Joseph Mallord William Turner

Turner had to forego his planned trip to Swtizerland in 1845. This was due to extra responsibilities at the Royal Academy, resulting from the illness of the President. In May he compensated by going first to Margate, and then crossing the Channel to Boulogne. He wrote to Ruskin's father 'really I have been so unwell that I was obliged to go away from Town to revival by a little change of fresh air.' Turner travelled a short distance along the coast north of Boulogne, making a series of watercolour studies at Ambleteuse and Wimereux. This example shows the view across the bay at Wimereux, beautifully evoking the flickering light of a stormy spring day. Turner records the date, and also the location in a phonetic abbreviation.

Gallery label, August 2004

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