'Stangate Creek, on the River Medway', Joseph Mallord William Turner

Artwork details

Artist

Joseph Mallord William Turner (1775‑1851)

Title

Stangate Creek, on the River Medway

From The Rivers of England 1823-1827 Watercolours

Date c.1823-4

MediumWatercolour on paper

Dimensionssupport: 162 x 240 mm

Collection

Tate

Acquisition Accepted by the nation as part of the Turner Bequest 1856

Reference

D18134

Turner Bequest CCVIII A

View this artwork by appointment, at Tate Britain's Prints and Drawings Rooms

Display caption

Like Turner's famous painting of the 'Fighting Temeraire', the composition of this watercolour is divided equally, focusing as much on the watery morning light as on the group of vessels on the right-hand side. One of the strengths of the image lies in the subtle range of reflected colour falling across the water. However, when the image was translated into black and white as a mezzotint, Turner decided to introduce a floating buoy to this open expanse, thereby providing a more tangible resting point for the viewer's eye, a formula he also repeated in the 'Temeraire'.

September 2004