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At the end of the eighteenth century ironworks were proliferating, and the new steam engines, improved by James Watt and others, were ushering in the industrial revolution. Turner loved to show the awesome energy of the elements, and sometimes by contrast the puny power of people. Yet here he must have been in more tranquil mood - or have been feeling more optimistic about human endeavour. For although the men labouring in the foreground are small in the frame, the ship's sails are gently pulling and the sky is fairly calm; heaven and earth are at peace for a change.
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