Experiments on Paper: Turner's Perspective Drawings

From 1807 to 1837, Turner held the role of Professor of Perspective at the Royal Academy, proudly signing his name ‘JMW Turner RA, PP’. He spent several years researching and writing a series of six lectures on the theory and practice of perspective. He also created about 180 diagrams, which are now part of the Turner Bequest housed at Tate Britain.

First delivered in 1811, the lectures were not well received. Some found them disorganised and inaccurate, and critics attacked Turner’s public speaking skills. Yet the boldness and beauty of his perspective drawings captivated audiences. One contemporary described them as ‘speaking intelligibly enough to the eye, if his language did not to the ear’.

Through his lectures, Turner explored ideas that fascinated him. He presented his own scientific and art historical research, discussed theories of landscape and explained how light and shade could create meaning. Teaching students at the Royal Academy offered him a chance to give back to the artistic community that had shaped his life, and to influence the future of British art.