ART 235: Pre-Modern Art History

Rodner's book makes clear that Turner also drew inspiration from the Industrial Revolution. He assesses the full range of Turner's industrial art and the context of its creation, examining particular facets of Turner's concern with industrialism. Machines and workshops became sophisticated metaphors for human aspiration and weakness. Turner's industrial paintings were consistent with the larger themes that influenced his art, and in depicting the contest between steam power and environmental forces, he is unerring in his belief that nature always emerges triumphant.

J.M.W. Turner is one of the most important figures in Western art, and his visionary work paved the way for a revolution in landscape painting. Over the course of his lifetime, Turner strove to liberate painting from an antiquated system of patronage. Bringing a new level of expression and color to his canvases, he paved the way for the modern artist. Franny Moyle brilliantly tells the story of the man to give us an astonishing portrait of the artist and a vivid evocation of Britain and Europe in flux.

Barry Venning argues that it is necessary to look at Turner's work in its original contexts in order to understand thoroughly the painter's creative decisions. Venning covers all aspects of the artist's career, concluding with a vigorously fresh look at Turner's artistic legacy.