Turner gallery revisited - Part 4 - Turner's travels in Europe

Note: This blog is a continuation of my visit to the Turner gallery on the 26th of July.

• Part 1 - The Main Room
• Part 2 - Turner and his critics
• Part 3 - Turner in Europe

This room in the gallery is about Europe as Turner saw and imagined it. The Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars (1793-1815) prevented Turner from travelling freely. From 1817, Turner travelled to France, Belgium, Netherlands, Germany, Denmark, and especially Italy.

It has only 5 paintings which I hadn't covered before: Turner's Europe.

✲✲✲

The Dogano, San Giorgio, Citella, from the Steps of the Europa

Spectacular. A billet-doux to Venice.

When Turner paints such an adorned vista, life itself becomes buoyed and suspended.

The tranquillity and serenity lent by the ever-so light fretting of the surface of the water. The imposing architecture (esp. San Giorgio Maggiore) and the gondolas allows for an ephemeral reflection which adds to the painting's beguiling surface shape and geometry. As ever, the interaction between the skyline and the sea allows for them to interact & meld in Turner's paintings.

Some details:

  

I really love this little sketch of someone oaring the gondola. A charming embellishment. And, even more sweetness: two little pups at the lower right-hand.

✲✲✲

The Bridge of Sighs

One of Venice's famous architectures, the Bridge of Sighs. It connects the Doge's Palace and city's prison.

As above, Turner gives such lovely architecture, dissolves them in a translucent reflection that life becomes a bit inverted. 

It's really just beautiful. 

✲✲✲

The Opening of the Wallhalla

This is supposed to be an homage to Walhalla by the River Danube.

Turner wanted to celebrate German history and culture after the defeat of Napoleon.

Once again, a very beautiful moving landscape. I really love classic bronzed rusty brownish-red colour and its interfusion with the atmosphere to conjur a paradise cloudland.

(A feast with music.)

✲✲✲

Santa Maria della Salute and the Dogana at the Entrance to the Grand Canal, Venice, at Sunset

This is from Turner's sketchbook. There were a lot in the Tate, but I've picked two I think are interesting.

As usual, we get the hazy conditions, the beautiful reflections attesting to the city's serenity, and the lovely radiance of yellow-orange behind the basilica. 

Lovely.

✲✲✲

Granville, Normandy

Again, what I find v. striking is just how modern Turner is; and yet there's enough to make this quite beautiful.

✲✲✲

Caligula's Palace and Bridge (once more!)

I have covered this painting before. 

But I think it is so supreme. An exquisite and elegant rendering of decay, crumbling and deterioration. The beaming flood of light on the canvass is magical. It's in my top 10 Turner paintings.

✲✲✲

Turner's sketchbook (of Lake Geneva)