Joseph Mallord William Turner was born on 23 April 1775 and baptised on 14 May. Though Turner was capable of rendering a scene with exacting detail, his style became increasingly abstract over time, often eschewing definition in favor of radiant expression. Turner's major venture into printmaking was the Liber Studiorum (Book of Studies), seventy prints that he worked on from 1806 to 1819. [4] His father, William Turner (1745 – 21 September 1829), was a barber and wig maker. Many early sketches by Turner were architectural studies or exercises in perspective, and it is known that, as a young man, he worked for several architects including Thomas Hardwick, James Wyatt and Joseph Bonomi the Elder. The stormy backdrop of Hannibal Crossing The Alps is reputed to have been inspired by a storm over the Chevin in Otley while he was staying at Farnley Hall. He is often known as William Turner of Oxford or just Turner of Oxford to distinguish him from his better known namesake. He earned a steady income from commissions and sales, which due to his troubled, contrary nature, were often begrudgingly accepted. Describing Turner as "a great artist: a radical, revolutionary painter", writer/director Leigh explained, "I felt there was scope for a film examining the tension between this very mortal, flawed individual, and the epic work, the spiritual way he had of distilling the world". A sickly child, J.M.W. He is commonly known as "the painter of light". His finished paintings were bequeathed to the British nation, and he intended that a special gallery would be built to house them. Intensely private, eccentric and reclusive, Turner was a controversial figure throughout his career. The use of pencil sketches on location, as the foundation for later finished paintings, formed the basis of Turner's essential working style for his whole career.[10]. In Turner’s words, “Every look upon nature is a refinement of art,” and the artist was constantly searching for new perspectives. He depicted these changes, representing sympathetically both working people and the lifestyles of wealthy or aristocratic patrons on whose support he relied, along with technological advances and improvements in the nation’s infrastructure. He is often known as William Turner of Oxford or just Turner of Oxford to distinguish him from his better known namesake. His father, William Turner (1745 – 21 September 1829), was a barber and wig maker. His paintings are also held in national and international collections, for example at the Tate Gallery (London, UK), the Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York City, US) and the Dunedin Public Art Gallery (New Zealand). At age 14, he secured admission to the prestigious Royal Academy of Arts, where he quickly established the skills and reputation of a prodigee in oil painting and watercolor. [19], In 1796, Turner exhibited Fishermen at Sea, his first oil painting for the academy, of a nocturnal moonlit scene of the Needles off the Isle of Wight, an image of boats in peril. In 1987, a new wing at the Tate, the Clore Gallery, was opened to house the Turner bequest, though some of the most important paintings remain in the National Gallery in contravention of Turner's condition that they be kept and shown together. sfn error: multiple targets (4×): CITEREFHamilton2007 (. Increasingly paintings are lent abroad, ignoring Turner's provision that they remain constantly and permanently in Turner's Gallery. Turner traveled widely in Europe, starting with France and Switzerland in 1802 and studying in the Louvre in Paris in the same year. [6] His mother, Mary Marshall, came from a family of butchers. Joseph Mallord William Turner RA (23 April 1775 – 19 December 1851), known contemporarily as William Turner,[a] was an English Romantic painter, printmaker and watercolourist. A child prodigy, Turner studied at the Royal Academy of Arts from 1789, enrolling when he was 14, and exhibited his first work there at 15. [40] By 1930, there was concern that both his oils and his watercolours were fading. A younger sister, Mary Ann, was born in September 1778 but died in August 1783. Turner had previously refused to sit for the artist, and it was difficult to get his agreement to be portrayed. He was the eldest of three children, and had two younger sisters. His progression was swift: Turner copied casts of ancient sculptures before moving on to life drawing and reproducing the Old Masters — firm foundations for his later, revolutionary work. [17] Turner exhibited watercolours each year at the academy while painting in the winter and travelling in the summer widely throughout Britain, particularly to Wales, where he produced a wide range of sketches for working up into studies and watercolours. Was not dissimilar painter J. M. W. 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