Turner's Use of Blue Paper
One of the rare occasions that Turner is known to have painted in colour in front of an outdoor subject occurred in 1827 on a trip to the Isle of Wight, off the southern coast of England. In addition to a group of oil sketches, he made countless studies in pencil, or in pen and ink, of yachts taking part in the famous Cowes Regatta. These were drawn on large sheets of blue paper, which he had folded into sixteen smaller sections, enabling him to turn the paper over after each sketch and find more blank space ready for use. The paper's blue tone was also of benefit for sketching out of doors, as there was considerably less glare from its surface than from a sheet of white paper. There are many hundreds of pieces of this paper in the Turner Bequest, since Turner used it devotedly from the late 1820s onwards. In addition to the finished drawings for the views of the Rivers Loire and Seine, Turner produced apparently spontaneous studies of the coast, both at Brighton and at Margate, his seaside retreat. In these works, particularly the beautiful sunrise scene that seems to show Margate Harbour Turner has captured that rare momentary impression on the spot. These scenes of daily life record fishermen at work hauling nets and boats leaving the pier for the day. They are intimate works that are remarkable for their immediacy.