Turner

Light and atmosphere

The painter who dissolved the visible world into light. His late canvases — swirling vortices of color barely tethered to subject matter — anticipate Impressionism and abstraction by half a century. Ruskin called him the greatest painter who ever lived.

Key works

• The Fighting Temeraire1839— A warship towed to the breakers — the old world passing
  National Gallery, London
• Rain, Steam and Speed1844— Modernity erupting through atmosphere
  National Gallery, London

Connections

External