Thames Map: Works Thames Map: Walks Polluted Landscapes Tate Boat

Greenwich

Turner's chosen viewpoint has attracted many other artists. The hilltop at Greenwich provides a view of the great Baroque buildings of the Queen's House and the Royal Naval Hospital, with the sweep of the Thames beyond. In the distance, the spires and domes of London are spread out on the horizon.

Turner's painting is among the first to show the impact of pollution, with trails of chimney smoke merging into the cloudy sky above. In a poem he wrote to accompany the picture, Turner talks of the 'murky veil' he felt obscured the form and beauty of London.

Listen to excerpt from Audio Tour

JMW Turner London from Greenwich Park exhibited 1809
Oil on canvas. Tate. Bequeathed by the artist 1856

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