Studies of Sea and Sky associated with the Little Liber mezzotints (c.1824-6)
The works in this section are all associated with a group of unpublished mezzotint prints that were apparently entirely executed by Turner himself. The series is confusingly known as the Little Liber, implying a connection with the much bigger project inspired by Claude (see section on the Liber Studiorum), which was completed around 1819. However, the experimental nature of the prints and the related watercolours seems to have grown instead out of the production of the contemporaneous Ports of England project. Turner began conceiving the compositions of the mezzotints in a group of striking watercolours, producing far more studies than he actually used. Some of these related works are included here. The works for this project have been acclaimed for their expressive, romantic qualities. They are marked by their intense colour, and virtually all show dramatic effects of natural light.