Joseph Mallord William Turner

Storm at Sea

c.1822–3

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In Tate Britain

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Artist
Joseph Mallord William Turner 1775–1851
Part of
Ports of England Sketchbook
Medium
Watercolour on paper
Dimensions
Support: 257 × 178 mm
Collection
Tate
Acquisition
Accepted by the nation as part of the Turner Bequest 1856
Reference
D17736
Turner Bequest CCII 17

Catalogue entry

In this drawing Turner captures the churning energy of a storm at sea. A sense of motion is created by the interplay of even fields of translucent wash and vigorous dry brush-strokes representing pockets of atmospheric disturbance. Curving brush-strokes and the pooling and merging of wash suggest the swell of the water. The fluid, swirling aspects of the composition are momentarily counteracted by a bold horizontal band of charcoal grey wash emerging at the right in the central register, probably the profile of a headland in the distance. For examples of similar handling in sky studies see Turner’s Old London Bridge sketchbook of 1823–4 (Tate D17883, D17887; Turner Bequest CCV 28, 31).
Verso:
Blank

Alice Rylance-Watson
March 2013

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