner’s not the ones I had seen before many times. What a treat!
The Piazzetta, Venice, 1840
I especially enjoyed seeing the Venice paintings – a pleasant reminder of my visit to the Biennale just before covid hit (er, when the overall theme was May You Live in Interesting Times…)
The Grand Canal by the Salute, Venice, 1840
Apparently Turner’s hotel had this view, so he may have sketched it from a window!
Palazzo Balbi on the Grand Canal, Venice, 1840
Canaletto also famously painted this view - a perfect picture postcard - but I prefer Turner’s loose but accurate rendering of architectural forms and light.
The Rialto, Venice, 1840
“What news from the Rialto?” Of course, the Shakespearian line comes into my head each time I see — or crossed — the bridge.
Man of War, 1827
Turner drew this harbour image while on a six-week holiday in the Isle of Wight. Having attempted, myself, to draw the yachts in Antibes, I can only marvel at the skill in drawing the rigging of the ships.
Sea View, mid-1820s
Despite his huge oeuvre that consistently shows his skill as an amazing renderer and colourist, I have always associated Turner with an expressionist portrayal of natural elements. Perhaps this is the result of my first acquaintance with his work when I was younger and gifted the new (at the time) Parker Brothers board game of “Masterpiece”, which used images of famous works from the National Gallery, London. So Rain, Steam, and Speed was my introduction to Turner’s work and as an art student I remember visiting a mega-show, “Turner and the Sublime”, at the Art Gallery of Ontario.
Heidelberg, c1846
Regardless of whether or not the work is expressionist or accurately rendered, Turner’s work always has luminous qualities and are a joy to view. One can always pick out a tiny, perfect surprise in a painting — for instance, the yellow sail of a distant boat, a small cloud formation among an atmospheric blur… How wonderful it was to see the Scottish Vaughan Bequest this year, and I look forward to viewing the Irish watercolours again next January.