,,turner',s ,,golden ,,visions ,,by ,c4 ,,lewis ,,hind ,,with ,,fifty ,,of ,,the ,,paintings ,,and ,,drawings ,,of ,,turner ,,reproduced ,,in ,,colour ,,london3 ,t4 ,c4 ,e4 ,c4 ,,jack #fg ,,long ,,acre1 ,w4 ,c4 ,,and ,,edinburgh #aijg ',turner has some golden visions1 glorious and beautiful4 ,they are only visions1 but still1 they are art1 and one could live and die with such pictures4'--,john ,constable on the #ahbh ,royal ,academy ,exhibition4 ,,note ,in writing on ,turner one must necessarily make levies on the works of other authors4 ,i give hearty acknowledgment to ,mr4 ,a4 ,j4 ,finberg's ,inventory of the ,drawings of the ,turner ,bequest 7printed for ,his ,majesty's ,stationery ,office71 which he himself has used with skill and accomplishment in his ,turner's ,sketches and ,drawings 7,methuen ,co474 ,among the other books consulted and quoted from are ,turner1 by ,sir ,walter ,armstrong 7,agnew ,sons72 ,turner1 by ,w4 ,l4 ,wyllie1 ,a4,r4,a4 7,g4 ,bell ,sons72 ,the ,turner ,drawings1 by ,e4 ,t4 ,cook 7,pall ,mall ,press72 ,the ,engraved ,work of ,turner1 and ,turner's ',liber ,studiorum'1 by ,w4 ,g4 ,rawlinson2 the delightful ,extra ,numbers of ,the ,studio on ,turner1 and the excellent little book by the late ,cosmo ,monkhouse4 ,ruskin1 of course1 is frequently referred to and quoted1 also the inaccurate but indispensable ,thornbury1 whose ,life of ,turner all succeeding writers on ,turner have borrowed from and upbraided4 ,c4,l4,h4 ,,contents4 ,,part ,,one ,a ,,memory3 ,,tells ,,of ,a ,,boy ,,who ,,loved ,,turner',s ',,view ,,of ,,orvieto' ,i4 ,the ,boy and golden ,orvieto ,,ii4 ,the ,boy wonders at ,turner's ,art ,life ,,iii4 ,the ,boy wonders at ,turner the ,dumb ,poet ,,iv4 ,the ,boy1 having become a ,man1 wonders at the ,inventory of the ,turner ,bequest ,drawings ,,part ,,two 7#agge-ahjc7 ,,from ',,folly ,,bridge' ,,to ',,calais ,,pier' ,v4 #agge4 ,birthplace and ,parents ,,vi4 #agij 7aged #ae74 ,he exhibits at the ,royal ,academy1 and is described as a light-hearted1 merry creature ,,vii4 #agie 7aged #bj74 ,the ,drawings of 'the ingenius ,mr4 ,turner' are stated by a newspaper of the day to be 'tinctured with truth and fidelity' ,,viii4 #ahjj 7aged #be74 ,his first ,oil ,pictures1 and ,extracts from his ,sketch-,books ,,ix4 #ahjb 7aged #bg74 ,he exhibits grandiloquent ',jason' and a simple ',view on ,clapham ,common' ,x4 #ahjc 7aged #bh74 ,the ,year of ',calais ,pier' ,,part ,,three 7#ahjd-ahaj7 ,,from ',,the ,,shipwreck' ,,to ,,an ,,early ,,golden ,,vision ,,xi4 #ahjd 7aged #bi74 ,he studies an ,eclipse and paints the ,sunset ,,xii4 #ahje 7aged #cj74 ,he paints ',the ,shipwreck' for ,fame1 and begins a series of ',delight ,studies' for ,love ,,xiii4 #ahjf 7aged #ca74 ,the chaos of the ',hesperides' and the peace of ',abingdon' ,,xiv4 #ahjg 7aged #cb74 ,he begins the ,liber ,studiorum1 and exhibits ',the ,sun ,rising through ,vapour' ,,xv4 #ahjh 7aged #cc74 ,he writes ,p4,p4 after his name and paints in a ,garden at ,hammersmith ,,xvi4 #ahji 7aged #cd74 ,he exhibits the glowing ',river ,scene with ,cattle' and refuses to sell ',bligh ,sand' ,,xvii4 #ahaj 7aged #ce74 ,a ,quiet ,year and an early ,golden ,vision ,,part ,,four 7#ahaa-ahbj7 ,,from ,a ,,journey ,,to ,,devonshire ,,to ,,his ,,return ,,from ,,italy ,,xviii4 #ahaa 7aged #cf74 ',apollo ,killing the ,python1' and a ,picnic ,,xix4 #ahab 7aged #cg74 ,he exhibits ',hannibal ,crossing the ,alps1' suggested by a ,snowstorm he had seen at ,farnley ,,xx4 #ahac 7aged #ch74 ,hoar ,frost at ,sunrise that has ,vanished from ',a ,frosty ,morning' ,,xxi4 #ahad 7aged #ci74 ,he paints more ,classical ,pictures1 turns ,author1 and is happy at ,sandycombe ,,xxii4 #ahae 7aged #dj74 ',a wonderful year1' and a ,turnerian ,love-,letter ,,xxiii4 #ahaf 7aged #da74 ,skies6 ,skies6 ,skies6 ,,xxiv4 #ahag 7aged #db74 ,he sells fifty ,water-,colours to ,mr4 ,fawkes of ,farnley ,hall ,,xxv4 #ahah 7aged #dc74 ',the ,abbotsford ,turners' and an auction price of a ,turner ,water-,colour ,,xxvi4 #ahai 7aged #dd74 ,turner's ,first ,visit to ,italy1 and an ,exhibition in ,grosvenor ,place ,,xxvii4 #ahbj 7aged #de74 ,return from ,italy4 ,he begins to sight his ,mystical ,visions ,,part ,,five 7#ahba-ahbi7 ,,from ',,the ,,bay ,,of ,,bai' ,,to ',,ulysses ,,deriding ,,polyphemus' ,,xxviii4 #ahbb 7aged #dg74 ,he throws off another ',norham ,castle1' and prepares to startle the world with ',the ,bay of ,bai' ,,xxix4 #ahbc 7aged #dh74 ',the ,bay of ,bai'3 ,a ,critic is critical and a ,painter is enthusiastic ,,xxx4 #ahbd 7aged #di74 ,a ,glance at some of ,the ,rivers of ,england and ,harhours of ,england ,water-,colours ,,xxxi4 #ahbe 7aged #ej74 ,a somewhat barren year1 commented on in a bitter lament by ,ruskin ,,xxxii4 #ahbf 7aged #ea74 ,another unimportant year1 in which he leaves ,twickenham ,,xxxiii4 #ahbg 7aged #eb74 ,he paints the ,sea in the open1 and some ,thames-side ,pictures ,,xxxiv4 #ahbh 7aged #ec74 ,the ,year when ,constable described ,turner's ,visions as ',golden1 ,glorious1 and ,beautiful' ,,xxxv4 #ahbi 7aged #ed74 ,the ,year of ',ulysses ,deriding ,polyphemus' ,,part ,,six 7#ahcj-ahcd7 ,,from ,,the ',,interior ,,at ,,petworth' ,,to ,,the ,,period ,,of ,,the ',,unfinished' ,,oils ,,xxxvi4 #ahcj 7aged #ee74 ,he paints the ',interior at ,petworth1' and mourns the death of his ,father1 and of ,sir ,thomas ,lawrence ,,xxxvii4 #ahca 7aged #ef74 ,he turns his 'magic limelight' on ',caligula's ,palace and ,bridge1' visits ,sir ,walter ,scott1 and makes his ,will ,,xxxviii4 #ahcb 7aged #eg74 ,he paints ',childe ,harold's ,pilgrimage1' and is jocular on ,varnishing ,day ,,xxxix4 #ahcc 7aged #eh74 ,he paints his first ',venice' picture1 and repurchases some of his own ,drawings at ,auction ,,xl4 #ahcd 7aged #ei74 ,some old ,stories and some ,ageless ,colour ,studies ,,part ,,seven 7#ahce-ahde7 ,,from ,a ,,consideration ,,of ,,the ',,unfinished' ,,oils ,,to ',,rain1 ,,steam1 ,,and ,,speed1' ,,and ,,the ,,last ,,sketch-,,books ,,xli4 #ahce 7aged #fj74 ,some remarks on the ',unfinished' ,oils and ,blackwood's attack on his ',venice' picture of this year ,,xlii4 #ahcf 7aged #fa74 ,the ,reception of ',juliet and ,her ,nurse' proclaims that ,turner is beginning to lose ,favour with the ,public ,,xliii4 #ahcg 7aged #fb74 ',troubles begin to gather about him4 ,nothing will go right' ,,xliv4 #ahch 7aged #fc74 ,a ',nonsense ,picture' of #ahch which in #ahgh fetched #edfj at auction ,,xlv4 #ahci 7aged #fd74 ',the ,fighting ,tmraire' and a ,sea-,piece on a ,visiting-,card ,,xlvi4 #ahdj 7aged #fe74 ,a contrast between the terrific ',slave ,ship' and the mild ',new ,moon' ,,xlvii4 #ahda 7aged #ff74 ,how ,turner 'did it4' ,he 'grasped the handle and plunged the whole drawing into a pail of water' ,,xlviii4 #ahdb 7aged #fg74 ',the ,snowstorm and some ',faultless' ,water-,colours ,,xlix4 #ahdc 7aged #fh74 ,visions of ,venice1 and the ,first ,volume of ,modern ,painters ,l4 #ahdd 7aged #fi74 ,he exhibits ',rain1 ,steam1 and ,speed1' and twice tries to cross the ,alps on foot ,,li4 #ahde 7aged #gj74 ,pictures of ,whalers1 and an ,entry on the last page of his last ,sketch-,book ,,part ,,eight 7#ahdf-ahea7 ,,the ,,years ,,of ,,decline ,,and ,,the ,,end ,,lii4 #ahdf 7aged #ga74 ,the ,beginning of ,turner's ,decline1 and a ',grey1 dim ,drawing' ,,liii4 #ahdg1 #ahdh1 #ahdi 7aged #gb to #gd74 ,he disappears from his old ,haunts1 and is interested in ,optics and ,photography ,,liv4 #ahej 7aged #ge74 ,his last four pictures painted in hiding at ,chelsea ,,lv4 #ahea 7aged #gf74 ,the ,mystery of the ,last ,years of his ,life revealed to his ,friends1 and his ,death ,,part ,,nine ,,after ,,turner',s ,,death ,,to ,,the ,,opening ,,of ,,the ,,turner ,,gallery ,,in #aiaj ,,lvi4 ,vicissitudes of the ,turner ,bequest ,,lvii4 #aijf4 ,exhibition of the ',unfinished' ,turners at the ,tate ,gallery ,,lviii4 #aijh4 ,fifty-two more ',unexhibited' ,turners shown at the ,national ,gallery ,,lix4 #aiaj4 ,the ,new ',turner ,gallery' at ,millbank ,,lx4 ,turner at the ,national ,gallery--and ,claude3 ,a ,last ,look ,,list ,,of ,,illustrations #a4 ',,norham ,,castle1 ,,sunrise' 7about #ahce7--;frontispiece #b4 ',,view ,,of ,,orvieto' 7#ahcj74 ,,national ,,gallery #c4 ',,lucerne ,,and ,,the ,,righi3 ,,early ,,dawn' 7about #ahdb74 ,water-,colour4 ,w4 ,g4 ,,rawlinson1 ,esq4 #d4 ',,yacht ,,racing ,,in ,,the ,,solent'--,no4 #b 7#ahbg74 ,,tate ,,gallery #e4 ',,barnard ,,castle' 7about #ahbg74 ,water-,colour4 ,w4 ,g4 ,,rawlinson1 ,esq4 #f4 ',,derwentwater ,,with ,,the ,,falls ,,of ,,ladore' 7about #agig74 ,water-,colour4 ,,tate ,,gallery #g4 ',,study ,,for ,a ,,picture ,,of ,,norham ,,castle' 7about #agii74 ,water-,colour4 ,,tate ,,gallery #h4 ',,stonehenge3 ,,sunset' 7about #ahjd7 ,water-,colour4 ,w4 ,g4 ,,rawlinson1 ,esq4 #i4 ',,the ,,sun ,,rising ,,through ,,vapour 7#ahjg74 ,,national ,,gallery #aj4 ',,the ,,death ,,of ,,nelson' 7#ahjh74 ,,tate ,,gallery #aa4 ',,river ,,scene ,,with ,,cattle' 7#ahji74 ,,tate ,,gallery #ab4 ',a ,,mountain ,,stream' 7about #ahaj74 ,,tate ,,gallery #ac4 ',,scarborough' 7#ahaa74 ,water-,colour4 ,,tate ,,gallery #ad4 ',,sketch ,,of ,,cochem ,,on ,,the ,,moselle' 7about #ahca74 ,water-,colour4 ,w4 ,g4 ,,rawlinson1 ,esq4 #ae4 ',,church ,,of ,,ss4 ,,giovanni ,e ,,paolo' 7#ahai74 ,water-,colour4 ,,tate ,,gallery #af4 ',,the ,,bay ,,of ,,bai'7#ahbc74 ,,tate ,,gallery ,,xvi #ag4 ',,view ,,on ,,the ,,moselle' 7about #ahcd74 ,water-,colour4 ,w4 ,g4 ,,rawlinson1 ,esq4 #ah4 ',,yacht ,,racing ,,in ,,the ,,solent'--,no4 #a 7#ahbg74 ,,tate ,,gallery #ai4 ',,shipping ,,at ,,cowes'--,no4 #a 7#ahbg74 ,,tate ,,gallery #bj4 ',,between ,,decks' 7#ahbg74 ,,tate ,,gallery #ba4 ',,sketch ,,of ,,an ,,italian ,,town' 7about #ahbh74 ,water ,colour4 ,,victoria ,,and ,,albert ,,museum #bb4 ',,ulysses ,,deriding ,,polyphemus' 7#ahbi74 ,,tate ,,gallery #bc4 ',,the ,,evening ,,star' 7#ahbi or after7 ,,tate ,,gallery #bd4 ',,interior ,,at ,,petworth' 7#ahcj7 #be4 ',,the ,,old ,,chain ,,pier1 ,,brighton' 7#ahcj74 ,,tate ,,gallery #bf4 ',,rocky ,,bay ,,with ,,classic ,,figures' 7#ahbi or after74 ,,tate ,,gallery #bg4 ',,sunrise1 ,,with ,a ,,boat ,,between ,,headlands' 7about #ahce74 ,,tate ,,gallery #bh4 ',,hastings'7about #ahce74 ,,tate ,,gallery #bi4 ',,the ,,salute' 7#ahch74 ,water-,colour4 ,,tate ,,gallery #cj4 ',,ancient ,,rome1 ,,agrippina ,,landing ,,with ,,the ,,ashes ,,of ,,germanicus' 7#ahci74 ,,national ,,gallery #ca4 ',,the ,,arch ,,of ,,constantine1 ,,rome' 7#ahdj74 ,,tate ,,gallery #cb4 ',,lake ,,of ,,lucerne1 ,,from ,,fluelen' 7#ahdj or after74 ,water ,colour4 ,,tate ,,gallery #cc4 ',,the ,,snowstorm' 7#ahdb74 ,,tate ,,gallery #cd4 ',,peace4 ,,burial ,,at ,,sea ,,of ,,the ,,body ,,of ,,sir ,,david ,,wilkie' 7#ahdb74 ,,tate ,,gallery #ce4 ',,san ,,benedetto1 ,,looking ,,towards ,,fusina' 7#ahdc74 ,,national ,,gallery #cf4 ',,the ,,seelisberg1 ,,moonlight' 7about #ahdc74 ,water-,colour4 ,w4 ,g4 ,,rawlinson1 ,esq4 #cg4 ',,rain1 ,,steam1 ,,and ,,speed' 7#ahdd74 ,,tate ,,gallery #ch4 ',,sunrise1 ,,with ,a ,,sea ,,monster' 7about #ahde74 ,,tate ,,gallery #ci4 ',,tell',s ,,chapel1 ,,fluelen' 7#ahde74 ,water-,colour4 ,w4 ,g4 ,,rawlinson1 ,esq4 #dj4 ',,queen ,,mab',s ,,grotto' 7#ahdf74 ,,national ,,gallery #da4 ',,lake ,,with ,,distant ,,headland ,,and ,,palaces' 7#ahdj or after74 ,water-,colour4 ,,tate ,,gallery #db4 ',,lake ,,of ,,brienz' 7about #ahdc74 ,water-,colour4 ,,victoria ,,and ,,albert ,,museum #dc4 ',,in ,,the ,,vale ,d',,aosta1 ,a ,,passing ,,shower' 7about #ahci74 ,water-,colour4 ,w4 ,g4 ,,rawlinson1 ,esq4 #dd4 ',,spietz ,,on ,,the ,,lake ,,of ,,thun1 ,,looking ,,towards ,,the ,,bernese-,,oberland' 7#ahdb74 ,water-,colour4 ,w4 ,g4 ,,rawlinson1 ,esq4 #de4 ',,bridge ,,and ,,tower' 7about #ahce74 ,,tate ,,gallery #df4 ',,sunrise1 ,a ,,castle ,,on ,a ,,bay' 7#ahbi or after74 ,,tate ,,gallery #dg4 ',,the ,,burning ,,of ,,the ,,ships' 7#ahdj or after74 ,,tate ,,gallery #dh4 ',,venetian ,,fishing-,,boat'7#ahci74 ,water-,colour4 ,,tate ,,gallery #di4 ',a ,,ship ,,aground' 7#ahcj74 ,,tate ,,gallery #ej4 ',,the ,,sun ,,of ,,venice ,,going ,,to ,,sea' 7#ahdc74 ,,national ,,gallery ,,part ,,one ,a ,,memory3 ,,tells ,,of ,a ,,boy ,,who ,,loved ,,turner',s ',,view ,,of ,,orvieto' ,,chapter ,i ,,the ,,boy ,,and ,,golden ,,orvieto ,there was a boy who grew up in the seventies of last century when the name of ,turner aroused no particular interest or emotion3 he was a classic1 and he was treated with the incurious veneration that is given to classics4 ,turner was among the gods1 and if a descent to the ground-floor of the ,national ,gallery1 where a selection of his water-colours was shown1 did startle the wayfarer into amazement at the lyrical loveliness of those visions1 compared with the sombre and heavy magnificence of most of the oil pictures1 well1 they were by ,turner1 and ,turner being a classic1 was not a subject for debate4 ,he was with the masters--fit and few--a classic4 ,i think no one dreamed of the extraordinary revival of interest in ,turner and increasing admiration for his genius that was to mark the twentieth century1 when the 'unfinished oils' were exhibited1 and later when the ,turner ,gallery at ,millbank was opened4 ,the boy who grew up in the seventies1 and to whom1 in the first idealism of youth1 ,turner seemed almost superhuman1 has closely followed the public manifestations of interest in the flame and fame of ,turner2 and now that he is about to write a book on the man of whom ,m4 de la ,sizeranne wrote3--',all the torches which have shed a flood of new light on ,art1 that of ,delacroix in #ahbe1 those of the ,impressionists in #ahgj1 have in turn been lit at his flame1'--he likes to return in memory to those days in the seventies when ,turner first became wonderful1 something not quite to be explained1 in his life4 ,the boy was taken periodically1 for education and pleasure1 to the ,national ,gallery1 and as he was led through the various rooms astonishment passed into bewilderment4 ,the mixed art of the world was far too complex for the boy's unfolded mind4 ,the clash of personalities1 the astonishing divergencies of the various schools of painting confused and distracted him1 and only when he entered the ,turner room 7now dismantled71 and was told1 what he had already dimly divined1 that the pictures crowded on those four walls were all by one man1 did he find rest for his soul4 ,he did not appreciate all the ,turners1 but he grasped their coherency1 and realised what he was told1 that they expressed the growth of one mind groping from darkness to light4 ,yet it seemed strange to the boy that he who painted the dark and material ',calais ,pier' should also have painted the gorgeous fairy tale called ',ulysses ,deriding ,polyphemus'2 that the calm and contemplative ',crossing the ,brook' should have proceeded from the same brain and hand that willed that wonder of wonders ',rain1 ,steam and ,speed1' or the fading loveliness of the picture that was then called the ',approach to ,venice4' ,the boy was not old enough to understand the interest and importance of studying a painter's work chronologically1 which would have made it plain to him why a man could paint the ',calais ,pier' at twenty-eight1 ',rain1 ,steam and ,speed1' at sixty-nine1 and the sunlight dreams between whiles1 in moments of rapturous vision4 ,these problems did not trouble the boy4 ,he was too young to analyse his impressions1 and they were all forgotten when he was shown the small picture called ',view of ,orvieto4' ,that remained to him all through boyhood1 and through manhood also1 essential ,turner1 essential ,italy1 a dream ,italy1 but more real than the reality4 ,yet ',orvieto' painted in ,rome in #ahbi1 and exhibited at the ,royal ,academy in #ahcj1 when the artist was fifty-five1 is not one of his great works4 ,and it is not a view of ,orvieto1 that is1 a correct view4 ,turner was an interpreter of the soul of what he saw1 not a reporter of topographical1 historical or architectural accuracy4 ,the golden valley bathed in sunlight1 the city on the hill swooning in golden mist1 and the magical fading away of the uplands into infinity1 that is what the boy cared about4 ,all that is pure ,turner1 the idealist1 the visionary1 the lover of light and colour and distances and the enchantments of nature4 ,turner too1 but dual-natured ,turner1 is the inept foreground1 a mere contrivance to throw the middle distance back2 things pressed into his service that happened to come to hand1 the litter of properties1 the 'drawing-master tree1' the uncouth figures1 the unsubstantial fountain4 ,years later the boy visited ,orvieto and found the city far less beautiful than ,turner's dream4 ,but by that time he had learnt that the true artist is not a copyist of nature1 that he states his vision1 the effect not the fact4 ,this ',view of ,orvieto' remained enshrined in his heart4 ,to him as a boy it was ,italy1 and ,italy never really meant anything else to his young intelligence1 just ,turner's vision of ,orvieto1 a golden town on a golden hill under a summer sky2 a place where the sun always shines and where there are little white roads leading he cared not whither1 because they all led to somewhere in ,italy4 ,this is the joy of the artist1 a joy that often he never hears of4 ,this is his joy--to touch a young heart to ecstasy1 ay6 even by a second-rate picture1 and to keep in that young heart a vision that the world and time can never destroy1 and that a visit to the place cannot dispel4 ,to that boy ,turner's ',orvieto' meant ,italy3 since he has become a man he has wandered through ,italy again and again from end to end1 but even now if he wishes to recall ,italy1 to be kindled by the thought of that word meaning so much to ,englishmen1 he still turns to ,turner's picture4 ,for him it cannot fade3 it cannot change4 ,,chapter ,,ii ,,the ,,boy ,,wonders ,,at ,,turner',s ,,art ,,life ,from ',orvieto' as a starting-point1 the boy1 who is now a man1 proceeded in time to explore the art life of ,turner1 dwelling oftenest on his golden visions1 in which this persistent man1 eloquent nowhere but in his art1 truly found himself4 ,they were the goals of his pilgrimage1 but few appreciated them4 ,among the few was honest1 plain-spoken ,john ,constable1 who said of ,turner's contributions to the ,royal ,academy of #ahbh1 which were so unlike his own practical art3 ',turner has some golden visions1 glorious and beautiful4 ,they are only visions1 but still1 they are art1 and one could live and die with such pictures4' ,yet in that year the tale of ,turner's golden visions had hardly begun to be told4 ,he was to go on simplifying and simplifying1 until modelling became subordinated to colour1 and the forms and shapes of things became lost in the effulgence of light4 ,was there ever such a life of industrious and progressive work8 ,it began when he was a mere boy1 in the dark court off ,maiden ,lane near the ,strand2 the long1 laborious1 loving effort ended only with the end1 that furtive1 fugitive end when1 tired of man and his ways1 the old1 self-sufficient painter disappeared from his haunts and his friends1 and under the assumed name of ,mr4 ,booth1 the sun his master1 the river his companion1 met death in a little balconied house overlooking the ,thames at ,chelsea4 ,work1 work1 work--absorbing1 concentrated work--that was his life4 ,this 'short1 stout man with a red face and covetous eyes1' was hardly what the world calls a fine character1 although there are on record many instances of his generosity and kindness1 he was as secretive about his work as about his life4 ,the door of his studio1 whether in ,queen ,anne ,street or on the hills was1 metaphorically1 always locked4 ,when the boy1 who loved the view of ',orvieto' more than any picture he had ever seen1 began to study ,turner's art life he amused and confused himself by dividing it1 as all his biographers have done1 into periods4 ,these he simplified into two broad divisions1 first when this ever-ambitious painter pitted himself against his predecessors and contemporaries1 and later when1 entirely disregarding the works of man1 he faced ,nature1 and challenged nothing less than the source of all light and colour--the sun4 ,turner's art life shows no sudden rush of genius4 ,step by step he climbed1 and had he died in #ahjb1 at the age of twenty-seven1 when ,girtin1 his friend and fellow-student1 died1 we should have had the record of a youth of great promise1 but whose performances were no more wonderful1 if as wonderful1 as ,girtin's4 ,from the period of ,training he passed to the period of ,rivalry4 ,of the many painters he strove to outsoar there was none so worthy his challenge as ,claude ,lorrain1 and to this day1 in accordance with a condition of ,turner's will1 two of his pictures hang in the ,national ,gallery side by side with two of ,claude's1 challenging the ,lorrainer from beyond the grave4 ,the challenger has his desire1 but ,claude is not conquered4 ,the great ,englishman does not dethrone the great ,frenchman on his own ground4 ,claude is unrivalled in the balance of his classical pictures1 and in their cool and temperate colour4 ,the real ,turner1 the ,turner who challenged the sun1 had not yet found himself4 ,in his periods of ,power and ,splendour1 between the ages1 say1 of forty-five and sixty-five1 dominated by such masterpieces as the ',ulysses' and the ',fighting ,tmraire1' ,turner disregarded all other painters4 ,and while he was producing epics this prodigal artist was also throwing off lyrics--the impulsive water-colours1 and those 'unfinished oils1' destined1 when reclaimed and shown in #aijf1 to raise the art of ,turner to the empyrean of landscape art4 ,they were works of pleasure1 easy evocations of his genius1 done quickly and gladly1 thrown aside1 never exhibited4 ,of all the periods of his art life there is none to be compared with the period contained in the few glorious years when he was past sixty and drawing near to his seventieth year1 the period when light in all its manifestations obsessed him1 when he produced the ',norham ,castle1 ,sunrise1' the ',hastings' with the red sail1 the later ',venice' pictures1 and the later water-colours1 so delicate1 so flushed with sunshine that the world of sight seems to be swimming in iridescent vapour4 ,finally1 there is the period of decline1 but what a decline1 that could evoke such a magnificent madness as ',queen ,mab's ,grotto1' and such tumbling splendours as the four classical pictures he exhibited the year before he died6 ,the boy who loved ',orvieto' despaired of ever being able to write adequately about ,turner1 so enormous1 so diversified1 was his achievement4 ,sometimes he thought he would like to consider nothing but the ',orvieto1' the ',rain1 ,steam and ,speed1' the ',sunrise' pictures and the ',evening ,star'2 and among the water-colours a certain dream of blue loveliness called ',lucerne' and the red ',righi1' and perhaps the six small pictures1 phantom ships and fairy skies1 that he bequeathed to ,mrs4 ,booth1 and perhaps the four impressions in one frame1 sensations they might be called1 of ,petworth at evening1 mere sunset visions1 but such visions4 ,what was the nature of the man who controlled these wonders8 ,the boy read ,thornbury's very interesting and very unreliable ,life1 he read ,monkhouse and others1 and as he read there rose before him a picture of the dual ,turner1 the great artist and the crafty tradesman4 ,a little sadly he set himself to understand something of ,turner the ,man4 ,,chapter ,,iii ,,the ,,boy ,,wonders ,,at ,,turner ,,the ,,dumb ,,poet ,in thinking over ,turner the ,man1 whom ,thornbury called the ,dumb ,poet1 again ',orvieto' rose before the boy4 ,the twin parts of that picture1 the earthly foreground and the heavenly distances1 continued to symbolise the dual parts of ,turner's nature1 as indeed the natures of all of us4 ,the first book that the boy read about ,turner was perhaps the wisest and the most sympathetic of all his biographies1 that by the late ,cosmo ,monkhouse4 ,on page #c he found two quotations2 one astonished1 the other shocked him4 ,they neither astonish nor shock him now because he is much older1 and he knows that if one passage is exaggerated so is the other4 ,he knows that ,turner was neither saint nor sinner1 but a queer-tempered man1 with bursts of humour and geniality1 and a thirst for knowledge2 a man of genius with a dwarfed nature1 uneducated1 who in art moved easily among great things1 and who1 try as he would1 and he did try1 could hardly touch the hem of the garment of great things outside his art2 who loved his work before anything in the world1 who was not cultured1 and whose manners were neither pretty nor engaging1 who cared nothing for social conventions1 but who went his own rough way1 preferring ,wapping and the sailors and the river1 and rum and brown sherry1 to the conventional delights and the fine feeding of ,belgravia4 ,here are the two passages4 ,the first is from ,ruskin's ,modern ,painters1 published in #ahdc1 magnificent rhetoric1 magical1 and meaning very little3-- ',glorious in conception--unfathomable in knowledge--solitary in power--with the elements waiting upon his will1 and the night and morning obedient to his call1 sent as a prophet of ,god to reveal to men the mysteries of the universe1 standing1 like the great angel of the ,apocalypse1 clothed with a cloud1 and with a rainbow upon his head1 and with the sun and stars given into his hand4' ,the second is from ,thornbury's ,life of ,turner1 published in #ahfb4 ,there is no confirmation of ,thornbury's suggestion that ,turner ever 'wallowed' at ,wapping3-- ',towards the end of his career he would often1 ,i am assured on the best authority1 paint hard all the week till ,saturday night2 and he would then put by his work1 slip a five-pound note into his pocket1 button it securely up there1 and set off to some low sailor's house in ,wapping or ,rotherhithe1 to wallow till ,monday morning summoned him to mope through another week4' ,the boy who was shocked at that extract from ,thornbury's ,life1 following so closely upon ,ruskin's eulogy1 found consolation in an understanding passage written by ,cosmo ,monkhouse4 ,it seemed to explain ,turner4 ',he lived in two worlds--one the pictorial sight-world1 in which he was a profound scholar and a poet1 the other the articulate1 moral1 social word-world1 in which he was a dunce and underbred4 ,in the one he was great and happy1 in the other he was small and miserable2 for what philosophy he had was fatalist4 ,the riddle of life was too hard for his uncultivated intellect and starved heart to contemplate with any hope2 he was only at rest in his dreamland4' ,his dreamland served him to the end1 to that day in #ahea1 when the old war-man1 warring always for the beautiful1 having lost the cunning of his hand1 but not the vision of his eyes1 died gazing on the river1 his old companion1 whom he had loved always4 ,gradually1 the boy who grew up in the seventies1 and who knew golden ',orvieto' by heart1 began to form a mental picture of the man ,turner1 gathered from the pictures and caricatures of him1 and the innumerable stories1 some untrue1 many exaggerated1 that have collected about the hairdresser's son who became the world's greatest landscape painter4 ,his friend and patron1 ,mr4 ,fawkes of ,farnley1 made a caricature of ,turner which shows him as a little man1 'in an ill-cut brown tail coat1 striped waistcoat and enormous frilled shirt1 the feet and hands notably small1 sketching on a small piece of paper1 held down almost level with his waist4' ,yes1 ,turner was an odd man1 odd in looks1 rough in manner4 ,when he had passed middle age the world meant very little to him4 ,he cared for nobody3 he was hardly interested in ,ruskin's magical extravagance of eulogy4 ',my own admiration1' said ,ruskin1 'was wild enthusiasm1 but it gave him no ray of pleasure4 ,he loved me1 but cared nothing for what ,i said4' ,about the time that ,ruskin was lecturing the world for not admiring ,turner1 and lashing himself into ecstasy over his idol1 the idol was seen on board the old ,margate steamer1 studying sky and water1 and eating his lunch of shrimps out of a huge red handkerchief laid across his knees4 ,turner lived outside the world--in his dreamland4 ,when the buoyancy of youth had passed2 when 'dad' was dead1 he grew more morose1 more untidy and more exclusive1 but his dream did not change4 ,no6 it became more mystical1 more subtle1 more unrealisable to his ageing eyes4 ,was he not in dreamland on that ,varnishing ,day of the ,royal ,academy of #ahdf when ,george ,parrott made a humorous sketch of him4 ,there were four varnishing days in those halcyon times1 and it was ,turner's habit to send in his pictures merely laid in with white and grey1 and to finish them on the walls4 ,we see him in ,parrott's ,varnishing ,day sketch at the age of seventy-one1 a short1 thick-set1 clumsy figure1 with ruffled silk hat upon his head and gingham propped against a chair--painting on a large picture1 engrossed1 oblivious of everything happening around4 ',i am told1' says ,scarlett ,davies1 'it was good fun to see the great man whacking away with about fifty stupid apes standing round him1 peeping into his colour-box and examining all his brushes and colours4' ,he was in dreamland while the 'stupid apes' watched him4 ,did they hope to discover the dreamer's secret8 ,ah1 gentlemen1 you did not find the secret in the colour-box4 ,and the dumb poet could never have told in words how he produced his pictures1 although when he sold one he was wont to say1 ',i've lost one of my children4' ,the dumb poet6 ,there is a chapter in the second volume of ,thornbury's ,life headed ',turner's ,poetry1' that seemed to the boy who loved ',orvieto' to express absolutely1 strangely1 sadly1 how illiterate and inarticulate outside his art was ,turner1 and how eager to express the emotions that moved dimly in his starved brain4 ,twelve pages of his halting1 imperfect verse are printed1 scraps from the longest fragments found among his papers after death1 perhaps a portion of that interminable1 chaotic poem1 ,the ,fallacies of ,hope1 extracts from which he used to append to his ,academy pictures4 ,there is hardly a clause that is coherent1 there is no continuous thought1 and some words are used in any sense4 ,the impulse to sing is there1 but the dumb poet has not begun to understand even the elements of the technique of composition4 ,but the boy dug out and remembered two broken lines1 and they became almost as much a part of his life as golden ',orvieto4' '444 still the chief advanced1 ,looked on the sun with hope444' ',looked on the sun with hope' might have served for ,turner's epitaph4 ',still the chief advanced' might have served as a motto for that amazing book published in #aiji1 called ,a ,complete ,inventory of the ,drawings of the ,turner ,bequest4 ,when that book in two volumes was issued1 the boy who loved ',orvieto' as a middle-aged man4 ,having read the ,inventory--no1 read is not the word2--when he had spent many hours over it1 his wonder of ,turner1 if that were possible1 increased4 ,and dreaming of the drawings of the ,turner ,bequest1 set forth so fully and patiently in this book1 he echoed the words of the ,director of the ,national ,gallery1 who wrote in the preface1 ',there is nothing like it anywhere in the world4' #a ,a ,complete ,inventory of the ,drawings of the ,turner ,bequest1 arranged chronologically by ,a4 ,j4 ,finberg4 ,his ,majesty's ,stationery ,office4 #b vols4 #aes4 ,,chapter ,,iv ,,the ,,boy1 ,,having ,,become ,a ,,man1 ,,wonders ,,at ,,the ',,inventory' ,,of ,,the ,,turner ,,bequest ,,drawings ,not until the ,inventory was published was it possible to realise the amount of spade work--loving1 minute1 unwearying--that ,turner did from the age of twelve to the age of seventy-one1 spade work that enabled him to will the golden visions of his maturity4 ,everybody who has examined the ,turner ,bequest of water-colours1 and sketches in colour and in pencil1 numbering over nineteen thousand pieces of paper contained in three hundred ,sketch-,books1 must agree that 'there is nothing like it anywhere in the world'2 and everybody must rejoice that1 through the munificence of the late ,sir ,joseph ,duveen1 there has now arisen as an annexe to the ,tate ,gallery the long1 long deferred ,turner ,gallery1 a tardy fulfilment of the ,wizard's desire1 one of the few dispositions1 besides his eagerness to found a home for decayed artists1 that was clear in his interminable and muddled will and codicils4 ,the story of the litigation over the will1 and of the vicissitudes of the bequest has been often told1 and it will have to be told again in its proper place in this book2 how the pictures bequeathed by ,turner to the nation were gradually selected for exhibition2 how in #aheg the number had reached one hundred and five2 how in that year ,ruskin began to sift and arrange the finished water-colours1 the pencil drawings1 the colour sketches1 and 'unfinished oils'2 how he chose what he considered the best of the water-colours for intermittent exhibition2 how he rolled up the 'unfinished oils'2 how he classified and commented upon the 'nineteen thousand pieces of paper1 worm-eaten1 mouse-eaten1 in various states of fragile decay1 drawn upon by ,turner in one way or another1 many on both sides'2 how in #aijf the art world was astonished and delighted by the exhibition at the ,tate ,gallery of the 'unfinished oils' by ,turner1 reclaimed from the cellars at ,trafalgar ,square2 and how in #aijh several other 'unfinished' works1 described as experiments 'in oil on thin veneer1' and a number of early water-colours and studies were for the first time exposed4 ,by that time ,mr4 ,a4 ,j4 ,finberg was nearing the end of his vast work of cataloguing the ,turner water-colours1 and the 'nineteen thousand pieces of paper1' belonging to the nation4 ,the two volumes known as the ,inventory are the monument of his labour1 which has been thoroughly done1 indeed1 with an attention to detail that wins the gratitude of all students4 ,wisely a strictly chronological arrangement was determined upon4 ,the difficulties were immense1 owing to the almost entire absence of reliable chronological information as to ,turner's movements4 ,he was not the kind of man to babble his plans1 and ,mr4 ,finberg admits that some of his judgments as to date and place are tentative2 but we now have a guide1 trustworthy as extreme care could make it1 to the infinite variety of ,turner's structural plans1 his daily visions1 his notes of things seen and quickly recorded1 upon which his life-work was based4 ,the ,inventory begins with #aghg1 when he was twelve2 it proceeds1 year by year1 to almost the end of his life1 to #ahdf1 when he was seventy-one4 ,almost every summer1 one might say every summer1 with painting materials1 knapsack1 and umbrella1 he was off on his travels through ,england1 ,scotland1 ,wales1 or the ,continent1 and1 roughly speaking1 to each year there is a sketch-book4 ,perhaps general-utility book would be the better name1 for ,turner drew and scribbled anything and everything on the leaves in his almost unintelligible handwriting4 ,mixed up with his sketches1 we read how he got from place to place2 of articles of clothing in use and wanted2 the numbers of bank-notes2 elemental ,french and ,german phrases2 fragments of poetry1 his own and others2 extracts from ,sir ,joshua's ,discourses2 a cure for the bite of a mad dog2 a recipe for surfeit2 criticism of pictures1 including ,rembrandt's ',mill1' ,titian's ',entombment1' and ,rubens's ',rainbow'2 notes on the colours of hills2 the names of flowers2 descriptions of skies2 fragments of letters1 such as ',give my love to ,miss ,wickham1' and so on1 and so on4 ,such things are for the general1 for anybody and everybody who is interested in the commerce with daily life of a man of genius4 ,for the student of ,turner's work1 these details of his sketching tours1 chronologically arranged1 are invaluable4 ,the boy who loved ',orvieto1' and who is now a man1 having contracted to write a book on ',turner's ,golden ,visions1' felt1 with this ,inventory before him1 wherein ,turner himself tells in disjointed fragments the autobiography of his working life1 that the way to write the book was to take the years in progression1 to dwell on each significant epoch and the work it produced1 and thus to trace the development of the dumb poet from darkness to light1 from the black ',moonlight at ,millbank1' to such an ethereal golden vision as ',norham ,castle at ,sunrise4' ,he begins at the very beginning with the year #agge1 when a son was born to two humble people in a dark court off the ,strand1 whom they christened ,joseph ,mallord ,william ,turner4 ,,part ,,two #agge-ahjc ,,from ',,folly ,,bridge' ,,to ',,calais ,,pier' ,,chapter ,v #agge ,,birthplace ,,and ,,parents ,few of the wayfarers who hurry along ,maiden ,lane from ,covent ,garden to ,bedford ,street remember that in this busy1 refurbished street ,turner was born4 ,london has changed much since his time1 and ,maiden ,lane has changed also4 ,hand ,court1 opposite the ,cider ,cellar1 in which was the entrance to the barber's shop kept by ,turner's father1 has long disappeared1 and so has the modest dwelling4 ,the house in which ,turner was born1 and where father1 mother1 and son lived1 is thus described by ,ruskin3-- ',near the south-west corner of ,covent ,garden1 a square brick pit or well is formed by a close-set block of houses1 to the back windows of which it admits a few rays of light4 ,access to the bottom of it is obtained out of ,maiden ,lane1 through a low archway and an iron gate2 and if you stand long enough under the archway to accustom your eyes to the darkness1 you may see1 on the left hand1 a narrow door1 which formerly gave access to a respectable barber's shop4' ,thornbury has the following3-- ',i remember the house well--,i have been up and down and all over it4 ,the old barber's shop was on the ground floor1 entered by a little dark door on the left side of ,hand ,court4 ,the window was a long1 low one2 the stairs were narrow1 steep and winding2 the rooms low1 dark1 and small1 but square and cosy1 however dirty and confined they may have been4 ,turner's bedroom1 where he generally painted1 looked into the lane1 and was commanded by the opposite windows4 ,the house where ,i suppose he afterwards went to for more quiet and room1 is at the end of ,hand ,court1 and is on a larger scale1 with two windows in front2 but it must have been rather dark1 though less noisy than his father's house4' ,it is said that the very early drawing by ,turner1 called ',interior of a ,kitchen1' in the possession of the nation1 represents the kitchen of the house in ,maiden ,lane1 and that the old woman crooning over the fire is ,turner's mother2 but this has been doubted by that arch-doubter1 ,mr4 ,a4 ,j4 ,finberg4 ,mrs4 ,turner's aspect is reported to have been masculine1 not to say fierce2 she is said to have been a person of ungovernable temper1 to have 'led her husband a sad life1' to have been odd to the point of insanity4 ,indeed she was quite insane at times1 and maybe ,turner derived something of his genius from this ill-starred mother with the unbalanced wits4 ,it is probable that the ,mary ,turner who was removed from ,st4 ,paul's1 ,covent ,garden1 and admitted into ,bethlehem ,hospital on ,december #bgth1 #ahjj1 was ,turner's mother4 ,she was discharged uncured in the following year4 ',dad' was sane and cheerful1 a friend and companion to his son1 proud of his genius1 and helpful to him4 ,his name will often appear in these pages4 ,he is described by ,henry ,trimmer1 vicar of ,heston1 one of ,turner's few intimate friends1 as a chatty old fellow who talked fast4 ,we are also told that his cheerfulness was greater than his son's1 and that a smile was always on his face4 ,to this strangely assorted couple1 a chirpy father and a crazy mother1 a son was born on the #bcrd of ,april #agge1 about one year and eight months after their marriage4 ,so ,nature works1 and the good folk who would 'select' parents for their wholesomeness and sanity may not be as successful in producing a genius as ,nature in her unpremeditated way4 ,joseph ,mallord ,william ,turner was baptized at ,st4 ,paul's1 ,covent ,garden1 in the following month4 ,ruskin has devoted a brilliant chapter to contrasting the boyhoods of ,turner and ,giorgione4 ,but is ,turner to be pitied8 ,art occurs1 and perhaps there could not have been a more suitable place for a great landscape painter to be born than in a dark court off ,maiden ,lane by the ,strand4 ,for1 being born in a dark court1 he had to seek the world of beauty1 the wonder of undefiled sunrises and sunsets1 green fields and purple hills1 pale streams and opalescent lakes4 ,he had to make an effort to find them4 ,at home there was at least mental excitement4 ,his father's customers were continually coming and going1 curious men from the outside world1 who talked wittily and wore pretty clothes1 and gave to the watchful boy glimpses of the vivid world in which they lived4 ,and near by was the river1 with its shipping1 and the ever-changing aspect of the tides1 the old ,thames1 which he loved all his life1 and from which he derived inspiration and consolation4 ,,chapter ,,vi #agij3 ,,aged ,,fifteen ,,he ,,exhibits ,,at ,,the ,,royal ,,academy ,,and ,,is ,,described ,,as ,a ,,light-,,hearted1 ,,merry ,,creature ,as ,thomas ,stothard was a customer of ,turner's father1 and as many artists lived about ,covent ,garden1 the boy's interest in art must have been early aroused4 ,it is said that at the age of nine young ,turner made a drawing of ,margate ,church1 shortly before he went to his first school at ,new ,brentford4 ,an old schoolfellow tells how he drew cocks and hens on the walls1 and birds and flowers and trees from the schoolroom windows2 and there is a story1 which has been learnedly revised by ,notes and ,queries1 of a sketch which he made of a coat-of-arms from a drawing at ,mr4 ,tomkison's the jeweller4 ,at the age of thirteen he is described as short and thick-set1 with grey-blue eyes and arched eyebrows1 a handsome boy1 careless of dress1 but sturdy and determined4 ,turner's education was perfunctory2 indeed1 he had no real education at all1 but he acquired the rudiments at ,new ,brentford and in ,mr4 ,coleman's school at ,margate4 ,we are told that he made the journey 'in a hoy1 a bluff-bowed cutter-rigged craft1 with a long bowsprit and heavy main boom4' ,that voyage must have been one of the events of his boyhood4 ,mr4 ,palice1 a floral drawing-master1 also had the honour of instructing him1 and ,mr4 ,thomas ,malton1 a perspective draughtsman4 ,later he learnt something at ,paul ,sandby's ,drawing ,academy in ,st4 ,martin's ,lane1 but more from ,mr4 ,hardwick1 the architect1 who employed him in adding landscape backgrounds to plans1 etc41 and who introduced him1 it is believed1 to the schools of the ,royal ,academy1 where we find him enrolled as a student in #aghi4 ,but all this was fugitive and not very important4 ,his real lifelong teacher was ,nature1 and he learnt how to express the ways of ,nature by first studying the works of his contemporaries and predecessors4 ,he developed slowly4 ',folly ,bridge and ,bacon's ,tower1' which appears as the first item in the ,inventory1 under the year #aghg1 when he was twelve1 is not an original drawing4 ,turner showed little or none of the early facility of genius4 ,for long years he leaned on and learned from others4 ',folly ,bridge' is merely a copy of a steel engraving by ,j4 ,besire of a drawing perhaps by ,e4 ,dayes4 ,the colouring1 says ,mr4 ,finberg1 is probably the boy's own invention4 ,it is signed and dated ,w4 ,turner1 #aghg1 and hangs to-day on a wall of the new ,turner ,gallery at ,millbank4 ,from an early age he made money4 ,his father showed his drawings and coloured prints in his shop-window1 and sold them at prices ranging from one to three shillings4 ,the acquisition of wealth remained one of the most persistent occupations of his life4 ,he was 'found out1' as ,monkhouse says1 almost in his childhood1 was paid for colouring prints and washing in the skies for architects--excellent practice4 ,the knowing boy knew it4 ,when1 in after life1 somebody expressed wonder that he should have worked for half a crown a night1 he retorted that nothing could have been better practice4 ,sometimes he received as much as a guinea4 ,an old architect told ,thornbury that he paid him that sum in the shop in ,maiden ,lane for putting in a background4 ,but the most important episode of ,turner's boyhood was the meeting with ,girtin1 at about twelve or thirteen years of age1 in the workshop of the famous engraver1 ,john ,raphael ,smith--,thomas ,girtin1 who was to have such an influence on his dawning art1 and whose personality was to be one of the happiest memories of his life4 ,turner's work up till about the age of fifteen has been summed up thus3 7#a7 ,making drawings at home to sell2 7#b7 ,colouring prints for ,john ,raphael ,smith2 7#c7 ,washing in backgrounds for architects2 7#d7 ,sketching with ,girtin4 ,even in those early days ,turner was secretive4 ,nobody was allowed to see him draw1 and he was as determined as he was secretive4 ,thornbury tells the following story3-- ',turner was busy one morning in the bedroom at ,maiden ,lane1 working at some drawings for one of ,britton's patrons--,i think for the ,earl of ,essex4 ,suddenly the door opens and ,britton enters1 nominally to inquire how the drawings progressed1 really to spy out all he could of ,turner's professional secrets4 ,in an instant ,turner covered up his drawings1 and ran to stop the crafty intruder's entrance4 ',i've come to see the drawings for the ,earl4 ',you shan't see 'em1 said ,turner4 ',is that the answer ,i am to take back to his lord-ship8 ',yes2 and mind the next time you come through the shop1 and not up the back way4 ,i allow no one to come here 2 and so shutting the door on sly ,britton1 ,turner returned to growl at him over his work4' ,the ,inventory shows that ,turner was hard at work at this early age4 ,in ,sketch-,book ,no4 ,,ii41 dated #aghi1 twenty-five leaves are drawn on2 ,no4 ,,iii4 contains five drawings1 and includes his ',first ,view of ,oxford1' signed and dated #aghi4 ,in ,sketch-,book ,no4 ,,iv4 there is a pencil outline of ',wanstead ,new ,church1' against the belfry of which he has written the word ',ionic4' ,as ,i have said1 these ,sketch-,books might also be called general-utility books4 ,thus1 in ,sketch-,book ,no4 ,v41 containing drawings probably made in the ,royal ,academy ,schools1 on the back of a black-and-white chalk of the ',belvedere ,apollo' are these notes1 showing that his busy brain was already beginning to consider etching1 and that he was already indifferent to spelling3-- #a ,get an ,etching ,ground1 #bf4 #b ,heat the ,back of ,p4 #c ,rub it over with the ,ball4 #d ,dab it over with the ,dabber of ',well ,hot4 #e ,smoke it over with ,wax ,tapur #f ,put some 444 at back of ,palte 78 ,plate7 #g ,re 444 of ,wax4 ,turpentine ,varnish and ,lamp black4' ,about this time ,turner began to study oil painting1 receiving instruction from no less a person than ,sir ,joshua ,reynolds4 ,little did ,sir ,joshua think1 when he laid down the brush in #aghi1 that among the young men in his studio1 and perhaps working on his pictures under his superintendence1 was a youth whose name was to become as famous as the name of ,reynolds4 ,we can tell exactly what degree of accomplishment ,turner had reached at the age of fifteen1 as the first drawing he sent to the ,royal ,academy1 the year being #agij1 the locality ,somerset ,house1 a view of ',the ,archbishop's ,palace1 ,lambeth1' is in a state of perfect preservation in the collection of ,mr4 ,w4 ,g4 ,rawlinson4 ,he does not yet show any originality4 ,it is one of the tinted architectural drawings of the period1 but the work is conscientious1 the drawing firm1 and the reflected lights on the houses well rendered4 ,here1 too1 are the ,turner figures1 taller than life1 a little grotesque1 but accurate as regards the costumes4 ,he must have been a merry1 attractive boy when in congenial company3 he did not lack friends4 ,there was ,mr4 ,narraway1 whom he visited at ,bristol1 and the house of ,mr4 ,w4 ,h4 ,wells1 the artist1 was open to him1 where he was a constant and welcome inmate4 ,mrs4 ,wheeler has recorded the following charming reminiscences of ,turner at this period3-- ',in early life my father's house was his second home1 a haven of rest from many domestic trials too sacred to touch upon4 ,turner loved my father with a son's affection2 and to me he was as an elder brother4 ,many are the times ,i have gone out sketching with him4 ,i remember his scrambling up a tree to obtain a better view1 and then he made a coloured sketch1 ,i handing up his colours as he wanted them4444 ,oh6 what a different man would ,turner have been if all the good and kindly feelings of his great mind had been called into action2 but they lay dormant1 and were known to so very few4 ,he was by nature suspicious1 and no tender hand had wiped away early prejudices1 the inevitable consequence of a defective education4 ,of all the light-hearted merry creatures ,i ever knew1 ,turner was the most so2 and the laughter and fun that abounded when he was an inmate of our cottage was inconceivable1 particularly with the juvenile members of the family4' ,that is a happy glimpse of ,turner the boy1 and with that ,i leave his boyhood4 ,he has just had a drawing exhibited at the ,royal ,academy2 he is advancing towards proficiency in water-colour1 his first and his last love2 but not yet has he reached the 'golden simplicity' that ,girtin realised1 nor the 'silver sweetness' of ,cozens4 ,,chapter ,,vii #agie3 ,,aged ,,twenty ,,the ,,drawings ,,of ',,the ,,ingenius ,,mr4 ,,turner' ,,are ,,stated ,,by ,a ,,newspaper ,,of ,,the ,,day ,,to ,,be ',,tinctured ,,with ,,truth ,,and ,,fidelity' ,five years have passed4 ,turner is now twenty4 ,we will glance back and see how he has fared4 ,at about seventeen he attracted the attention of ,dr4 ,thomas ,monro of ,bushey1 and ,adelphi ,terrace1 physician of ,bridewell and ,bethlehem ,hospitals1 a well-known lover of art1 and patron of certain clever young men who were to raise the coloured topographical drawing into the well-loved art of ,british water-colour painting4 ',good ,dr4 ,monro6' ,the phrase has become historical4 ,turner was grateful to ,dr4 ,monro all his life1 although there is no evidence of any great intimacy between them4 ,years later he said to ,david ,roberts3 ',girtin and ,i have often walked to ,bushey and back to make drawings for good ,dr4 ,monro at half a crown apiece and a supper4' ,turner's affection and admiration for ,girtin1 that brilliant youth who died young1 lasted all his life4 ',had ,tom ,girtin lived ,i should have starved1' he is reported to have said long afterwards2 and of one of ,girtin's drawings he remarked1 ',i never in my whole life could make a drawing like that4 ,i would many a time have given one of my little fingers to make such a one4' ,when quite an old man he would mutter to himself about ,tom's 'golden drawings4' ,thornbury says that he praised ,girtin's ',white ,house' with rapture4 ,at ,dr4 ,monro's house ,turner1 ,girtin1 ,varley1 and other young artists were set to copy drawings by ,rembrandt1 ,canaletto1 ,gainsborough1 and other masters2 also the drawings of ,john ,cozens1 ,turner's senior by twenty-three years1 who had lately returned from ,italy and ,switzerland4 ,cozens1 that poet with the brush1 had a great influence upon him1 but ,turner's drawings of this period have none of the repose1 quiet beauty1 and spacious feeling of ,cozens'4 ,perhaps the ',pent ,house1 ,dover1' draws nearest to the poetry of ,cozens4 ,simple in treatment and colour1 it shows more imagination than the well-known ',tintern ,abbey' at the ,victoria and ,albert ,museum4 ,the ',bristol and ,malmesbury' ,sketch-,book1 dated #agia1 has twenty-three leaves1 all drawn on2 the ',bristol' ,sketch-,book of the same year has seven2 and in #agib we find a drawing of the ',burning of the ,pantheon' in ,oxford ,street1 a carefully worked water-colour with a large number of figures4 ,on the left are firemen in their uniforms with hose and engines1 and a crowd of spectators and passers-by4 ,a drawing of the ',pantheon the ,morning after the ,fire' was exhibited in the ,academy of #agib4 ,so1 at the age of seventeen1 while intent now1 as for years to come1 on the work of other painters1 ,turner had begun the direct study of life1 of vivid realities4 ,in the ',hereford and ,worcester' ,sketch-,book1 #agib-ic1 there are ',two ,sketches near ,malvern4' ,beneath the second1 showing a roadway with foreground trees1 the following is inscribed in his own handwriting3--',the distance last with the sky a lovely tint of ,blue ,lake and ,indian--more as it approaches4' ,he probably knew exactly what he meant4 ,and no doubt the following comment on the back of a water-colour of a ',tree and ,tower' was all he needed to impress on his mind the effect of what he had seen3-- ',in the shadow the ,stones the same4 ,some ,umber and ,s4 ,green--the broken part umber and ,bister1 the distance part a ,blue ,green ,sap and ,b4' ,by the year #agie1 when he was twenty years of age1 ,turner was quite a successful young man4 ,his drawings were hung at the ,royal ,academy1 he sold them readily1 and he had been commissioned by the ,copper ,plate ,magazine to make a series of water-colours for engraving at two guineas apiece4 ,in one of the volumes of that publication he is alluded to as ',the ingenius ,mr4 ,turner4' ,moreover1 the public press had begun to notice the work of 'the ingenius ,mr4 ,turner4' ,here is a complimentary contemporary criticism3-- '#chh4 ,christchurch ,gate1 ,canterbury4 ,w4 ,turner4 ,this deserving picture1 with ,nos4 #ccc and #ccf1 are amongst the best in the present exhibition4 ,they are the productions of a very young artist1 and give strong indications of first-rate ability2 the character of ,gothic architecture is most happily preserved1 and its profusion of minute parts massed with judgment and tinctured with truth and fidelity4 ,this young artist should beware of contemporary imitations4 ,his present effort evinces an eye for nature1 which should scorn to look to any other source4' ',christchurch ,gate' was one of five drawings he sent to the ,academy of #agid4 ,in #agie1 ',w4 ,turner1 ,hand ,court1 #bf ,maiden ,lane1 ,covent ,garden1' exhibited eight drawings4 ,it will be seen from the above extracts from the ,inventory how early ,turner became a traveller4 ,he was a traveller almost to the end of his life1 and1 whatever else he forgot1 he never left his sketch-book at home4 ',no day without a note of ,nature' might almost have been his motto4 ,his sketch-books are the guides to his travels1 and when ,i turn the pages and follow the wanderings of this unresting man of genius1 there rises before me1 as a companion to the sketch-books1 the map that ,mr4 ,huish compiled of ,turner's tours through ,great ,britain4 ,the lines of his tracks cover the map1 those tracks along which he walked1 or coached1 or rode1 and in their appointed places are marked the sixty-six castles1 the twenty-seven abbeys1 and the fourteen cathedrals that he drew4 ,some day1 when ,i have leisure1 ,i think ,i will make similar maps of his tours through ,france1 ,italy and ,switzerland4 ,he would walk his twenty miles a day with his baggage tied in a big handkerchief1 his umbrella in his hand1 and often his fishing-rod4 ,but the clearest vision of him ,i have is that day in #agib1 when1 at the age of seventeen1 he started off on his first tour in ,wales1 on a pony lent him by his friend ,mr4 ,narraway4 ,to be seventeen1 to be conscious of great powers1 all the wide world and the wide future opening1 and a good little pony as companion4 ,has life anything better to offer than that8 ,in the ',south ,wales' ,sketch-,book of #agie1 among the ',order'd ,drawings1' a list of which he has inscribed on one of the pages1 is ',newport ,castle--,mr4 ,kershaw4' ,no doubt this is the ',newport' now in the ,salting ,collection at the ,british ,museum1 one of the most accomplished of his early drawings1 pleasant in colour and bold in mass4 ,,chapter ,,viii #ahjj3 ,,aged ,,twenty-,,five ,,his ,,first ,,oil ,,pictures ,,and ,,extracts ,,from ,,his ,,sketch-,,books ,five more years have passed4 ,turner has made his ,north of ,england tour about which ,ruskin wrote so eloquently--and so unconvincingly4 ,cosmo ,monkhouse1 while reproving ,ruskin for the partial untruth of his beautiful prose1 says of that #agig journey3-- ',the effect upon ,turner of the fells and vales of ,yorkshire and ,cumberland seems to have been much the same as that of ,scotland upon ,landseer3 it braced all his powers1 developed manhood of art1 turned him from a toilsome student into a triumphant master4' ,turner was not yet a triumphant master4 ,he had progressed towards triumph in water-colour1 shown in the spacious1 harmonious1 and atmospheric rendering of ',derwentwater1 with the ,falls of ,lodore1' and the very beautiful ',study for a ,picture of ,norham ,castle'--rising golden rocks and rosy sky reflected in the rosy water1 one of two early drawings of this subject1 displayed in the new ,turner ,gallery1 and reproduced in these pages3 but oil was still beyond him4 ,he had not mastered the difficulties of that medium2 he could do no better than the dark and dispiriting ',morning on the ,coniston ,fells1 ,cumberland1' and the still darker ',buttermere ,lake1' that for years has been banished to a provincial gallery4 ,the young chief had advanced2 he had been elected an ,associate of the ,royal ,academy2 he had removed from dingy ,hand ,court to decorous ,harley ,street2 and he was about to make the acquaintance of ,mr4 ,walter ,fawkes1 the squire of ,farnley ,hall1 near ,leeds1 which was to mean so much to him2 but he was not yet a triumphant master4 ,only in his water-colours has he begun to show glimmerings of his golden visions4 ,in oil he is studying detail rather than light2 he is pondering over masses looming in dim airless spaces2 he has not even yet begun to see the ethereal manifestations of his maturity4 ,no doubt he was elected an ,associate of the ,royal ,academy in #agii for the remarkable water-colours that he exhibited in that and in the previous year1 which included the powerful sunset-glowing ',warkworth ,castle' now at ,south ,kensington2 the gloomy and magnificent ',kirkstall ,abbey' in the ,soane ,museum1 and the ',norham ,castle' with the golden rocks and the rosy sky of dawn4 ,norham ,castle was ,turner's mascot4 ,he painted that picturesque ruin again and again2 it appears in the ,liber ,studiorum and in ,the ,rivers of ,england series1 and ',norham ,castle' is the subject of two of the 'unfinished oils1' disembodied spirits of loveliness1 that caused such a sensation when they were exhibited at the ,tate ,gallery in #aijf4 ,in later life1 when ,turner was travelling with ,cadell1 the ,edinburgh bookseller1 making sketches for ,provincial ,antiquities1 the artist suddenly raised his hat to the ruins and made them a low bow4 ',what are you up to now8' asked ,cadell4 ',oh1' was ,turner's reply1 ',i made a drawing of ,norham ,castle several years since4 ,it took1 and from that day to this ,i have had as much to do as my hands could execute4' ,perhaps the interest of this period for students are certain early oil paintings1 showing the germs1 so meagre of promise1 from which his magnificent life-work arose4 ,the small ',moonlight1 a study at ,millbank1' exhibited in #agig1 is now so dark that the picture seems to be encompassed in a perpetual fog1 dominated by a round wafery1 whitey-yellow moon2 the sprawling ',morning on the ,coniston ,fells' of #agih2 the ',caernarvon ,castle' of #ahjj1 silhouetted against a cloudy sky1 so small and unimposing1 that1 remembering what ,turner became1 one has for it a sentimental affection2 and the dark1 disappearing ',dolbadern ,castle' that hangs in the ,diploma ,gallery in ,burlington ,house4 ,it was exhibited in #ahjj2 but as ,turner was not elected a full ,royal ,academician until #ahjb1 this can hardly be his ,diploma picture4 ,the ',tenth ,plague of ,egypt1' exhibited in #ahjb1 has been honoured by a place on the line in the new ,turner ,gallery at ,millbank4 ,thomas ,green1 of ,ipswich1 is known to fame--or perhaps ,i should say to the present writer--for the inscription in his diary of the following brief criticism of ,turner's oil picture1 exhibited in the ,royal ,academy of #agig1 called ',fishermen ,coming ,ashore at ,sunset1 ,previous to a ,gale '3-- ',june #bnd1#agig4--,visited the ,royal ,academy ,exhibition4 ,particularly struck with a sea-view by ,turner2 fishing-vessels coming in1 with a heavy swell1 in apprehension of tempest gathering in the distance1 and casting1 as it advances1 a night of shade1 while a parting glow is spread with fine effect upon the shore4 ,the whole composition bold in design and masterly in execution4 ,i am entirely unacquainted with the artist2 but if he proceeds as he has begun1 he cannot fail to become the first in his department4' ,dayes1 an architectural draughtsman1 the master of ,girtin1 said of ,turner3-- ',the way he acquired his professional powers was by borrowing where he could a drawing or picture to copy from1 or by making a sketch of any one in the exhibition early in the morning and finishing it at home4' ,another contemporary remarked of ,turner1 ',he must be loved for his works1 for his person is not striking or his conversation brilliant'2 a third described him as 'eccentric1 but kind and amusing4' ,blake1 who was one of his pupils1 complained of being left quite alone1 and ,thornbury states that he was too reserved and tongue-tied to be able to teach what he knew1 even if he wished to disclose his hard-earned secrets4 ,turner never disclosed any of his secrets4 ,what he knew he kept4 ,the ,inventory from #agie to #ahjj fills nearly eighty pages of minute records of his sketching tours4 ,on one of the leaves of the ',south ,wales' ,sketch-,book1 dated #agie1 ,i find this1 but1 with the exception of the words ',walls x ,white ,lyon ,inn1' not in his own handwriting3-- ',to ,tenby1 #bj miles4 ,walls x ,white ,lyon ,inn4 ,before you visit ,tenby view the ,castles at ,llanstephen and ,laugharn 7,larn as it is called74 ,llanstephen ,castle stands at the entrance of the ,river ,towy4 ,at ,tenby view the cliffs1 caverns1 rocks1 islands1 etc41 etc4' ,the ',studies near ,brighton' ,sketch-,book 7#agif7 contains a drawing of pigs and a donkey with this note by ,ruskin3-- ',both wonderful1 quite beyond telling4 ,there is an etching of ,rembrandt's which approaches the upper study1 but by no means equals it4 ,examine it for a quarter of an hour through a magnifying-glass1 and you will see something of what it is4' ,when ,ruskin praised1 he--praised4 ,in another ,sketch-,book of this period there is a copy by ,turner of ,wilson's ',landscape with ,figures'2 and in #agig we find a book full of ,wilson copies1 and labelled on the back by ,turner himself1 ',studies for ,pictures4 ,copies of ,wilson4' ,in the ',swans' ,sketch-,book 7#agih7 ,turner has noted on the inside cover in ink a ',receipt for making an ,efficable 787 ointment for ,cut 444' ,the details of the recipe are confusedly given4 ,on the flyleaf are several scraps of verse1 probably his own4 ,one of them runs3-- ',tell me ,babbling ,echo why1 ,babbling ,echo tell me why1 ,you return me sigh for sigh2 ,when ,i of slighted love complain ,you delight to ,mock my ,pain4' ,on the back of a drawing of ',somerset ,house' 787 is this 7,i copy the words just as he wrote them73-- ,learn4 ,substantives ,no ,comparison but by ,adjectives1 as1 good bonne bad1 ,beau1 fine ,positive ,plus ,beau finer ,comparative le ,plus ,beau ,superlitive of ,finer4 ,masculine ,le ,white ,blanc ,positive ,whiter ,plus ,blanc ,comparative ,whitest ,le ,plus ,blanc ,superlitive4' ,later1 in the ',dolbadern' ,sketch-,book1 he has copied out a list of ,french pronouns and their translations4 ,there is something pathetic in these attempts of ,turner to make up for his lack of education4 ,the ',babbling ,echo' poem suggests that there may be truth in the early love-story of which some of his biographers make much4 ,that may or may not have soured him2 it may or may not have been the reason why he remained a bachelor4 ,i do not think that ,turner ever thought seriously about matrimony4 ,his art was his mistress1 and to his art to his dying day he was loyal1 to the sacrifice of everything else4 ,and he was loyal in his way--or shall ,i say faithful in his way--to ,hannah ,danby1 who entered his service in #ahjj or #ahja1 a girl of sixteen2 who was housekeeper in ,queen ,anne ,street through his long life2 and who1 in the end1 when he had done all his great work1 found him dying in hiding as ,mr4 ,booth1 'husband' of ,mrs4 ,booth1 in the little house at ,chelsea overlooking the river4 ,,chapter ,,ix #ahjb3 ,,aged ,,twenty-,,seven ,,he ,,exhibits ,,grandiloquent ',,jason' ,,and ,a ,,simple ',,view ,,on ,,clapham ,,common' ,sometimes in early life ,turner1 one might say almost by chance1 prefigures the golden visions of his maturity1 as in ',conway ,castle1' in the possession of the ,duke of ,westminster1 which dates from about this time4 ,the foreground is awkward1 and strewn with meaningless litter2 but the castle stands up magnificently against the blue sky1 darkening to orange at the horizon1 and over all is a ripe golden glow4 ,you see this picture across the gallery1 as at the ,japan-,british exhibition1 where it was shown4 ,it calls3 you are held by the dawning magnificence of ,turner at twenty-seven2 you realise that the magician has begun to work his spell4 ,the sketch-books of #ahja and #ahjb are numerous and varied1 showing his travels at home and abroad3 the itinerary of his first tour on the ,continent2 the ',calais ,pier' ,sketch-,book1 with such drawings as ',group of ,figures on ,pier watching ,fishing-,boats at ,sea1' one of the many studies he made for his great picture of ',calais ,pier'2 and the curious and interesting ',studies in the ,louvre' ,sketch-,book1 in which we find this indefatigable young man of twenty-seven not only sitting at the feet of1 but metaphorically throwing himself into the arms of1 the ,old ,masters4 ,he makes copies of many pictures1 such as ,titian's ',entombment1' ',mars and ,venus' by ,domenichino1 ,rembrandt's ',good ,samaritan1' and to some of the copies he appends long descriptive criticisms that often elude our efforts to find their meaning4 ,his comment on ',the ,deluge' by ,nicholas ,poussin begins3--' ,the colour of this picture impresses the subject more than the incidents1 which are by no means fortunate either to place1 position1 or colour1 as they are separate spots untoned by the 444 78 dark7 colour that pervades the whole4' ,and here is his confused criticism of ,rubens's ',landscape with a ,rainbow'3-- ',the ,rainbow appears to me the most to be considered as a picture1 not but this as well as the rest of his landscapes is defective as light and the 444 78 profusion7 of nature4 ,the woman in blue strikes the eye and prevents it straying to the confused and ill-judged lines1 but as to the figure 78 figures7 in ,mid1 which is light 444 78 lit from7 the opposite side1 a proof that he wanted light on that side and either chose to commit an error than continue the light by means of the ground or 78 to7 where the sky is placed4 ,then it is lead by the yellow within the trees to the sky and thence to the ,bow1 which is hard and horny by the use of the vivid ,blue in the distance1 which is another instance of his distorting what he was ignorant of--natural effect4' ,among the pictures ,turner exhibited this year are ',jason in ,search of the ,golden ,fleece1' the earliest of his dragon pictures1 that sometimes seem rather grand1 but usually merely grandiloquent4 ,it was probably inspired by ,salvator ,rosa4 ,turner referred to ',jason' in later years as 'an old favourite with some1' and ,ruskin thought ',jason' showed 'high imaginative faculty4' ,how ,ruskin studied ,turner6 ,listen to this from ,modern ,painters--3 ',in very sunny days a keen-eyed spectator may discern1 even where the picture hangs now1 something in the middle of it like the arch of an ill-built drain4 ,this is a coil of the dragon beginning to unroll himself4' ',jason' is now well shown at the new ,turner ,gallery1 but ,i1 for one1 infinitely prefer the bold study for this composition1 hanging in an adjoining room4 ,sketch-,book ,,lxi4 is called the ',jason' ,sketch-,book4 ,to this period of his bolder experiments in oil belong such breezy works as ',dutch ,boats in a ,gale' at ,bridgewater ,house1 and ',fishing ,boats in a ,stiff ,breeze1' both done in emulation of ,van de ,velde4 ,turner said that seeing a fine ,van de ,velde in a shop-window had made him a sea-painter4 ,in a letter from ,andrew ,caldwell to ,bishop ,percy1 dated #adth ,june #ahjb1 ,turner is spoken of 'as beating ,loutherbourg and every other artist all to nothing4' ,it was not difficult for ,turner to beat ,van de ,velde and de ,loutherbourg all to nothing4 ,we think so now1 they thought so then1 if ,andrew ,caldwell expressed the general opinion4 ',a new artist has started up--one ,turner4 ,he had before exhibited stained drawings1 but now paints landscapes in oil1 beats ,loutherbourg and every other artist all to nothing4 ,a painter of my acquaintance and a good judge declares his painting is magic2 that it is worth every landscape painter's while to make a pilgrimage to see and study his works4 ,loutherbourg1 he used to think of so highly1 appears now mediocre4' ,but even in those days of rivalry with the so-called classical painters1 ,turner was already beginning to see for himself1 and to express what his eyes saw4 ,the ',view on ,clapham ,common1' probably painted in #ahjb1 merely a study of sward and trees with men angling1 is personal and all himself1 although ,ruskin thought that 'the somewhat affected rolling and loading of the colour in the sky is founded altogether on ,morland4' ,to me it is like a brief personal and sincere utterance at a political meeting where the speakers are all trying to say the effective thing in the effective manner4 ,even such a doughty critic as ,meier ,graefe recognises in this simple little picture a 'sincere surrender to the object4' ,at the ,tate ,gallery we may see ,turner1 painted by himself1 in the year that he took that walk on ,clapham ,common1 a watchful1 introspective face as of a soul trying to see through the veil1 the eyes estimating and observant1 the lips betokening something sensual1 the other part of ,turner4 ,,chapter ,x #ahjc3 ,,aged ,,twenty-,,eight ,,the ,,year ,,of ',,calais ,,pier' ,of the pictures ,turner sent to the ,royal ,academy of #ahjc1 including a ',holy ,family' 7he tried everything in turn71 one work dominates the group--the great1 dark1 studio-made ',calais ,pier1' which ,turner1 never afraid of a long title1 called ',calais ,pier with ,french ,poissards preparing for ,sea1 an ,english ,packet arriving4' ,neither ,turner nor anybody else ever saw such a scene in ,nature1 and one wonders what ,turner thought of this ambition of his youth years later when he painted the pearly visions of the ',yachting' and ',whalers' series1 or such an attempt to express the marriage of light and water as ',sunrise with a ,sea ,monster4' ,he painted ',calais ,pier' in his dark studio1 with half his brain mumbling instructions to the other half as to how ,van de ,velde and the other brothers of the sea would have done it4 ,he made the sketches from ,nature as we have seen2 but he had not yet arrived at the degree of knowledge enabling him to paint a picture without losing the impulse of the sketch4 ,but ,turner had to build his foundations3 he knew that4 ,he could never have painted ',a ,ship ,aground' in #ahcj1 unless he had painted ',calais ,pier' in #ahjc4 ,we may see from the ',calais ,pier' ,sketch-,book how minutely he acquainted himself with such scenes in ,nature4 ,on leaf #eh is the following eloquent line in his own handwriting3--' ,our landing at ,calais4 ,nearly swampt4' ,ruskin refers to ',calais ,pier 'as' the first picture which bears the sign manual and the sign mental of ,turner's colossal power4' ,he also observes1 quite rightly1 that nobody is frightened and there is no danger4 ,and a child can see that it is untrue4 ,turner was never much concerned with what we call 'truth4' ,the effect was his aim1 not the fact4 ,the sky1 except for the peep of blue1 is black1 the whole picture is dark almost to blackness1 but ,ruskin sees the first indication of colour1 'properly so called1' in the fish1 and tells the following story3-- ',the engraver of one of his most important marine pictures told me1 not long ago1 that one day ,turner came into his room to examine the progress of the plate1 not having seen his own picture for several months4 ,it was one of his dark1 early pictures1 but in the foreground was a little piece of luxury1 a pearly fish wrought into lines like those of an opal4 ,he stood before the picture for some moments2 then laughed1 and pointed joyously to the fish1 ,they say that ,turner can't colour6 and turned away4' ,the casual wayfarer through the ,turner ,gallery sees only the absurdities of ',calais ,pier1' sniggers1 perhaps1 at the old fisherman in the boat who is shaking his half-filled bottle of brandy towards the woman on the pier1 the lady having kept the rest for herself4 ,but the artist who stands before ',calais ,pier' knows what knowledge and force there is in this dark sea picture of ,turner's youth4 ,such modern sea painters as ,moore1 ,olsson1 and the ,frenchman1 ,matisse1 have1 in the beauty and truth of their realism1 spoilt us for the old sea pictures4 ,but they contained something that we have lost4 ,mr4 ,w4 ,l4 ,wyllie1 ,a4,r4,a41 in his book on ,turner1 says some fine and good things about ',calais ,pier4' ,after remarking that in ',calais ,pier' the light and shade is just that of ,turner's studio in ,harley ,street2 that the inky clouds throw black shadows just as a table or a sofa would in a room2 that the pale blue sky is not reflected anywhere1 either in the tumbling water or on the tarry sides of the fishing-boats1 he continues3-- ',and yet when we are back among the conventional black old pictures1 such as ',the ,shipwreck1' the ',spithead1' or even the impossible1 gloomy ',garden of the ,hesperides1' we feel that1 after all1 the old ,wizard was a worker of wonders1 and that he in his dark ,london room1 with little more than black1 brown1 and grey1 could move us to awe1 terror1 or wonder by the thousand-and-one secrets which he had at his fingers' ends2 but which we moderns in the struggle to be realistic may perhaps have forgotten1 or even1 it may be1 have never tried to learn4' ',calais ,pier1' says ,thornbury1 was the cause 'of one of the most painful things 'that ever happened to any of ,turner's engravers4 ,lupton undertook to make a mezzotint of it1 but he could not satisfy the artist4' ,this is not the proportion of my picture1' said ,turner1 'there is some mistake here4 ,these are perfect dolls' boats1' and so on4 ,after much loss of time and innumerable corrections1 it was left unfinished4 ,ruskin says that ,turner got tired of his own composition2 doubled the height of the sails1 pushed some of the boats further apart1 and some nearer together2 introduced half a dozen more2 and at last brought the whole thing into irreparable confusion--in which it was left4 ,we shall never know to what degree ,turner's pictures have blackened4 ,burnet says that when the ',festival upon the ,opening of the ,vintage of ,macon' was first painted1 it was full of vivid greens and yellows4 ,this blackening of pictures should be an anxiety to all serious painters4 ,ruskin really did a great service to ,turner1 perhaps even greater than the publication of ,modern ,painters1 when he rolled up the 'unfinished' oils and water-colours and deposited them in the cellars of the ,national ,gallery4 ,our new joy in ,turner1 the rush of admiration and veneration that came when those golden visions were exhibited in #aijf1 could never have been had not they been protected from the light for so many years3 then1 suddenly1 to reveal their splendour4 ,,part ,,three #ahjd-ahaj ,,from ',,the ,,shipwreck' ,,to ,,an ,,early ,,golden ,,vision ,,chapter ,,xi #ahjd3 ,,aged ,,twenty-,,nine ,,he ,,studies ,,an ,,eclipse ,,and ,,paints ,,the ,,sunset ,throughout his life ,turner produced1 apart from the water-colours for the engravers1 which number nearly nine hundred examples1 two kinds of work--the pictures done for fame1 and those for his own delight--a ',calais ,pier1' and a ',stonehenge at ,sunset'3 a ',jason' and a ',norham ,castle4' ,it is hard to believe that the broad and simple water-colour1 ',stonehenge at ,sunset1' with the magnificent sky1 was done about the same time as the ',calais ,pier1' but it was ',calais ,pier' that made ,turner known to the public4 ,henceforth he was rarely in want of commissions from influential patrons1 including the ,earls of ,egremont1 ,essex1 ,lonsdale and ,yarborough1 ,sir ,john ,leicester1 ,sir ,john ,soane and others4 ,he did not always sell his oil pictures2 indeed1 as the years went on they remained in increasing numbers on his hands2 but that was partly his own desire4 ,turner was always loath to part with his 'children4' ,the bulk of his fortune was made out of the engravings4 ,yes1 ,turner was now a successful man1 but he was still1 as always1 a student4 ,the ,sketch-,books1 as ,i have said1 reveal him better than reams of commentary4 ,take1 for example1 the ',eclipse' ,sketch-,book of #ahjd1 showing how he worked and how he strove to understand phenomena1 even if the wonders studied did not apply actually to the work at hand4 ,the ',eclipse' ,sketch-,book is brief4 ,here are the descriptions of the six ',eclipse' drawings he made in black and white chalk3--' ,commencement of ,eclipse4 ,more than half of sun eclipsed4 ,sun nearly three-quarters eclipsed4 ,sun nearly lost among clouds4 ,three-quarters of sun in eclipse4 ,landscape with clouds1 no sun4' ,i shall always retain that mental picture of ,turner alone1 somewhere1 studying an eclipse2 and also the picture of him1 alone1 at ,stonehenge1 studying that solitude1 and making of it a water-colour that prefigured the freedom and sensitiveness of his later work4 ,i see it now1 the brown1 simple foreground1 the ancient stones erected to record the appearances of the sun1 rising gauntly in the middle distance1 and half the drawing tingling with a sunset sky4 ,was there ever a painter so obsessed by sunsets8 ,but towards the end of his life it was sunrises--always sunrises4 ,moonlights1 sunsets1 sunrises6 ,in them ,turner sought light and found hope4 ,,chapter ,,xii #ahje3 ,,aged ,,thirty ,,he ,,paints ',,the ,,shipwreck' ,,for ,,fame1 ,,and ,,begins ,a ,,series ,,of ',,delight ,,studies' ,,for ,,love ,in the chronology of ,turner's art life1 the year #ahje may be summed up in the words ',he painted ,the ,shipwreck4' ,that1 probably1 was the art event of the year to him1 but ,i like to think of #ahje as the beginning of the period when his passion for colour and atmosphere began to find expression in 'delight studies1' as they may be called4 ,i borrow the pretty word from ,ruskin1 who called some of the most beautiful of the water-colours 'delight drawings4' ,he also called some of the large pseudo-classical works 'nonsense pictures4' ,between #ahje and #ahaj ,turner painted the twelve landscapes in oil on thin veneer1 found in one of the store-rooms of the ,national ,gallery1 wrapped in brown paper1 first exhibited in #aijh1 and now hanging in ,room ,,xiii4 of the new ,turner ,gallery4 ,they formed1 with forty early water-colours1 the second instalment of rediscovered ,turners4 ,how well ,i remember that day6 ,how well ,i recall the delight of seeing for the first time the ',windsor ,castle from the ,river1' and the ',tree-tops and ,sky4' ,these were his between-whiles work2 impulses of observation thrown off while he was producing his mammoth pictures1 the magnificent as well as the 'nonsense' ones1 painted to astonish the public1 and to show his superiority over all rivals alive or dead4 ,but the essential ,turner was all the while expressing himself in such 'delight studies'--'unfinished1' merely because he had said all he had to say1 scanned frowningly by his judges and deposited in the cellars of the ,national ,gallery as not of sufficient importance for exhibition4 ,and ',the ,shipwreck1' which was the first of ,turner's oil-pictures to be engraved in mezzotint1 what of ',the ,shipwreck'8 ,surely there is no need to describe it again4 ,dark1 powerful1 splendidly impossible1 it is in the same category as ',calais ,pier4' ,gaze at it and wonder1 say for the hundredth time1 that the crowded boat in the centre could never live for an instant in that terrific sea1 that clouds do not throw such inky shadows1 and so on1 and so on4 ,ruskin found in it 'delicate and mysterious grey1 instead of the ponderous black'2 he also remarked1 which is obvious1 that 'nobody is wet4' ,true1 ,turner did not mean to be realistic when he painted ',the ,shipwreck4' ,perhaps it needs a painter1 who has struggled with sea subjects1 to perceive beneath the absurdities the strength and knowledge that are the foundation of this work4 ,mr4 ,wyllie wrote3-- ',i am never tired of looking at this wonderful composition1 and the more ,i study it the more ,i find to wonder at and admire4 ,the masterly way in which knowledge and artifice are woven together1 the endless modulations of light merging into shadow1 the variety of the tones1 each little fleck of foam or swirl of inky water seeming to play its part in the building up of the harmonious whole4 ,the swing and action of the figures1 too1 are also among the marvels of this sombre record of man's battle with the might of the remorseless elements4' ,evidently ',the ,shipwreck' did not please ,sir ,john ,fleming ,leicester1 afterwards ,lord de ,tabley1 its purchaser in #ahjf from ,turner's studio where it was exhibited1 as much as it pleases ,mr4 ,wyllie to-day4 ,lord de ,tabley exchanged his purchase for ',the ,sun ,rising ,through ,vapour1' and ',the ,shipwreck' went to form one of the mass of hoarded pictures in ,queen ,anne ,street1 that eventually became the property of the nation1 with the 'delight studies1' the nineteen thousand 'pieces of paper1' and the rest1 making altogether the largest amount of work produced1 single-handed1 by any artist since the world began4 ,,chapter ,,xiii #ahjf3 ,,aged ,,thirty-,,one ,,the ,,chaos ,,of ,,the ',,hesperides' ,,and ,,the ,,peace ,,of ',,abingdon' ,perhaps it is such pictures as ',the ,goddess of ,discord choosing the ,apple by ,contention in the ,garden of the ,hesperides' that folk have in mind when they say that they neither like nor understand ,turner4 ,and do the pages that ,ruskin has devoted to the 'wonderful ,hesperides1' that futilely magnificent attempt1 hardly worth attempting1 to outvie ,nicolas ,poussin1 entice the observer to any closer observation of ',the ,garden of the ,hesperides'8 ,i think not4 ,we are uninterested in ,turner's dragons1 this or any other4 ,what does it matter if 'the mighty articulations of his body' do roll 'in great iron waves1 a cataract of coiling strength and crashing armour1 down among the mountain rents'8 ,yet how often1 how very often1 the wonderful mind of ,ruskin pierced to the truth4 ,what could be better said than this3 ',nearly all the faults of the picture are owing to ,poussin2 and all its virtues to the ,alps4' ,yes1 ,turner is here soaring to the mountain-tops1 but he is also on his high earthly horse4 ,yet1 to look long enough at the ',hesperides' is to be lost in admiration of those mad mountain forms1 and to see in them the giant workings of the magician's mind4 ,turner's ',ode to ,discord1' inspired by the idea of the ',hesperides1' inspires us less1 ,i am afraid1 than does the picture4 ,here are two of the lines3-- ',the guardian dragon1 in himself a host1 ,awed by thy presence1 slumbered at his post4' ',venus and ,adonis1' which he painted about this time in emulation of ,titian1 and which was not exhibited until #ahdi1 is simpler1 but let it pass4 ,turner had his golden visions1 now as afterwards1 but he is too engrossed in competitive fury to rise often to the simplicity of expressing simply his wonder at the beauty of the world4 ,in the ',hesperides' ,sketch-,book there is a study for the famous and absurd ,dragon1 and on the same page is a pen and ink suggestion for the beautiful picture of ',abingdon' exhibited in #ahaj4 ,that was ,turner3 to be busy at the same moment with the theatricality of the ,dragon and the peace of ,abingdon4 ,but his mind was ever restless1 ever pushing forward4 ,in this year the ,liber ,studiorum was also engaging his attention1 and other things1 too1 that have become interesting because he wrote them down4 ,on page #a of the ',hesperides' ,sketch-,book there is a pencil drawing of a building with trees1 and written in the corner are these words--his momentary needs3-- ',varnish ,razor ,blue ,black ,bt4 ,sienna ,fishing ,rod4 ,flies1 ,pallet knife ,shoes4' ,turner as ,fisherman4 ,a clever writer might compose an essay on that subject1 garnering his material from the ,sketch-,books4 ,,chapter ,,xiv #ahjg3 ,,aged ,,thirty-,,two ,,he ,,begins ,,the ',,liber ,,studiorum' ,,and ,,exhibits ',,the ,,sun ,,rising ,,through ,,vapour' ,on ,january #bj1 #ahjg1 the first part1 containing five plates1 of the ,liber ,studiorum was published4 ,it would need a book to give an adequate account of the history of this great work of ,turner's1 begun in emulation of ,claude ,lorrain's ,liber ,veritatis and continued until #ahai1 when1 being a financial failure1 it ceased to appear4 ,the original scheme of the ,liber was for one hundred plates1 of which seventy only and the frontispiece were published1 leaving thirty to make up the number1 twenty of which were in various stages of etching and mezzotinting when the work ceased in #ahai4 ,these have passed through many vicissitudes4 ,mr4 ,frank ,short has in recent years brought his accomplished art to the engraving of sixteen of them4 ,turner made the first drawings for the ,liber when on a visit to ,mr4 ,wells at ,knoekholt in ,kent1 who persuaded him to undertake the work4 ,he required 'much and long-continued spurring4' ,at last1 after he had been well goaded1 one morning1 half in a pet he said3 ',zounds1 ,gaffer1 there will be no peace with you till ,i begin--well1 give me a sheet of paper there1 rule the size for me1 tell me what ,i shall take4' ,then he began1 and the first five subjects 'were completed and arranged for publication4' ,mr4 ,w4 ,g4 ,rawlinson's volume is the authority on the ,liber1 wherein ,turner sought to 'display in engraved form the whole range of his powers1 and to rival on their own ground his predecessors --,claude1 ,poussin1 ,rembrandt1 ,backhuysen1 ,cuyp1 ,van de ,velde1 ,wilson1 ,gainsborough1 as well as the painters of his day4' ,turner made a hundred or more sepia drawings for the work1 eighty-four of which are in the ,turner ,collection at ,millbank4 ,he etched with his own hand the foundation outline on the copper plate1 which was then handed over to the professional engravers in mezzotint1 who worked under his supervision1 and a hard taskmaster he proved4 ,to one who is enamoured of the lovely and luminous colour of ,turner in his supreme period1 it is a fresh revelation of his power to see a room hung with first states--rich1 velvety1 profound--of the ,liber1 and to find how great is his spell even in monochrome4 ,i know two such rooms1 and never does the spell fail to work4 ,the original sepia drawings have not this power in equal degree with the engravings1 which simply shows how well ,turner knew his business4 ,on this subject ,ruskin wrote the following letter to a correspondent1 which was published in the ,literary ,gazette for ,november #ac1 #aheh3-- ',you object that the drawings for the ,liber ,studiorum are not included in my catalogue4 ,they are not so1 because ,i did not consider them as1 in a true sense1 drawings at all4 ,they are merely washes of colour1 laid roughly to guide the mezzotint engraver in his first process2 the drawing properly so-called1 was all put in by ,turner when he etched the plates1 or superadded by repeated touchings on the proofs4 ,these brown guides1 for they are nothing more1 are entirely unlike the painter's usual work1 and in every way inferior to it2 so that students wishing to understand the composition of the ,liber must always work from the plates1 and not from these first indications of purpose4' ,little did ,turner care that ,claude's rough sketches in the ,liber ,veritatis were mere memoranda of his pictures for the purpose of identification4 ,turner put his whole heart and soul into the ,liber1 and also into the business arrangements with the engravers1 and with the public2 but that was the heart and soul of a tradesman1 not of an artist4 ,yet the artist is very evident in his corrections on the proofs of the ,liber1 as of all his engraved work4 ,his way may have been rough1 ungenerous and grasping1 but his corrections were always towards perfection4 ,men love the ,liber1 men whom the modern movement in art does not intrigue4 ,one ,i know counts ',the ,straw ,yard' the most desirable of his possessions2 another has consoled himself for the rigours of life by acquiring ',norham ,castle1' ',raglan ,castle1' ',calais ,harbour1' ',aesacus and ,hesperie' 7engraved by ,turner himself71 ',the ,source of the ,arveron1' ',ben ,arthur1' ',the ,peat ,bog1' ',the ,junction of the ,wye and the ,severn1' and some of the plates that ,mr4 ,frank ,short has engraved so beautifully4 ,at ,christie's in the spring of #aiaj ,i saw a private collector acquire a complete set of the seventy-one published plates1 all in the first state except the ',aesacus and ,hesperie4' ,he paid but three hundred and seventy guineas for the set1 as the margins were hidden by mounts and frames4 ,had the engravings been in portfolios1 plain to the eye as whole and uncut1 he would probably have had to pay double that price4 ',the meaning of the entire book1' says ,ruskin1 'was symbolised in the frontispiece1 which he engraved with his own hand--,tyre at ,sunset1 with the ,rape of ,europa1 indicating the symbolism of the decay of ,europe by that of ,tyre1 its beauty passing away into terror and judgment 7,europa being the mother of ,minos and ,rhadamathus74' ,turner's advertisement was simpler3-- ',intended as an illustration of ,landscape ,composition1 classed as follows3 ,historical1 ,mountainous1 ,pastoral1 ,marine1 and ,architectural4' ,the letters on the seventy published plates indicate the class to which they belong4 ,thus ,e4 ,p4 on the ',woman with ,tambourine1' one of the five forming the first part1 signifies ,elegant ,pastoral4 ,the proportions were as follows1 ,pastoral #ad1 ,elegant ,pastoral #ad1 ,mountainous #ab1 ,architectural #aa1 ,marine #aa1 ,historical #h4 ,this year1 in spite of the anxiety and interest of issuing the ,liber1 ,turner had the energy to tilt at ,wilkie4 ,in the ,academy of the previous year high praise had been awarded to ,wilkie's ',politicians'2 so in #ahjg ,turner produced ',the ,blacksmith's ,shop' of which the original title was ',a ,country ,blacksmith ,disputing upon the price of ,iron and the price charged to the ,butcher for ,shoeing his ,pony4' ,turner never lost faith in his own works4 ,twenty years later he repurchased ',the ,blacksmith' at ,lord de ,tabley's sale4 ,the other picture of this year was that glowing and characteristic ,turner1 with the sun nearly in the centre of the picture1 where ,claude was wont to place it1 now called ',the ,sun ,rising ,through ,vapour1' but formerly catalogued as ',the ,sun ,rising in a ,mist1' one of the first of his large pictures of light and atmosphere4 ,some of his gold he outspreads for us1 but he is still under the domination of the crowded1 littered foreground4 ',it is curious1' says ,mr4 ,wyllie1 'that in this picture1 a work that the painter thought worthy to be bequeathed to the nation1 the figures of the fishermen should be taken almost exactly from a picture by ,teniers1 and the men-of-war are the snub-nosed high-pooped ships of ,van de ,velde's time1 with sprit topmast at the bowsprit end and lateen mizzens4' ,this picture and the ',dido ,building ,carthage1' exhibited in #ahae1 were bequeathed by ,turner to the nation on the condition that they should be hung between ,claude's ',marriage ,festival of ,isaac and ,rebecca' and the ',embarkation of the ,queen of ,sheba4' ,these four noble works are now the feature of the small ,turner room at the ,national ,gallery which represents the painter since the removal of the bulk of his pictures to the ,tate ,gallery4 ,the ,claudes hang between the ,turners1 the precise condition contained in the will having been cancelled by order of the ,court of ,chancery4 ,i do not think1 as ,i have already stated1 that ,claude suffers from the challenge4 ,turner to-day1 in the year of his triumph1 has those who adore him2 but he also has his ,laodiceans1 and even those who dislike his work and confess their dislike4 ,so it has always been4 ,morris ,moore1 when asked by the ,lord ,elcho of his day if he considered ,turner a distinguished artist1 answered3--' ,no6 ,turner's early works certainly indicate a good feeling for colour1 but he is absurdly overrated4 ,the hanging of two such pictures as ,the ,sun ,rising ,through ,vapour1 and the ,dido ,building ,carthage in the immediate vicinity of the finest ,claudes and other noble works of the ,national ,gallery is a disgrace to the country4' ,the country has survived many disgraces1 and we can manage to survive this one4 ,all great men have had their detractors1 and sometimes the detractor who comes to curse remains to bless4 ,such was the case of the ,japanese artist1 ,yoshio ,markino4 ,on page #adj of his book1 ,a ,japanese ,artist in ,london1 he says3-- ',although ,i am myself such a great admirer of ,turner now1 ,i was not so until ,hara a compatriot came4 ,in fact1 ,i hated ,turner4 ,just a few days after ,hara arrived in ,london1 he and ,i went to the ,national ,gallery and sat down on the seats in the ,turner room4 ',i said to him1 ,the greatest heroes in this world were generally the greatest deceivers4 ,don't you think ,turner was one of the greatest heroes and deceivers8 ',why8 ',why6 come and look at this picture of ',trafalgar ,battle4' ,look at these figures6 ,look at ,nelson6 ,what an awful drawing6 ,i think even a ten years' old child could draw better figures4 ,oh1 ,turner was such a speculator6' ,hara made no reply4 ,hara waited4 ,later he conducted ,markino to the ,tate ,gallery1 where the 'unfinished ,turners' were exposed4 ,markino continues3-- ',i watched one picture more than twenty minutes1 then ,i went back to some certain pictures again4 ,those wonderful atmospheric effects6 ,the colours were breathing6 ,the tones were moving6 ,i had quite forgotten myself until the closing time came4' ,later he returned to the ,national ,gallery and the ,turners 'looked to him quite different4' ,he became a ,turnerite4 ,on page #add he announces that his blind eyes are opened1 that he can now see 'the wonderful arts of ,turner4' ,,chapter ,,xv #ahjh3 ,,aged ,,thirty-,,three ,,he ,,writes ,p4,p4 ,,after ,,his ,,name ,,and ,,paints ,,in ,a ,,garden ,,at ,,hammersmith ,yoshio ,markino is not alone in his adverse criticism of the ,battle of ,trafalgar1 as seen from the mizzen starboard shrouds of the ,victory1 known as ',the ,death of ,nelson1 ,october #bast1 #ahje1 at the ,battle of ,trafalgar on board the ,victory4 ,we all admire this work for the splendour of the decorative scheme1 the gathered masses of golden brown1 and the towering fantasy of the sails4 ,to me it is the most attractive of the earlier pictures4 ,i never look at the details2 but those details aroused adverse criticism while the picture was being painted1 and after exhibition4 ,turner cared little about accuracy2 he was an artist1 not an illustrator4 ,when he was asked to paint the ',trafalgar' picture as a companion to ',a ,sea ,fight' by de ,loutherbourg1 he had not the slightest intention of producing an accurate representation of the death of ,nelson4 ,he saw the scene decoratively1 and decoratively he painted it4 ,some of the contemporary criticisms are amusing4 ,nelson's ,flag-,captain pronounced it to be 'more like a street scene than a battle1 and the ships more like houses than men-of-war4' ,a ,greenwich pensioner is said to have exclaimed3 ',i can't make ,english of it1 ,sir4 ,it wants altering altogether4' ,another remarked3 ',what a ,trafalgar6 ,it is a d----d deal more like a brickfield4' ,turner was instructed daily1 while painting ',the ,death of ,nelson1' by the naval men about the court1 and it is said that on eleven successive occasions he altered the rigging to suit the fancy of eleven successive naval visitors4 ,turner treated their criticisms as jokes3 they amused him4 ,he knew precisely what he meant to do4 ',the ,death of ,nelson' was shown at the ,british ,institution2 later he painted another version1 which is now at ,greenwich ,hospital4 ,to the ,royal ,academy he sent ',the ,unpaid ,bill1 or the ,doctor reproving his ,son's ,prodigality4' ,i have not seen this picture1 which suggests ,wilkie1 and is probably not worth a journey of discovery4 ,in the ,royal ,academy catalogue of this year1 #ahjh1 we find for the first time the words1 ,professor of ,perspective1 after ,turner's name1 and in addition to the address #fd ,harley ,street1 that of ,west ,end1 ,upper ,mall1 ,hammersmith4 ,turner was proud of his ,professorship2 this he showed by often affixing1 in his correspondence1 the letters ,p4,p4 to his name4 ,as might be expected1 his lectures on ,perspective were unlike the lectures of any other professor4 ,thornbury remarks3 ',when ,turner lectured on perspective he was often at a loss to find words to express the views he wished to communicate1 but when the spirit did stir within him1 and he could find utterance to his thoughts1 he soared as high above the common order of lecturers as he did in the regions of art4' ,thornbury1 whose stories and comments one always quotes with trepidation1 his inaccuracies being so consistent1 continues with the following humorous paragraph3-- ',turner's want of expression rendered him almost useless as a ,professor of ,perspective1 though he took great pains to prepare the most learned diagrams4 ,he confessed that he knew much more of the art than he could explain4 ,his sketch-books contain many drawings evidently made in preparation for these lectures4 ,on one memorable occasion the hour had come for his lecture4 ,the ,professor arrived--the buzz of the students subsided4 ,the ,professor mounts his desk--every eye is fixed on him and on his blackboard4 ,but the ,professor is uneasy--he is perturbed4 ,he dives now into one pocket--now into the other--no6 ,now he begins1 but what he says is ',gentlemen1 ,i've been and left my lecture in the hackney-coach4' ,i have no doubt the ,professor would rather have painted five epical pictures than have had to deliver one lecture on ,perspective4' ,among the ,turner relics lent by ,mr4 ,c4 ,mallord ,turner to the ,tate ,gallery are the manuscripts of the ,lectures on ,perspective4 ,mr4 ,d4 ,c4 ,m,c,coll1 in an article on ',turner's ,lectures at the ,academy' which he contributed to the ,burlington ,magazine1 said3-- ',i am not yet in a position to say whether the labour of disentangling that part of the text which deals with the ordinary problems of perspective1 would be repaid by its result2 but the series concludes with a review of landscape painting by ,turner1 which certainly deserved to be printed4 ,however halting in expression1 ,turner's word upon ,drer1 ,holbein1 ,titian1 ,rubens1 ,claude1 ,wilson and ,gainsborough should not be lost4 ,the lecture also on ',reflexes'--i4e4 reflections of light and colour--and incidental passages in the other lectures should be put on record4' ,turner's word1 halting in expression1 upon many great painters1 together with his own aesthetic searchings1 may be found1 as the reader knows1 in the ,inventory4 ,in the ',tabley' ,sketch-,book1 dated #ahjh1 there is a long involved passage on reflections1 beginning ',reflections not only appear darker but longer than the object which occasions them1 and if the ripple or hollow of the wave is long enough to make an angle with the eye1 it is on these undulating lines that the object reflects1 and transmits all perpendicular objects lower towards the spectator4444' ,turner's ',windmill and ,lock' in the collection of ,sir ,frederick ,cook at ,richmond is clearly based on a close study of ,rembrandt's ',mill4' ,pages #ag and #ai of the ',greenwich' ,sketch-,book contain the following 'halting in expression' notes3-- '444 ,rembrandt is a strong instance of caution as to reflected light and ,correggio 787 to refracted light4 ,two instances of the strongest class may be found in the celebrated pictures of the ,mill and ,la ,notte4 ,the ,mill has but one light1 that is to say1 upon the mill1 for the sky altho' a greater body or mass if reduced to black and white yet is not perceptible of sun's ray by any indication of form1 but rather a glow of approaching light1 but the sails of the mill are loaded with the 444 ray1 while all below is lost in 444 gloom without the value of ,reflected light which even the sky commands1 and the ray upon the mill insists upon1 while the #a_/b gleam upon the water admits the reflection of the sky4 ,ev 444 twilight is all reflection but in ,rembrandt it is all darkness and gleam of light1 etc'4 ,i turn with relief from ,turner on ,perspective and ,reflected ,light to the thought of his pretty country retreat at ,west ,end1 ,upper ,mall1 ,hammersmith1 whither he went1 it is said1 to be near de ,loutherbourg1 'whose imaginative genius he much admired4' ',a friend' communicated to ,thornbury the following glimpse of the life at ,hammersmith3-- ',the garden1 which ran down to the river1 terminated in a summer-house2 and here1 out in the open air1 were painted some of his best pictures4 ,it was there that my father1 who then resided at ,kew1 became first acquainted with him2 and expressing his surprise that ,turner could paint under such circumstances1 he remarked that lights and room were absurdities1 and that a picture could be painted anywhere4 ,his eyes were remarkably strong4 ,he would throw down his water-colour drawings on the floor of the summer-house1 requesting my father not to touch them1 as he could see them there1 and they would be drying at the same time4' ,in that happy mood no doubt he painted the seventeen 'beginnings' of pictures1 exhibited for the first time in #aiaj in ,room ,,xi4 of the new ,turner ,gallery--large beginnings of riparian and rural scenes1 free and decorative1 that he no doubt exhibited in his own studio1 inviting patrons to commission 'finished' pictures from these delightful suggestions4 ,he spent happy days making them1 and in the garden at ,hammersmith1 but it is probable that the important event of #ahjh to ,turner1 ever ambitious1 ever reaching forward1 ever clutching at fame1 was the privilege of writing the letters ,p4,p4 after his name4 ,,chapter ,,xvi #ahji3 ,,aged ,,thirty-,,four ,,he ,,exhibits ,,the ,,glowing ',,river ,,scene ,,with ,,cattle1' ,,and ,,refuses ,,to ,,sell ',,bligh ,,sand' ,turner was an experimentalist1 a seeker4 ,if we did not possess the actual dates when most of his pictures were painted or exhibited1 it would be difficult to assign a year to many4 ,some are a recurrent surprise and joy1 standing out from their period1 swift interpretations of something seen in nature1 evocations of colour or decorative harmony4 ,consider his ',river ,scene with ,cattle' exhibited in his studio in #ahji4 ,for a long time it hung apart from the other ,turners at the ,tate ,gallery1 and it was always with a feeling of exhilaration that ,i encountered the russet cattle standing by this golden river1 golden clouds and golden sand1 and the two sailing barges gliding down the wide estuary to the sea4 ,the work is harmonious2 nothing in it offends4 ,the children wading and playing on the shore are natural2 the cattle seen against the sky 'happen' as beasts do in nature1 and the whole picture lies bathed in a rich glow4 ,equally pleasant to look upon is ',bligh ,sand1' beautiful still1 but what must it have been in its first freshness8 ,it was becoming darker in ,thornbury's time1 which he ascribes to ,turner's use of the dangerous sugar of lead4 ,although painted in #ahji ',bligh ,sand' was not exhibited at the ,royal ,academy until #ahae4 ,sir ,george ,beaumont wished to buy it from the studio1 but ,turner1 having a grudge against ,constable's patron for his lack of early appreciation of his works1 refused to sell ',bligh ,sand near ,sheerness4' ,years later1 when the ,turner ,gallery in ,queen ,anne ,street fell into disorder and untidiness1 this beautiful picture was placed in front of a broken window and used as a draught protector4 ,the ,turnerian cats were able to squeeze past it as they passed to and from the studio4 ',london from ,greenwich1' a quiet1 meditative ,turner1 was also painted in #ahji1 and ',spithead3 ,boat's ,crew ,recovering an ,anchor1' also the little panel called ',the ,garreteer's ,petition4' ,as nobody ever looks at this stupid little picture1 ,i may remark that it represents a poet working in his attic at midnight1 that on the walls of the attic are pasted a plan of ,parnassus and a table of fasts1 and that the catalogue contained these lines1 manifestly ,turner's1 with the words 'long sought' italicised1 pathetically sincere coming from ,turner3-- ',aid me1 ye powers8 ,o bid my thoughts to roll ,in quick succession1 animate my soul2 ,descend my ,muse1 and every thought refine1 ,and finish well my long1 my long sought line4' ,to this year belongs one of the ',petworth' ,sketch-,books with views of the house and the park where he was to spend so many happy days4 ,at ,petworth ,house and at ,farnley ,hall he was always welcome1 and they are still places of pilgrimage for ,turnerians eager to see works which have never left the walls for which they were painted4 ,farnley ,hall has been called ,turner's shrine4 ,two of the modern rooms are consecrated to him4 ',one1' says ,sir ,walter ,armstrong1 'is hung round with drawings2 in the other1 three great oil-pictures ,dordrecht1 ,rembrandt's ,daughter1 and an unnamed ,sea ,piece decorate the walls1 while the tables groan under albums and solander cases fitted with smaller things1 and those studies of birds which so moved the soul of ,ruskin4' #ahji is also memorable as being the initial year of what ,ruskin called his ',yorkshire period1' which continued with various developments until about #ahbj4 ,ruskin1 in his beautiful prose1 describes the characteristics of the ,yorkshire drawings3-- ',of all his drawings1 ,i think those of the ,yorkshire series have the most heart in them1 the most affectionate1 simple1 unwearied serious finishings of truth4 ,there is in them little seeking after effect1 but a strong love of place2 little exhibition of the artist's own powers or peculiarities1 but intense appreciation of the smallest local minuti4444 ,no alpine cloud could efface1 no ,italian sunshine outshine the memories of the pleasant days of ,rokeby and ,bolton2 and many a simple promontory dim with southern olive1 many a lone cliff that stooped unnoticed over some alien wave1 was recorded by him with a love and delicate care that were the shadows of old thoughts and long-lost delights1 whose charm yet hung like morning mist above the chanting waves of ,wharfe and ,greta4' ,what was ,turner like in appearance and dress about this period8 ,well1 the following description has been preserved3-- ',the very moral of a master carpenter1 with lobster-red face1 twinkling staring grey eyes1 white tie1 blue coat with brass buttons1 crab-shell turned up boots1 large fluffy hat and enormous umbrella4' ,a somewhat rough and rude description4 ,his manners could be rude and rough1 too4 ,a year or two later1 ,thomson of ,duddingston invited him to see his pictures4 ,turner came1 and his companion was eager to hear what the great landscape painter would say about his works4 ,he surveyed them carefully1 but the only remark he made was3 ',you beat me in frames4' ,,chapter ,,xvii #ahaj3 ,,aged ,,thirty-,,five ,a ,,quiet ,,year ,,and ,,an ,,early ,,golden ,,vision ,enter an early golden vision4 ,the title in the catalogue is ',a ,mountain ,stream' and the official description runs3 ',the torrent winds swiftly round the base of a rocky cliff surmounted by trees1 and lashes itself into foam here and there as it flows over boulders in the river bed4' ,i know not where this attractive but somewhat hard golden vision was painted1 but its date is certainly about #ahaj4 ,what a simplification of vision and of title after such a medley as ',the ,goddess of ,discord choosing the ,apple of ,contention in the ,garden of the ,hesperides'2 how reposeful is this unsophisticated statement of the seeing eye after the piled up incidents of ',calais ,pier4' ,it would seem that ,turner was in a reflective peace-with-the-world mood in this year1 as indeed he had been since he painted the seventeen large 'beginnings' of riparian and rural oil-pictures mentioned in ,chapter ,,xv4 ,to #ahaj we may ascribe the placid ',windsor' and the pastoral ',abingdon' which was sold to ,mr4 ,g4 ,hibbert1 and re-purchased by ,turner at the ,hibbert sale in #ahbi4 ,it must have been an interesting sight to watch ,turner re-purchasing his sold pictures1 and taking them back to his cheerless gallery4 ,in later years he owned three houses1 two in ,harley ,street and one in ,queen ,anne ,street1 communicating mysteriously at the back1 and leaving the corner building in other hands4 ,the houses are now pulled down1 and the tablet commemorating his residence is affixed to the new building of the ,howard de ,walden estate office in ,queen ,anne ,street4 ,it may have been about this period that ,mrs4 ,r---- and ,mrs4 ,h---- paid ,turner the visit1 an account of which was communicated to ,thornbury by ,mr4 ,rose of ,jersey3-- ',two ladies1 ,mrs4 ,r---- and ,mrs4 ,h---- once paid him a visit in ,harley ,street1 an extremely rare 7in fact1 if not the only7 occasion of such an occurrence1 for it must be known he was not fond of parties prying1 as he fancied1 into the secrets of his mnage4 ,on sending in their names1 after having ascertained that he was at home1 they were politely requested to walk in1 and were shown into a large sitting-room without a fire4 ,this was in the depth of winter2 and lying about in various places were several cats without tails4 ,in a short time our talented friend made his appearance1 asking the ladies if they felt cold4 ,the youngest replied in the negative2 her companion1 more curious1 wished she had stated otherwise1 as she hoped they might have been shown into his sanctum or studio4 ,after a little conversation he offered them wine and biscuits1 which they partook of for the novelty1 such an event being almost unprecedented in his house4 ,one of the ladies bestowing some notice upon the cats1 he was induced to remark that he had seven1 and that they came from the ,isle of ,man4' ,the ,wreck of the ,minotaur on the ,haak ,sands' was a subject after his own heart4 ,i have not seen this sea-piece1 which ,mr4 ,wyllie describes as the most 'splendid sea-picture that has ever been painted2 the power of the waves and the littleness of man have never been so magnificently suggested4' ,that is high praise for a ,turnerian sea-picture by a modern painter of the sea4 ,yes1 a quiet year this seems to have been for ,turner1 marked by the repose of the ',abingdon' and the ',windsor1' the stately pictures of ',lowther ,castle' at noon and evening1 ',petworth ,house1 ,dewy ,morning1' and that golden dream called ',a ,mountain ,stream1' to which probably he gave no title1 a little hard1 a little tight1 but an augury of the subtle effects of light and vapour that were to float from his brush when the chief had advanced to a complete realisation of his vision of essential beauty4 ,,part ,,four #ahaa-ahbj ,,from ,a ,,journey ,,to ,,devonshire ,,to ,,his ,,return ,,from ,,italy ,,chapter ,,xviii #ahaa3 ,,aged ,,thirty-,,six ',,apollo ,,killing ,,the ,,python' ,,and ,a ,,picnic ',the ,python was a dragon which lived at ,crissa1 in the vicinity of ,delphi1 and committed great havoc among cattle and the inhabitants4 ,the ,pythian games there celebrated were established in commemoration of the destruction of the ,python by ,apollo4' ,so runs the official description in the catalogue appended to ',apollo ,killing the ,python4' ,when it was exhibited in #ahaa1 ,turner supplied six lines from the ,hymn of ,callimachus4 beginning3-- ',envenora'd by thy darts1 the monster coil'd1 ,portentous1 horrible1 and vast his snake-like form4444' ',mercury and ,herse' was illumined by this couplet from ,ovid's ,metamorphoses3-- ',close by the sacred walls in wide ,munichio's plain1 ,the ,god well pleased beheld the virgin train6' ,how tiresome these descriptions and tags of verse seem1 and how old-fashioned ',apollo ,killing the ,python' looks1 yet ,i have only to gaze at it for five minutes to be hypnotised by its grandeur2 but the mood passes1 and ,ruskin's panegyric does not restore it1 that succinct panegyric--',this is one of the very noblest of all ,turner's works1 and therefore ,i do not scruple to say1 one of the noblest pictures in the world4' ,the pages of ,modern ,painters roll on in magnificent and eloquent periods on ',apollo ,killing the ,python4' ,certain of the passages one knows by heart1 few of them have anything to do with the art of ,turner1 and some are untrue1 such as--',he was without hope'2 ',turner painted the labour of men1 their sorrow and their death4' ,often ,ruskin's prose leaves us breathless1 almost crushed3-- ',fancy him the dragon moving1 and the roaring of the ground under his rings2 the grinding down of the rocks by his toothed whorls2 the skeleton glacier of him in thunderous march1 and the ashes of the hills rising round him like smoke1 and encompassing him like a curtain4' ,the quotation from ,ovid and the theme of ',apollo ,killing the ,python' suggest that ,ovid's ,metamorphoses was one of the few books that ,turner really studied and read through1 probably again and again1 as he found most of his subjects for classical pictures in ,ovid4 ,monkhouse considers that with the exception of ',ulysses ,deriding ,polyphemus1' there is none greater than the ',apollo ,killing the ,python4' ,that must remain a matter of opinion4 ,to me it seems that ,ovid only confused ,turner's imagination4 ,he needed no classical legend to paint such masterpieces as ',norham ,castle at ,sunrise1' ',the ,evening ,star1' ',the ,burial of ,wilkie1' ',rain1 ,steam and ,speed1' ',the ,snowstorm1' or the later interpretations of ,venice4 ,let us turn from books1 even from the classic ,metamorphoses1 to nature1 to ,devonshire1 where in this year1 or thereabouts1 ,cyrus ,redding met him1 to whom we owe delightful accounts of ,turner in holiday mood4 ,on one of these excursions ,turner once actually gave a picnic 'in excellent taste4' ',our host1' says ,redding1 was 'agreeable but terse1 blunt1 and almost epigrammatic at times4 ,never given to waste his words1 nor remarkably choice in their arrangement1 they were always in their right place and admirably effective4' ,an account has also been preserved of a scene in an inn where they conversed until nearly midnight1 when ,turner laid his head upon the table and was soon sound asleep4 ,they were up with the sun1 and it was at that early hour that ,turner made his sketch for ',crossing the ,brook' exhibited in #ahae4 ,another excursion was by sea4 ,the morning was squally1 and the sea rolled boisterously into the sound4 ,then they landed and-- ',turner was all the while quiet1 watching the troubled scene1 and it was not unworthy his notice4 ,the island1 the solitary hut upon it1 the bay in the bight of which it lay1 and the long gloomy ,bolt ,head to seaward1 against which the waves broke with fury1 seemed to absorb the entire notice of the artist1 who scarcely spoke a syllable4 ,while the fish were getting ready1 ,turner mounted nearly to the highest point of the island rock1 and seemed writing rather than drawing4 ,the wind was almost too violent for either purpose2 what he particularly noted he did not say4' ,and here is a specimen of ,turner's conversation1 showing how true was his observation3-- ',he was looking at a seventy-four gun ship1 which lay in the shadow under ,saltash4 ,the ship seemed one dark mass4 ',i told you that would be the effect1 said ,turner1 referring to some previous conversation4 ,now1 as you observe1 it is all shade4 ',yes1 ,i perceive it2 and yet the ports are there4 ',we can only take what is visible--no matter what may be there4 ,there are people in the ship2 we don't see them through the planks4' ,turner's friends could have told ,ruskin how untrue was such a statement as 'he was without hope4' ,like ordinary mortals he had his good days and his bad days1 his hours of fun and his hours of gloom1 his moments of kindness and his moments of cruelty4 ',his spirits1' says ,thornbury1 'were high1 deep as were occasionally his fits of melancholy4' ,once he wrote a letter to ,calcott1 in which he drew a wild duck or mallard1 a pun on his second name2 and as to his kindness1 there is the story1 one of many1 of his generosity at the #ahaa ,academy to a young artist called ,bird1 whose picture had been crowded out4 ,turner begged the ,hanging ,committee to restore the work1 insisting that it was too good to be rejected4 ,they agreed1 but declined to alter the hanging4 ,turner had another long look at ,bird's picture1 and then1 taking down one of his own of the same size1 hung ,bird's in its place4 ,i wonder was that 'one of his own' the ',scarborough1' exhibited this year1 the large1 beautiful1 and simple sketch for which is in the ,national ,collection1 one of the 'unfinished' water-colours reproduced in these pages4 ,we begin to understand something of ,turner the man as well as of ,turner the artist4 ,as an artist he seems the more wonderful1 the more one studies him4 ,to-day ,i looked again at his ',innsbruck1' his ',sketch of an ,italian ,town1' and his ',lake of ,brienz' at the ,victoria and ,albert ,museum4 ,those three water-colours1 stages in his development1 are sufficient to make an ordinary painter's reputation4 ,,chapter ,,xix #ahab3 ,,aged ,,thirty-,,seven ,,he ,,exhibits ',,hannibal ,,crossing ,,the ,,alps1' ,,suggested ,,by ,a ,,snowstorm ,,he ,,had ,,seen ,,at ,,farnley ,in one of the ,sketch-,books for this year labelled ',sandycombe and ,yorkshire' are the following1 on the same page1 in ,turner's handwriting4 ,we can imagine the reasons why he composed the tortuous passage on ,salvator's 'powers of rapidity4' ,did he1 ,i wonder1 buy the mattress8 ',salvator ,rosa painted a picture for the ,constable of ,france in a day1 and carried it home1 which rapidity so captivated the ,constable that he ordered another large one1 which he likewise began1 finished and sent home1 that 787 well paid for by purses of gold and as ,constable commented which would be first weary1 but upon the production of the fifth the employer sent two purses and declined rivalship with the artist's powers of rapidity4 ,candles #a ,trout #b ,pillow #af ,mattress #a4 #aa4 #f4 ,the next ,sketch-,book is short1 and devoted to ,farnley4 ,the idea of the ',snowstorm1 ,hannibal and ,his ,army ,crossing the ,alps1' came to ,turner through a storm he saw at ,farnley4 ,one wild day ,turner called loudly from the doorway3-- ',hawkey6 ,hawkey6 come here6 ,look at this thunderstorm--isn't it wonderful8 ,isn't it sublime8' ,and while he talked he was making notes of its form and colour on the back of a letter4 ,young ,mr4 ,hawkes proposed a drawing block but ,turner said the letter did very well4 ,he was absorbed1 entranced1 while the storm rolled and swept1 and the lightning flashed over the ,yorkshire hills4 ,when the storm had passed ,turner returned to the room and said3-- ',there1 ,hawkey4 ,in two years you will see this again1 and call it ,hannibal ,crossing the ,alps4' ,we look at this tumultuous picture to-day and think of that thunderstorm at ,farnley as we watch the lurid sun through the storm of snow that threatens to overwhelm the muddled1 huddled1 ,carthaginian army4 ,yes3 it is wonderful as was the thunderstorm to ,turner4 ,this picture1 in a category between his classical works and his sunlight visions1 was accompanied by nine halting1 unpoetical lines from the ,fallacies of ,hope1 this being the first time that a quotation from that poem was attached to the ,r4 ,a4 catalogues4 ,the title was modified1 probably1 from ,campbell's ,pleasures of ,hope4 ',craft1 treachery1 and fraud--,salassian force-- ,hung on the fainting rear2 then plunder seized ,the victor and the captive1--,saguntum's spoil ,alike became their prey2 still the chief advanc'd1 ,looked on the sun with hope2 low1 broad1 and wan ,while the fierce archer of the downward year ,stains ,italy's blanched barrier with storms4 ,in vain each pass1 ensanguined deep with dead ,or rocky fragments1 wide destruction roll'd4' ,and the eyes fall upon two lines that mean something1 that aptly express the thought of the dumb poet1 the lines which ,i quoted in ,chapter ,,iii41--',still the chief advanced1 ,looked on the sun with hope'--,turner's fitting epitaph1 and life-long aspiration4 ,he added to the ,fallacies of ,hope off and on for forty years1 and it dealt with almost every conceivable subject from the ,deluge to ,napoleon4 ,this year his town address is given as ,queen ,anne ,street ,west1 but1 as ,i have already explained1 this did not mean a change of domicile1 as the three houses1 two in ,harley ,street and one in ,queen ,anne ,street1 were the same dwelling with a communication at the back4 ,turner1 ,thornbury tells us1 almost entirely rebuilt his house in ,queen ,anne ,street1 and while all the houses round it from time to time smartened themselves up1 this alone remained unchanged4 ,the ,gallery in later years1 as we know1 became most dilapidated3-- ,the oiled paper of the skylight hung down in black1 sooty1 furred slips4 ,the damp here and there had free access2 and it is certain that while many of the pictures ripened and improved1 others were cracked1 warped1 chilled1 and seriously injured4 ,both the ,hero and ,leander1 and ,the ,building of ,carthage1 suffered4 ,mr4 ,e4 ,godall tells me that in one picture particularly1 a great white button of paint that had stood for the sun had dropped off4 ',i think some one has picked it off intentionally1 he could not help saying4 ',i think he has1 replied ,turner1 quite unmoved4' ,turner was 'quite unmoved4' ,as he grew older he cared less and less for the things that most people deem so important4 ,his golden visions did not depend upon material accessories4 ,may we not find a hint of his almost inarticulate inner life in that little red book unearthed by ,thornbury from his studio1 where1 amid notes about chemistry1 memoranda as to colours1 and prophylactics against the ,maltese plague1 are certain scraps of verse1 something about ',anna's ,kiss1' ',a ,look ,back1' ',a ,toilsome ,dream1' ',human ,joy1 ,ecstasy1 and ,hope'8 ,but ,i am anticipating4 ,we are still in the year #ahab and ,turner is preparing ',a ,frosty ,morning' for exhibition1 and considering one of his earliest series of book illustrations1--,the ,southern ,coast of ,england1 which was probably begun about #ahab1 although the first seven plates1 including ',st4 ,michael's ,mount1' ',poole1' and ',land's ,end1' were not published until #ahad4 ,the last issue was in #ahbf4 ,de ,wint1 ,clennell and ,prout were also contributors to ,the ,southern ,coast4 ,turner was to receive seven and a half guineas apiece for the drawings1 which was increased later to ten and twelve guineas4 ,but in spite of that advance he became dissatisfied and broke with ,w4 ,b4 ,cooke1 the line engraver and publisher of ,the ,southern ,coast4 ,business relations with ,turner were not easy4 ,,chapter ,,xx #ahac3 ,,aged ,,thirty-,,eight ,,hoar ,,frost ,,at ,,sunrise ,,that ,,has ,,vanished ,,from ',a ,,frosty ,,morning' ,turner was anxious about his health this year1 if we may judge from an entry in the ',chemistry and ,apuleia' ,sketch-,book detailing the symptoms of the ,maltese plague1 and the cure4 ,a 'receipt for covering ,linen to make it impenetrable to water1 etc41' follows1 then ',study of ,sky1' ',river with ,hills on ,either ,side1' notes as to varnishes and sketches of nymphs dancing1 showing that his anxiety about the symptoms of the ,maltese plague had passed away4 ,in this year he exhibited the attractive and popular ',a ,frosty ,morning3 ,sunrise1' with a quotation from ,thomson's ,seasons3 ',the rigid hoar-frost melts before his beam'2 also ',the ,deluge' with some lines from ,paradise ,lost3-- '444 down rush'd the rain ,impetuous1 and continued till the earth ,no more was seen4' ,these subjects indicate ,turner's versatility and determination to impress the public with one thing1 if not with another4 ',a ,frosty ,morning3 ,sunrise' is infinitely nearer to the real ,turner than ',the ,deluge4' ,it is a pleasant picture1 simple and direct1 a true transcript of nature2 but where is the hoar-frost which made such a sensation when the picture was exhibited8 ,it is gone like the bloom on the ,impressionist pictures in the ,caillebotte ,collection in the ,luxembourg ,gallery4 ,the form of ',a ,frosty ,morning' remains1 and it still suggests the chill of a winter sunrise1 but gone is the sparkling hoar-frost4 ,archdeacon ,fisher writing to ,constable about one of his landscapes said3 ',i have heard your great picture spoken of here by no inferior judge as one of the best in the ,exhibition4 ,i only like one better and that is a picture of pictures1 the ',frost' by ,turner4 ,but then you need not repine at this decision of mine2 you are a great man and1 like ,bonaparte1 are only to be beaten by a frost4' ,that is something2 to have one's ,academy contribution described as 'a picture of pictures1' and by one whose allegiance was given whole-heartedly to a rival painter4 ,it would be interesting to know what ,constable thought of ,turner's ',frosty ,morning3 ,sunrise4' ,already you perceive that ,turner is forsaking his rivalries1 and 'finding himself with nothing between his vision and a ,sunrise4 ,there is a personal note in this picture4 ,the horses were studied from the friendly steed ',crop-ear1' somewhat stiff in the fore-legs1 which ,turner used to drive about the country when he was staying at ,sandycombe4 ,the young ,trimmers said that ,turner painted faster than he drove1 and ,thornbury remarked that he could never draw a horse2 but ,i am sure that he could paint a hoar-frost at sunrise4 ,and if this picture had been happily rolled up and kept in the cellars of the ,national ,gallery with the other sunrise pictures1 we might to-day still be enjoying ,turner's sparkling vision of hoar-frost4 ,,chapter ,,xxi #ahad4 ,,aged ,,thirty-,,nine ,,he ,,paints ,,more ,,classical ,,pictures1 ,,turns ,,author1 ,,and ,,is ,,happy ,,at ,,sandycombe ,more classical pictures with the annoying foregrounds1 the dream buildings reflected in the still water1 and the beauty of the ,turnerian distance4 ,you can take your choice between ',dido and neas leaving ,carthage on the ,morning of the ,chase1' and ',apuleia in search of ,apuleius1' which won the premium at the ,british ,institution for the best landscape of the year4 ,unblushingly ,turner founded it on one of ,claude's sketches in his ,liber ,veritatis4 ,although he set himself to rival ,claude before all the world1 sure of his own victory1 he had not the slightest hesitation in basing his prize picture on a sketch by ,claude4 ,but there is nothing classical or imitative about his ',review at ,portsmouth' ,sketch-,book of this year with its innumerable sketches of shipping1 and its usual stumbling scraps of verse such as-- ',the floating bulwark lies ,above 787 the holy cross unfurled 787 ,blowing 444 shows the saviour of the world ,hence gloomy evil infamy's4' ,in #ahad1 as ,i have said in ,chapter ,,xix41 the first seven parts of ,the ,southern ,coast were published1 and in this year ,turner appears as an author with ill-success4 ,he had attempted to describe ',st4 ,michael's ,mount' for ,the ,southern ,coast1 and ,combe1 the editor to whom ,turner's description had been sent1 writes thus to ,cooke1 the publisher3-- ,friday afternoon4 ,my ,dear ,sir1--,i am really concerned to be obliged to say that ,mr4 ,t----'s account is the most extraordinary composition ,i have ever read4 ,it is impossible for me to correct it1 for in some parts ,i do not understand it4 ,the punctuation is everywhere defective1 and here ,i have done what ,i could1 and have sent the proof to ,mr4 ,bulmer4 ,i think the revise should be sent to ,mr4 ,t----1 to request his attention to the whole1 and particularly the part that ,i have marked as unintelligible4 ,in my private opinion1 it is scarcely an admissible article in its present state2 but as he has signed his name to it1 he will be liable to the sole blame for its imperfections4--,your faithful humble servant1 ,w4 ,c4' ,cooke suppressed ,turner's composition2 but ,combe1 evidently knowing his man1 told ,cooke that unless he wished to drive ,turner 'stark staring mad' he must be sure to send him corrected sheets of the suppressed article4 ,the end was that ,turner's contribution was cancelled4 ,in #ahbg all connection between ,cooke and ,turner was broken off4 ,turner was clearly in the wrong4 ,how could anybody work with this genius8 ',his mind1' says ,hamerton1 'was subject to confused changes and irregularities about all transactions1 owing to its want of method and clearness4' ,the ,freemasons' ,hall affair between ,turner and ,cooke must have been amusing to some1 painful to others4 ',it was1' says ,thornbury1 'a dispute about the return of some drawings 7,i think of the ,annual ,tour7 that both claimed4 ,turner's red face grew white with the depth of his rage1 ,cooke grew hot and red1 and must1 shan't1 shall1 rogue flew about4' ,in this year ,turner bought ,solus ,lodge1 later called ,sandycombe ,lodge1 on the road between ,twickenham and ,isleworth4 ,there his old father used to dig in the garden1 and look after the household1 and there ,turner spent probably some of the happiest days of his life4 ,he was friendly with the ,trimmer family of ,heston1 four miles off1 and the ,vicar1 the ,rev4 ,henry ,scott ,trimmer1 tried to teach ,turner ,greek in return for lessons in painting1 but he could never overcome the difficulty of the verbs1 and finally had to renounce the attempt4 ',i fear ,i must give it up1 ,trimmer1' he said2 'you get on better with your painting than ,i with my ,greek4' ,the young ,trimmers1 who were living when ,thornbury wrote his ,life of ,turner1 describe him as a slovenly old man 7he was still far off fifty71 very sociable and wont to make them laugh4 ,the days must have passed pleasantly at ,sandycombe1 sketching in oils on a large canvas in a boat1 painting in the summer-house of the garden which ran down to the ,thames1 fishing1 and driving old ',crop-ear' about the country4 ,the young ,trimmers give a much pleasanter picture of ,turner than most of his friends and contemporaries1 but then they loved him4 ,they describe ,queen ,anne ,street as homely1 and say that when they visited him they were always welcome to what he had1 and that he would offer them cake and wine1 and stuff the cake into their pockets4 ,and they show ,turner in modest mood before the work of other painters1 telling how he spoke with rapture of a picture probably by ,poussin1 ',jonah cast on ,shore1' describing it as wonderful2 and how he was enthusiastic about ,gainsborough's execution1 and ,wilson's tone4 ,and how1 one day1 looking at a ,van de ,velde1 ,turner said1 ',i can't paint like him4' ,but he could4 ,van de ,velde is to-day in the trough of his own dark seas1 and ,turner is on the crest of his own opalescent waves beneath a sky flushed with his dreams of colour4 ,,chapter ,,xxii #ahae3 ,,aged ,,forty ',a ,,wonderful ,,year' ,,and ,a ,,turnerian ,,love-,,letter ,eighteen hundred and fifteen was a wonderful year in the history of ,europe1 and it has also been called a wonderful year in the art history of ,turner4 ,he sent eight pictures to the ,royal ,academy1 and among them were ',crossing the ,brook1' ',dido ,building ,carthage1 or the ,rise of the ,carthaginian ,empire1' and ',bligh ,sand near ,sheerness4' ,some consider ',crossing the ,brook' as the finest ,turner1 others regard it as rather old-fashioned with its conventional trees and domestic foreground1 but all like its ,english character1 the cool beauty of the colour1 the white clouds that curl in the grey-blue sky1 the wooded hills that rise from the ,tamar1 dividing ,devon and ,cornwall1 and the miles of faint1 fair1 distant country4 ',crossing the ,brook' was a favourite of ,turner's1 and so was the magnificent ',dido ,building ,carthage4' ,this classical triumph1 a shout of colour1 with ',the ,sun ,rising ,through ,vapour' flank the two ,claudes in the ,national ,gallery1 ,turner's message of rivalry from the grave4 ,in life he would not part with ',dido ,building ,carthage4' ,chantrey tried to buy the picture more than once1 but found the price rose higher each time4 ',why1 what in the world1 ,turner1 are you going to do with the picture8' he asked4 ',be buried in it1 to be sure1' growled ,turner4 ,this year1 too1 we have the record of what has been described as ,turner's second attempt at marriage1 which ,i do not think amounts to much more than his first love-affair4 ,at the end of the following letter will be found the offer of marriage2 the lady in question was a relation of the ,trimmers3-- ,queen ,anne ,street1 ,tuesday1 ,august #ast1 #ahae4 ',my ,dear ,sir1--,i lament that all hope of the pleasure of seeing you or getting to ,heston must for the present probably vanish4 ,my father told me on ,saturday last when ,i was as usual compelled to return to town the same day1 that you and ,mrs4 ,trimmer would leave ,heston for ,suffolk as to-morrow1 ,wednesday4 ,in the first place ,i am glad to hear that her health is so far established as to be equal to the journey1 and to give me your utmost hope for her benefiting by the sea air being fully realised1 'twill give me great pleasure to hear1 and the earlier the better4 ',after next ,tuesday1 if you have a moment's time to spare1 a line will reach me at ,farnley ,hall1 near ,otley1 ,yorkshire1 and for some time1 as ,mr4 ,fawkes talks of keeping me in the north by a trip to the ,lakes1 and until ,november2 therefore ,i suspect ,i am not to see ,sandycombe4 ,sandycombe sounds just now in my ears as an act of folly when ,i reflect how little ,i have been able to be there this year and less chance perhaps for the next4 ,in looking forward to a continental excursion1 and poor ,daddy seems as much plagued with weeds as ,i am with disappointment--that if ,miss----would but waive bashfulness1 or in other words make an offer instead of expecting one1 the same might change occupiers2 but not to trouble you further allow me with most sincere respect to ,mrs4 ,trimmer and family1 to consider myself4--,yours most truly obliged1 ',j4 ,m4 ,w4 ,turner4' ,the reference to ,miss----does not suggest the heart of a burning lover3 no1 ,turner's heart was in his work1 and also1 just now1 in the prospect of a 'continental excursion4' ,,chapter ,,xxiii #ahaf3 ,,aged ,,forty-,,one ,,skies6 ,,skies6 ,,skies6 ,the ,sketch-,books of the period are full of ,yorkshire and ,farnley subjects1 and one of them contains a fragment of a letter from ,mr4 ,walter ,fawkes concluding3 ',everybody is delighted with your ,mill4 ,i sit for a long time before it every day4' ,the ',mill' which delighted ,mr4 ,fawkes may be the ',view of ,otley ,mills with the ,river ,wharfe and ,mill ,weir1' sold at ,christie's in #ahij4 ,i do not suppose that anybody has ever sat for a long time every day1 or any day1 before ,turner's two contributions to the ,academy of this year1 ',the ,temple of ,jupiter ,panellenius ,restored1' and the ',view of the ,temple of ,jupiter ,panellenius4' ,i turn from them to the ,sketch-,book labelled simply ',skies4' ,inside one of the covers there is a sketch in pencil of a sky with the following in ,turner's handwriting3 ',yellow ,light4 ,blue ,shadows4 ,red ,crimson ,light4' ,following this there are sixty leaves and on each leaf is a study of a sky4 ,how far they seem removed from the ,temple of ,jupiter ,panellenius4 ,skies6 ,skies6 ,skies6 ,and on the last leaf of this sketch-book is a pencil drawing showing ',an ,interior with open doors leading to a garden1' as if1 in this year of sky watching1 he must1 even when within doors1 be looking out towards the light4 ,,chapter ,,xxiv #ahag3 ,,aged ,,forty-,,two ,,he ,,sells ,,fifty ,,water-,,colours ,,to ,,mr4 ,,fawkes ,,of ,,farnley ,,hall ,the ',rhine ,tour' ,sketch-,book of #ahag suggests that ,turner was in the mood to be careful about his material necessities1 one can hardly call them comforts4 ,written inside the covers are the words3-- ',boots1 ,pouch1 ,fever ,medicine1 ,bark1 ,pencils1 ,colours1' followed by1 ',vier ist myn ,simmer--,where is my chamber8' ,on a later page ,i find the following list3-- '#c ,shirts1 #a ,night ditto1 ,a ,razor1 a ,ferrell for ,umbrella1 a ,pair of ,stockings1 a waistcoat1 #a_/b dozen of ,pencils1 #f ,cravats1 #a large ditto1 #a ,box of ,colours'--and then1 on the next leaf1 the inevitable ',study of a ,sky4' ,on a page of the ',dort' ,sketch-,book is this note of a 'thing seen' that he may have thought of painting3-- ',float of ,timber--#ajjj feet long at least1 lashed into two pieces and guided by the cross piece of timber which hauls either part of the float or buoy in two lines--and drawn by #c ,horses down the ,canal4' ,during this three weeks' tour in the ,rhine district ,turner produced no fewer than fifty drawings at the rate of about three a day4 ,he first1 says ,mr4 ,rawlinson1 stained the paper a uniform bluish-grey1 which1 although itself sombre in tone1 effectively shows up the body-colour work1 and must have effected an immense economy of time as compared with ordinary transparent colour4 ,returning to ,england he took the roll of drawings straight to ,farnley ,hall1 and ,mr4 ,fawkes bought them for five hundred pounds4 ,for a long time they remained in a portfolio1 but a few years ago some of them were sold at ,christie's4 ,mr4 ,rawlinson possesses one of them1 the delicate and romantic ',goarhausen and ,katz ,castle4' ,other drawings of this period are the rich and forceful ',bonneville1 ,savoy' in the ,salting collection at the ,british ,museum1 a majestic water-colour2 that vision of yellow foliage1 blue water1 and outstretched yellowy-blue country1 ',the ,lake of ,nemi1' and the more academic ',turin from the ,church of the ,superga1' the foreground with its artless groups not very attractive1 but the distant glimpse of the snow mountains1 and the white fleecy clouds seen against the blue sky1 as lovely as ,turner could make them1' and that is saying much4 ,probably in this year he began the glorious illustrations to ,dr4 ,whitaker's ,history of ,richmondshire1 which contains some of his finest water-colours4 ,the first plate was published in #ahai1 the last in #ahbb4 ,turner was paid twenty-five guineas a drawing1 and the magnificent enterprise cost the publishers1 ,messrs ,longman1 ten thousand pounds4 ',the ,crook of the ,lune' is one of the finest of the series4 ',you can find at least twenty different walks in it--yet all this wealth of exquisite detail is perfectly subordinated to the unity and harmony of the composition as a whole4' ,another of the ,richmondshire drawings is the ',hornby ,castle' in the ,victoria and ,albert ,museum1 which1 through constant exposure to light1 is a wreck of its former beauty4 ,his chief ,royal ,academy picture of #ahag was ',the ,decline of the ,carthaginian ,empire4' ,it has disappeared from the ,national ,gallery1 loaned1 ,i suppose1 to some provincial museum1 where a ,turner1 even a bad ,turner1 is a ,turner4 ,i will quote from the catalogue of #ahag its full title1 and tag of verse by ,turner1 and say no more about ',the ,decline of the ,carthaginian ,empire4' ',,exhibition ,,xlix #ahag ',j4 ,m4 ,w4 ,turner1 ,r4,a4 ,professor of ,perspective1 ,sandycombe ,lodge1 ,twickenham1 and ,queen ,anne ,street ,west4 ',the ,decline of the ,carthaginian ,empire4 ,rome1 being determined on the overthrow of her hated rival1 demanded from her such terms as might either force her into war1 or ruin her by compliance2 the enervated ,carthaginians1 in their anxiety for peace1 consented to give up even their arms and their children4 ,at ,hope's delusive smile1 ,the ,chieftain's safety and the mother's pride1 ,were to the insidious conqueror's grasp resign'd2 ,while o'er the western wave th' ensanguined sun1 ,in gathering haze1 a stormy signal spread1 ,and set portentous4' ,behold a mystery6 ,the eyes that saw and the hand that produced the simple splendour of ',richmond ,castle1' and the spacious beauty of ',the ,crook of the ,lune' could also see in fancy and produce in reality ',the ,decline of the ,carthaginian ,empire4' ,,chapter ,,xxv #ahah3 ,,aged ,,forty-,,three ',,the ,,abbotsford ,,turners1' ,,and ,,an ,,auction ,,price ,,of ,a ,,turner ,,water-,,colour ',the ,field of ,waterloo1' exhibited in #ahah1 with its obvious quotation from ,byron1 is as dead as rider and horse1 friend and foe piled in the foreground4 ,it now hangs on the outer stair-case of the new ,turner ,gallery1 as if in disgrace4 ,turner journeyed north this year to make drawings for the ,provincial ,antiquities of ,scotland1 for which ,sir ,walter ,scott was gratuitously writing the letterpress4 ,he did not meet ,scott on this occasion1 but the artist and author met in #ahca1 when ,turner was illustrating ,cadell's edition of ,scott's ,poetical and ,prose ,works4 ,the ,provincial ,antiquities drawings1 which include the important ',edinburgh from the ,calton ,hill1' were afterwards presented by the publishers to ,sir ,walter in recognition of his aid in the production of the book4 ,for a long time they hung at ,abbotsford1 and the group was known by the honoured name of the ',abbotsford ,turners4' ,they are now scattered4 ,it would take a lifetime to follow the vicissitudes of all ,turner's water-colours1 when they were painted1 and where they are to-day4 ,the ',heysham' of this year1 with the elaborate lovely sky1 is in the ,salting ,collection at the ,british ,museum4 ,to the ',heysham' ,ruskin devoted half a dozen pages in his ,elements of ,drawing4 ,turner's water-colours are constantly changing hands4 ,the gleaming eyes of the wizard1 that some called covetous1 would indeed have looked covetous could he have known that1 in the twentieth century1 a fine water-colour of his best period1 for which he received a few guineas1 may realise two thousand pounds4 ',what do you think the ,turner ,lake of ,lucerne will fetch8' said a ,turner collector to me the day before an auction in ,june #aiaj4 ',oh1 two thousand pounds1' ,i answered4 ',absurd6' he cried4 ,it brought one thousand nine hundred and ninety-five pounds4 ,i believe that there are certain men who would rather possess a fine ,turner water-colour than any other work of art4 ,,chapter ,,xxvi #ahai3 ,,aged ,,forty-,,four ,,turner',s ,,first ,,visit ,,to ,,italy1 ,,and ,,an ,,exhibition ,,in ,,grosvenor ,,place ,the route of ,turner's memorable first visit to ,italy may be followed in detail in the ,sketch-,books1 between ,no4 ,,clxxi41 called the ',route to ,rome1' and ,no4 ,,cxcii41 devoted to the ',return from ,italy4' ,his divagations and pauses are recorded on innumerable pages of sketches1 studies1 comments1 and criticisms of pictures4 ,here are his cursory notes on a copy he made of a sea-piece by ,claude3-- ',date #afca or #ha ,roma--he died at #hb4 ,raf4 #aeab4' ',wonderful grey green1' 'arm in light1' ',the mast ,red--all painted at once with the colour4' ,we find him at ,venice1 ,rimini1 ,ancona1 ,naples1 ,paestum1 ,pompeii and ,sorrento--anywhere1 everywhere4 ,turn the pages4 ,here he is in the ,vatican with a ,sketch-,book labelled ',vatican ,fragments' containing such comments as ',christ by ,guercino beautifully color'd1' ',a ,hare by ,albert ,drer1' and ',annunciation4 ,the ,angel very elegant4' ,on the way from ,ancona to ,rome his hand tries to transcribe what his watchful eyes note3-- ',loretto to ,recanata4 ,colour of the hills ,wilson ,claude1 the olives the light 4441 when the sun shone green1 the ground reddish green grey and apt to ,purple1 the ,sea quite ,blue1 under the ,sun a warm vapour1 from the ,sun ,blue relieving 787 the shadow of the olive ,trees dark1 while the foliage light on the whole when in the shadow a quiet grey4 ,beautiful dark green yet warm1 the middle ,trees1 yet ,bluish in parts1 the distance2 the aqueduct reddish1 the foreground light grey in shadow4' ,but that visit to ,italy1 the magic and colour of it1 the pictures he saw1 the sunrises and the sunsets he studied1 appear to have affected his art unfavourably for a time1 to have disturbed him with florid and fantastic fancies4 ,it was as if he became intoxicated with the art and aspect of ,italy4 ,there is no hint of ,italy in the works he exhibited this year4 ,i can stand for a long time before ',the ,meuse1 ,orange ,merchant-men going to ,pieces on the ,bar1' lost in admiration of the wonderful sky1 trying to avoid looking at the foolish fishermen1 and remembering a phrase ,i have read somewhere that 'with this picture he gave the coup de grce to ,van de ,velde4' ,another work of #ahai was the huge1 neat and amusing view of ',england1 ,richmond ,hill on the ,prince ,regent's ,birthday1' now hanging in a place of honour in the new ,turner ,gallery4 ,it dominates the wall1 whereas in its old place above the line in the ,national ,gallery one hardly noticed the ,prince ,regent's ,birthday1 with its quotation from ,thomson3-- ',which way1 ,amanda1 shall we bend our course8 ,the choice perplexes4' ',richmond1' and ',rome from the ,vatican1' exhibited the following year1 are the largest pictures ,turner painted4 ,in ,may and ,june1 presumably after his return from ,italy1 ,mr4 ,fawkes of ,farnley opened an exhibition of all the water-colours he possessed at his house in ,grosvenor ,place4 ,the first two rooms contained drawings by ,havell1 ,robson1 ,hedphy1 ,hills1 ,prout1 ,varley1 ,fielding1 de ,wint and others2 the third room was reserved to ,turner4 ,the exhibition was a great success1 and we are told that the public had an opportunity of seeing ,turner 'moving about the rooms1 the principal figure in his own triumph4' ,a contemporary critic seems1 however1 to have made up his mind that ,turner's visit1 to ,italy had done him temporarily no good4 ,in the ,annals of the ,fine ,arts1 of the year #ahbj1 appeared the following criticism of ,turner's works in the exhibition held at ,mr4 ,fawkes's house in ,grosvenor ,place1 which must have included some of the ,italian drawings3-- ',turner appears here in his original splendour and to his greatest advantage4 ,those who only know the artist of late and from his academical works will hardly believe the grandeur1 simplicity and beauty that pervade his best works in this collection4444 ,the earlier works of ,turner before he visited ,rome and those he has done since for this collection are like works of a different artist4 ,the former1 natural1 simple and effective2 the latter1 artificial1 glaring and affected4' ,was the water-colour of the ',church of ,,ss4 ,giovanni e ,paolo1' made in ,rome in #ahai1 that now hangs1 to our delight1 in the new ,turner ,gallery1 one of the drawings shown at the exhibition in ,grosvenor ,place8 ,hardly4 ,for this beautiful drawing is 'natural1 simple and effective1' not 'artificial1 glaring and affected4' ,turner saw this glowing church with his own eyes4 ,although in ,italy1 he was at home with himself when he painted this quiet interlude1 undisturbed by the ,roman art fever that heated and harassed his imagination4 ,a simpler simplicity1 a purer and more mystical vision of colour was eventually to come to him2 but not yet4 ,for the next few years the ,italianised ,turner was to be finding his way1 through the insistent memories of ,italy1 to the real ,turner4 ,,chapter ,,xxvii #ahbj3 ,,aged ,,forty-,,five ,,return ,,from ,,italy3 ,,he ,,begins ,,to ,,sight ,,his ,,mystical ,,visions ,visitors to the ,royal ,academy of #ahbj saw that the great man had been in ,rome4 ,how like ,turner it was to call a picture ',rome from the ,vatican3 ,raeffaelle1 accompanied by ,la ,fornarina1 preparing his pictures for the ,decoration of the ,loggia4' ,he loved to introduce a painter whom he admired into a picture--,raphael1 ,rembrandt1 ,ruysdael1 ,van ,goyen1 ,watteau and the rest4 ,this ,raphael-,roman picture was one of ,turner's failures1 and like other failures it is no longer exhibited in the ,national ,collection4 ,what a contrast it is to such an essential ,turner as the atmospheric ',lancaster ,sands' in the ,farnley ,hall collection1 produced about this time4 ,another1 a later version now in the ,salting ,collection at the ,british ,museum1 showing the sun setting behind the ,cumberland ,hills1 and the stage coach1 carts and figures hurrying to escape the rising tide1 was engraved for the ,england and ,wales series and published in #ahbh4 ,here we stand at a halting-place in ,turner's career4 ,he has trained himself2 he has fought his rivals1 and1 perhaps with the exception of ,claude1 has beaten them all on their own ground4 ,he has expressed himself in the luminous atmosphere of ',the ,sun ,rising ,through ,vapour'2 in the hoar-frost sparkle of ',the ,frosty ,morning'2 in the cool blues and greys of ',crossing the ,brook1' and in the splendour of ',dido ,building ,carthage4' ,in water-colour he has advanced from the formalism of the early tinted drawings to the restrained beauty of the ,southern ,coast and the accomplishment of the ,richmondshire series4 ,and he has been to ,italy3 his eyes are dazzled4 ,colour is to be his master1 but after a few years he is to become almost impatient of local colour and form1 and to lose form and local colour in the radiance of suffused light4 ,he is to paint the aspect1 not the object4 ,i turn once more to the ,inventory and under the rubric #ahbj dealing with ',colour ,beginnings1' find this comment by ,mr4 ,finberg3-- ',as a rule these studies are of a highly abstract character1 i4e41 they deal only with the composition of fundamental colour masses--the ground tones1 as it were1 of a picture1 which in the final result are largely concealed under the subsequent embroidery of secondary incidents and motives4' ,in these ',colour ,beginnings' 'projects for designs which may or may not have been carried out1' ,turner seems to be beginning to sight his mystical visions4 ,the very titles of some are eloquent ',moonlight ,among ,ruins1' ',hulks on ,tamar1 ,twilight1' ',the ,rainbow1' ',lighthouse against a ,stormy ,sky4' ,eloquent1 too1 are three slight water-colours1 showing only faint indications of the difference between sky and land4 ,,part ,,five #ahba-ahbi ,,from ',,the ,,bay ,,of ,,bale' ,,to ',,ulysses ,,deriding ,,polyphemus' ,,chapter ,,xxviii #ahbb3 ,,aged ,,forty-,,seven ,,he ,,throws ,,off ,,another ',,norham ,,castle' ,,and ,,prepares ,,to ,,startle ,,the ,,world ,,with ',,the ,,bay ,,of ,,bai' ,turner sent nothing to the ,royal ,academy of #ahba1 and in #ahbb he exhibited only the unimportant ',what you ,will1' a mere nothing1 a memory of some other painter4 ',what you ,will' was probably forgotten except by its owner and students of ,turner2 but in #aiaj it appeared at ,christie's and was described by an influential daily paper as a fine early ,turner 'depicting a party of ladies and gentlemen in a garden near some groups of statuary4' ,it realised #a1agf1 an enormous rise on the price1 one hundred and fifty guineas1 which ,chantrey gave for ',what you ,will4' ,he wrote the price on the back of the picture1 so that there might be no mistake4 ,turner would have been amazed to learn what the twentieth century thought of this experiment of his in 'figured landscape4' ,perhaps the price it fetched answers a caustic comment of ,hazlitt's3 ',mr4 ,turner's pictures have not like ,claude's become a sentiment in the heart of ,europe2 his fame has not been stamped and rendered sacred by the hand of time4 ,perhaps it never will4' ,a ,sketch-,book of this year is called ',king's ,visit to ,scotland4' ,on leaf #eh1 propos of the reception of ,george ,,iv41 is this note in ,turner's handwriting3 ',custom ,house ,key4 ,the ,authorities in ,blue and ,white ,gowns4 ,red ,flags and ,gold4' ,according to ,ruskin's endorsement on the wrapper ,turner went to ,edinburgh by sea4 ,in the ',medway' ,sketch-,book of the previous year on a drawing of ',scenes on ,medway' are these notes on ,clouds in his own handwriting3--',cold1' ',warm1' ',yellow ,clouds1' ',rain with 444 ,colour along its edge1' ',rain in ,shade4' ,no labour either with pen or pencil was too arduous to hinder him from noting down his impressions of the effects of nature from hour to hour and day to day4 ,and always every year there is some work that starts out and affects us by its beauty4 ,with this year ,i associate the imposing ',norham ,castle' in the ,national ,collection engraved for ,river ,scenery in #ahbd4 ,the tyranny of the foreground still holds him--cows1 boats1 shed1 outbuildings2 but this foreground is less insistent than usual4 ,how beautiful is the blue-grey ruin rising up against the pale sunset sky2 how limpid is the water1 with its reflection of castle and sail rippling on the quiet surface4 ,this ',norham ,castle' is one of his 'delight pictures1' but the more arduous work of the ,wizard in #ahbb was meditating upon and painting the ',bay of ,bai1' with which he proposed to startle the world at the next ,royal ,academy exhibition4 ,,chapter ,,xxix #ahbc3 ,,aged ,,forty-,,eight ',,the ,,bay ,,of ,,bai'3 ,a ,,critic ,,is ,,critical1 ,,and ,a ,,painter ,,is ,,enthusiastic ',waft me to sunny ,bai's shore' wrote ,turner in the ,fallacies of ,hope1 one of the simple lines1 a line that it was quite permissible to print in the catalogue of the ,academy of #ahbc against his much discussed1 much criticised1 and much loved ',bay of ,bai4' ,the picture indeed wafts us to ,bai1 one of the most beautiful spots in ,italy1 and we are content with its beauty if we neglect the pines1 their heavy shadows1 and the figures of ,apollo and the ,cuman ,sibyl posing in the shade4 ,but could anything be lovelier than the blue sea rippling on the yellow sand1 the subtle hills and the fairy building1 a kind of ,claude ',enchanted ,castle' that has passed into a golden dream4 ,turner1 as ,i have said before1 has his admirers and detractors1 and those who adore part of his achievement and are critical of the rest2 few1 if any1 admire him all in all4 ,let me here quote two authorities on ',the ,bay of ,bai'--,mr4 ,finberg1 a critic who has devoted years of his life to ,turner1 and ,mr4 ,wyllie1 a painter who has written an admirable book on the master4 ,the reader can decide which form of criticism or commentary he prefers3 the cold objectivity of the critic or the glowing subjectivity of the painter4 ,here is ,mr4 ,finberg on ',the ,bay of ,bai1' extracted from the admirable ,extra ,number of ,the ,studio on the ',water ,colours of ,turner'3-- ',it is conceded on all hands that ,turner's artistic work went all to pieces as a result of his ,italian experiences4 ,the ,bay of ,bai contains faults altogether new in his completed works4 ,even the feeblest of his earlier works had been animated by some central idea or emotion to which all the parts were subordinated1 and which infused into them whatever of life or significance they possessed4 ,in ,the ,bay of ,bai the artist has an unusual quantity of material on his hands1 but he can neither find nor invent a pictorial idea to give coherence to his disconnected observations4 ,the picture is made up of bits of visual experiences elaborately dovetailed into one another but which absolutely refuse to combine into any kind of conceptional unity4' ,and here is ,mr4 ,wyllie on 'that wonderful work' ',the ,bay of ,bai'3-- ',only eight years before1 the ,crossing the ,brook was painted in little more than black1 brown1 and palest blue1 and now ,turner has thrown aside the inky shadows as cold1 grey skies and has burst out a perfect blaze of splendid colour4 ,years ago when ,i was a student at the old ,academy schools in ,trafalgar ,square ,i used to stroll out at the luncheon hour or after closing time1 to have a look at the ,old ,masters in the ,national ,gallery next door4 ,somehow my feet always seemed to carry me to this my favourite picture at that time4 ',i think the blue sea breaking gently on the sandy shore is one of the most perfect of ,turner's visions of ,italy4 ,the little jetty1 the fishing boats1 the castle1 and the volcanic hill thickly wooded and piled ridge beyond ridge as they pale into the haze are all most splendidly painted2 the ruins half hidden in vines and long trailing creepers are well done and take their places in the scheme4 ,there are thin rich glazes and strong yellows in the foreground and two very conventional stone pines1 which throw a mos unnatural dark shadow right across the foreground4 ,the ,sibyl holding up the cryptic handful of sand to ,apollo as a request for many years of life is painted quite carelessly2 indeed one would almost fancy that the whole of the near objects were formed up in that rich1 juicy fashion merely to drive back the delicate middle distance and enhance its beauty4 ,there is no doubt that it does produce that effect1 for if you shut out that part of the composition with your hand the rest of the picture suffers though the foreground is nothing by itself4' ,turner's contemporaries made the usual remark that the real locality had been rather freely treated1 or1 as ,thornbury puts it1 half the scene was sheer invention4 ,as a matter of fact ',bai' is more accurate1 from a topographical point of view1 than most of ,turner's pictures4 ,jones wrote across the frame with a piece of chalk the words ',splendide ,menda4' ,turner laughed2 he did not even take the trouble to rub out the chalk4 ,for years the marks remained on the frame4 ,here is a pen picture of ,turner at this time4 ,david ,roberts1 who became one of ,turner's most intimate friends1 decribes how he first met him at a meeting of the ,artists' ,benevolent ,fund1 one of ,turner's pet schemes which he helped to found and to carry out4 ,it was characteristic of ,turner that he was in favour of hoarding its funds and distributing but a small sum each year in charity4 ,of this meeting of the ,artists's ,benevolent ,fund at the ,crown and ,anchor in the ,strand1 ,roberts wrote3-- ',being seated round a table covered with green baize--of course with the exception of my friend whom ,i accompainied1 ,john ,wilson1 all to me were strangers--a little square built man came in1 to whom all paid respect2 the business having begun1 he joined in the conversation1 and made some weak attempts at wit--at least ,i thought so1 for no one seemed to laugh at his jokes but himself6 ,so ,i asked who this very facetious little man was1 and my astonishment on being told that it was the ',great ,turner' almost1 without meaning a pun1 turned my head4' ,turner was not the first great man1 and he will not be the last little man1 at whose jokes no one laughs but himself4 ,,chapter ,,xxx #ahbd3 ,,aged ,,forty-,,nine ,a ,,glance ,,at ,,some ,,of ',,the ,,rivers ,,of ,,england' ,,and ',,harbours ,,of ,,england' ,,water-,,colours ,in #ahbd the ,british ,national ,gallery was founded1 and it was decided by the ,committee1 which included ,sir ,robert ,peel and ,lord ,harding1 to buy two of ,turner's pictures1 for presentation to the ,gallery4 ,the works chosen were ',dido ,building ,carthage' and' ,the ,decline of the ,carthaginian ,empire4' ,five thousand pounds were to be offered for the two4 ,a memorial was drawn up1 and ,griffiths1 ,turner's old friend1 was instructed to present it to the painter4 ,turner1 we are told by ,thornbury1 'was deeply moved1 even to tears1 for he was capable of intense feeling4 ,he expressed his pride and delight at such a noble offer from such men4 ,but his eye caught the word ,carthage in the memorial1 and he exclaimed sternly3 ,no1 no1 they shall not have it2 and upon ,griffiths turning to go1 he called out after him3 ,oh1 ,griffiths6 make my compliments to the memorialists1 and tell them ',carthage' may some day become the property of the nation4' ,after this interview1 it is said that he went about muttering to himself--',a great triumph6 ,a great triumph6' ,in this year he is apparently fumbling towards lithography4 ,in the ',brighton and ,arundel' ,sketch-,book is the following note in his own handwriting in pencil3-- ',lithography--the soap is 444 dissolved by the aqua fortis1 being saturated to the utmost by pieces of ,lith stone1 then diluted with water4 ',silicated potash makes gum a white flakey insoluable process 7874' ,he had not forgotten his old rivals and masters1 as on another page1 written against ',views on ,coast1' are these two words followed by a note of interrogation--',claude ,morning 7874' ,on the ',academy ,auditing' ,sketch-,book1 ,ruskin has made this curious endorsement3 ',kept as evidence of the failure of mind only4' ,this ,sketch-,book is devoted mainly to figures1 probably ,academy finance2 but ,turner soon tires of sums1 and turns to matters more congenial--to sketches of a ,sleeping ,figure1 a ,running ,figure1 ,nymph with ,children1 ,satyrs at ,play1 and ,a ,falling ,figure1 against which he has scrawled the words--',fall of ,satan8' ,on the wrapper of the ',paris1 ,seine and ,dieppe' ,sketch-,book1 ,ruskin wrote1 ',containing studies for1 ,i believe1 his own house and furniture4' ,having done his duty by these domestic details1 ,turner treats himself to a sketch of a ,vessel ,sailing1 to a design for a ,classical ,composition1 to a ,boat with ,figures1 ,cows1 etc4 ,and on a later page is this information1 written upon a sketch of the back view of a man with a fishing-rod3-- ',provide yourself with plenty of gentles in the 444 corner of your jacket pocket4 ,if the aforesaid be old1 so much the better because they the maggots will work through the same cleaning themselves the while4 ,wade up to an inclination 8 of #de or thereabouts in the stream and you are sure to have fish before and behind4' ,turner was never particularly careful about his attire1 but to allow maggots to clean themselves by working through the jacket pocket is more than most fishermen would allow4 ,turner did not exhibit at the ,royal ,academy this year4 ,he was busy with ,the ,rivers of ,england1 also called ,river ,scenery and its companion1 ,the ,ports of ,england1 afterwards re-published as ,the ,harbours of ,england1 all of which were engraved in mezzotint4 ,these beautiful water-colours have suffered from exposure through many years at the ,national ,gallery4 ,the ,rivers of ,england were published between #ahbc and #ahbg1 and the ,ports between #ahbf and #ahbh4 ,the latter series ended abruptly3 some of them were never issued4 ,many of us have happy1 very happy1 memories of days spent among the ,turner water-colours in the ,national ,gallery1 where they seemed more at home in those little rooms on the ground floor than in their august abode at ,millbank4 ,it was an experience to turn 7with ',calais ,pier' and the other dark pictures fresh in the mind7 to such lyrical moments as the four sketches of ',evening at ,petworth ,park1' to such wonders as ',ehrenbreitstein1' ',bellinzona1' ',the ,bridge on ,moselle at ,coblenz1' and the ',rigi from ,lucerne4' ,but ,i am again anticipating4 ,in ,the ,harbours of ,england1 the handling is still a little hard1 and he does not always escape from the thrall of convention2 but there is beauty in the white towers of ',dover ,castle1' rising up from the golden sward2 in the rainbow arching over ',the ,medway'2 in the splendid theatricality of ',north ,shields1' with a huge white moon riding in an excited blue sky1 and in the golden loveliness of ',scarborough ,castle4' ,in ',totnes on the ,dart1' in ,the ,rivers of ,england1 he has almost discarded the foreground muddle and allows himself merely one boat1 and a group of water birds4 ,magnificent1 overpowering1 is the rainbow cutting the picture in ',arundel ,castle4' ,what a glory of space he shows in ',arundel ,park1' and what a tumult of distant rain in ',more ,park4' ,the ruins of ',kirkstall ,abbey' have a foreground of red1 brown and white cattle1 as decorative as a ,brueghel4 ,one of the simplest and the most beautiful of them all is ',brougham ,castle'3 the ruin rises from the meadow against a threatening grey-blue sky1 cut at the left by a rainbow2 the trees are well observed and simply stated1 and very attractive is the foreground water with the streaming red and yellow reflections of the castle4 ,at ,cooke's ,gallery1 he exhibited a water-colour of ,hastings1 showing the fish-market on the beach4 ,perhaps this formal ',hastings' was the parent of that most lovely ,hastings1 one of the 'unfinished' oils1 the ,hastings with the red sail1 and the flecks of gold and red in the sky4 ,,chapter ,,xxxi #ahbe3 ,,aged ,,fifty ,a ,,somewhat ,,barren ,,year ,,commented ,,on ,,in ,a ,,bitter ,,lament ,,by ,,ruskin ,a somewhat barren year for ,turner as regards exhibited work4 ,one picture only was shown1 ',the ,harbour of ,dieppe1' which the present generation saw at the ,old ,masters ,exhibition of #aiaj1 a flayed and not very interesting picture4 ,the ',thames' ,sketch-,book of #ahbe opens with some calculations as to 'the ,house1 ,taxes1 etc41' and later there is a water-colour of a ,barge with the following in his handwriting3 ',tarpaulin in the light green4' ,in the ',mortlake and ,pulborough' ,sketch-,book on a drawing of ,three ,views of a ,river are these notes3-- ',children yoked to twig cart1' ',sheep1' ',river1' ',park ,monsel' 7or ',mount1'7 ',stoten or ,storton4' ,in the ',holland' ,sketch-,book are eleven successive drawings of ,cliffs1 twenty-five of ,scenes on ,coast1 thirty-five of ,shipping1 and twenty of ,views on the ,river4 ,this ,book also contains a sketch of ,terburg's ',visit of ,parents' with this comment3 ',green drapery1 beautiful ,satin1' and the following against a drawing of a ,bridge3 ',the whole of the ,bridge in shadow1 ,water1 ,blue-grey4 #aj o'clock--at five sunrise4' ,here1 finally1 is a scene that he may have intended to use as a foreground written on a drawing of a ,market-place3-- ',mountebank selling ,eau-de-,cologne1 beating a drum1' ',man trying on ,boots1 all on the ground1' ',bird ,cages1' ',pots1' ',pans1' etc4 ,in this year his friend and patron ,mr4 ,fawkes of ,farnley died4 ,turner was much affected and would never visit the house again4 ,his friendship with the son1 ,hawkesworth ,fawkes1 continued to the end of his life1 to ,january #cast1 #ahea1 under which date there is a letter to 'dear ,hawkesworth' extant4 ,ruskin considered that about #ahbe a grievous metamorphosis took place in ,turner1 that his work became 'partly satirical1 partly reckless1 and partly--and in its greatest and noblest features--tragic'--a bitter lament4 ,well1 he was yet to produce such a sane and magnificent work as ',the ,burial of ,wilkie1' the antithesis of satire1 recklessness1 and tragedy2 he was yet to awaken to the vision of ',rain1 ,steam1 and ,speed' which ,mallarm seeing1 said1 ',turner is the greatest painter that has ever lived4' ,he was yet to will the later water-colours4 ,,chapter ,,xxxii #ahbf3 ,,aged ,,fifty-,,one ,,another ,,unimportant ,,year1 ,,in ,,which ,,he ,,leaves ,,twickenham ,another unimportant year as regards the exhibition of pictures4 ,it would almost seem as if ,turner were reserving himself1 pondering over his ,italian experiences2 or it may have been that his time was broken into by the trouble of leaving ,twickenham4 ,he had taken ,sandycombe for ',dad'2 he gave it up for the sake of ',dad1' who was always catching cold while working in the garden4 ',without1' says ,monkhouse1 'the pleasant and wholesome neighbourhood of the ,trimmers1 with no home but the gloomy1 dirty1 disreputable ,queen ,anne ,street1 he became more solitary1 more self-absorbed or absorbed in his art 7much the same thing with him71 and lived only to follow unrestrained wherever his wayward genius led him1 and to amass money for which he could find no use4' ,about this time1 too1 he added to his troubles by another quarrel with ,cooke the engraver1 which prevented a proposed continuation of ,the ,southern ,coast series begun in #ahad4 ,cooke's long letter is extant1 and ,turner's most ardent admirers must admit that he shows badly in the dispute4 ,to set against his treatment of ,cooke there is his gruff kindness to ,lawrence propos of his picture of this year called ',cologne1 the ,arrival of a ,packet ,boat1 ,evening4' ,this sea-piece1 which had a brilliant sky1 was hung between two portraits by ,lawrence4 ,being painted in a low key1 they suffered from the juxtaposition4 ',sir ,thomas was in despair1' whereupon ,turner took some water-colour lamp black and went all over his sky3 ',why1 ,turner1 what have you done to your picture8' asked a friend1 who had seen it before the coat of lamp-black4 ',oh6 it's all right1' said ,turner1 'it will all wash off after the close of the exhibition4' ,the ,inventory shows that ,turner was abroad this year wandering mainly by the ,meuse1 ,moselle1 and ,rhine4 ,on one of the pages containing ',various ,views' ,ruskin has the following note3 ',it has seven subjects from ,andernach on the ,rhine1 showing stormy sunsets and drifts of cloud all completely designed2 the best1 that on the left in the second row from the bottom1 only measures one inch and a half in length by three-quarters of an inch in height4' ,a ',view of ,dieppe ,harbour' in the ',meuse-,moselle' ,sketch-,book is one of twenty coloured sketches found in a parcel with the following endorsement in ,ruskin's handwriting3-- ',there are one or two in this parcel that some people might like2 ,i consider them all done in some careless or sickly state of mind1 and have therefore put all aside1 except one4' ,poor ,turner6 ,it is hard to have the work of one's bad days as well as of one's good days passed before the critical eyes of a temperamental genius who also had his bad and his good days4 ,ruskin was always either hot or cold--never tepid4 ,i dip at random into his pages and find this3-- ',in the modern ,french ,school1 all the colour is taken out of ,nature1 and only the mud left4 ,by ,turner1 all the mud is taken out of ,nature1 and only the colour left4' ,great praise for ,turner1 but grossly unfair to the 'modern ,french ,school4' ,,chapter ,,xxxiii #ahbg3 ,,aged ,,fifty-,,two ,,he ,,paints ,,the ,,sea ,,in ,,the ,,open1 ,,and ,,some ,,thames-,,side ,,pictures ,in this year ,turner is magnificently himself again4 ,his works show an extraordinary variety1 ranging from the peaceful and unambitious twin pictures of ',mortlake ,terrace1' one on a ,summer ,morning1 the other on a ,summer ,evening1 to the ambitious and extravagant ',rembrandt's ,daughter1' wherein the painter pitted himself against the great ,dutchman2 but the most welcome work of ,turner at this period1 and probably that which gave him the greatest pleasure1 arose from his sojourn at ,east ,cowes ,castle with ,j4 ,nash1 the architect of the ,quadrant1 ,regent ,street1 for whom he painted two yachting pictures with ,east ,cowes ,castle in the background4 ,we can see the beginnings of his magnificent series of yachting pictures in the ,sketch-,books of this year1 particularly in those labelled ',east ,cowes ,castle' and ',yachts4' ,these studies resulted in the two pictures of ,east ,cowes ,castle1 exhibited in #ahbh1 one of which is now in the ,victoria and ,albert ,museum--gold in the sky1 gold in the foreground1 and the golden sun in the centre of the picture4 ,i for one prefer the studies to the pictures--brisk1 impulsive atmospheric works1 a delight to the eye4 ,these nine studies1 which include the vivid and amusing ',between ,decks1' are now in the ,turner ,gallery at ,millbank4 ,they were among the 'unfinished' works exhibited for the first time in #aijf4 ,a note to the official catalogue states that-- ',these nine pictures were painted on two pieces of canvas measuring #c feet by #d feet4 ,nos4 #aiic1 #aiie1 #aiif1 #bjjj1 #bjja on one piece1 and ,nos4 #aiid1 #aiig1 #aiih1 #aiii on the other4 ,mr4 ,finberg has communicated a copy of the following letter1 which probably refers to these two canvases2 it is in the possession of ,c4 ,mallord ,turner1 ,esq41 who has kindly consented to allow it to be published4 ',sunday4 ',i wrote yesterday to ,mr4 ,newman to get a canvas ready--#f feet by #d feet4 ,i wish you to call and ask if he has it by him and if he gets it done by ,middleton in ,st4 ,martin's ,lane1 or at home4 ,if by ,middleton1 then let two be sent2 if he does it at home1 then he will be some time about it1 and then tell him if he has by him a whole length canvas to send it instead of preparing the #f feet #d canvas4 ,if he has not then go to ,middleton1 and if he has one1 a whole length canvas1 let him send it me immediately4 ,i want the canvas only ,i don't want the stretching-frame made in town if ,middleton or ,newman has the canvas ready done1 and if a whole length1 let either send it down to me at ,j4 ,nash1 ,esq4 ,east ,cowes ,castle1 ,isle of ,wight4 ,if they are both ready send them together rolled up on a small roller and put the linen things ,i wrote for on the outside4 ,i want some scarlet lake and ,dark ,lake and ,burnt ,umber in powder from ,newman's1 one ounce each4 #a ounce of mastic4 ,to ,mr4 ,turner1 ,queen ,anne ,street1 ,cavendish ,square4' ,turner is now painting the sea in the open air1 not in a studio as in the ',calais ,pier' days4 ,the boats in the two pictures of ',yacht ,racing in the ,solent' are sailing in broken water1 their canvases lit and flecked by sunlight4 ,in ,no4 #b may be seen the guard-ship moored under the cliffs upon which ,east ,cowes ,castle stands4 ,each of these fresh and direct impressions of nature is a small picture1 one measuring #a foot #e #a_/b inches by #b feet #d #a_/b inches1 the other #a foot #f inches by #b feet4 ,in ',shipping at ,cowes' ,no4 #a1 he has chosen a still moment4 ,it is the morning of the ,regatta2 the sun is in the position where ,turner loved to place it1 in the centre of the sky2 the boats are at their moorings and we see only a few sailors preparing for the day's work4 ,this small picture was probably a sketch for the ',regatta at ,cowes1' exhibited at the ,royal ,academy in #ahbh4 ,i never look at ',between ,decks' with the fore-shortened gun pointing at the blue sea1 with the ungainly figures of sailors and marines accompanied by their wives and sweethearts1 making such strong blobs of colour1 but ,i think of a note by ,mr4 ,finberg in one of the ,sketch-,books of a few years forward prefacing some ,turnerian studies which have been called ',tone ,preparations4' ',a number of these pages have been prepared with smudges of red and black water-colour1 the colour being then dabbed and rubbed1 with the object apparently of producing suggestions of figures1 groups1 etc4 ,in some cases these suggestions have been further determined by pencil work4' ,turner was always careless with the figure4 ,the red and gold sailors and their sweethearts are little more than suggestions of colour4 ,the eye sees what it wants to see and he saw this vivid scene on the mess deck in the mass4 ,there is more detail in ',rembrandt's ,daughter1' which was lent from ,farnley ,hall to the ',fair ,women ,exhibition' of #aiaj4 ,how ,turner would have chuckled if he could have known that this work would be chosen to adorn a gallery devoted to types of ,fair ,women4 ,he cared little about making ,rembrandt's daughter fair4 ,the idea in his mind was how he could best adapt and improve ,rembrandt's ',potiphar's ,wife' and beat the ,dutchman in the undertaking4 ,and how he would have chuckled if he could have foreseen that his ',mortlake ,summer ,morning1' which he painted in #ahbf1 would be sold in #aijh for twelve thousand six hundred guineas4 ,the companion picture' ,mortlake ,terrace ,summer ,evening' was exhibited in #ahbg4 ,it is said that ,turner1 thinking that a dark object was needed in the foreground1 cut out a dog in black paper and pasted it on to try the effect4 ,another version of the story states that the black dog was affixed to the canvas by a jocular friend in ,turner's absence4 ,the dog remains to this day a dominant note4 ,those who saw the ',mortlake ,terrace ,summer ,morning' in ,london before it was sold wondered that ,turner did not oftener confine himself to rendering simply and sympathetically what his eyes saw and what his heart felt4 ,burger1 the great ,french critic1 considered that these unaffected1 straightforward1 atmospheric riverside pictures deserved a place amongst the finest things in art4 ',ce qu'on voit des arbres et des pierres est envelopp et dvor par la lumire2 tout semble tre la lumire mme et jeter aussi des rayons et des tincelles4 ,claude le suprme illuminateur n'a jamais rien fait d'aussi prodigieux4' ,these canvases1 representing the ,thames-side seat of ,william ,moffatt1 used to be known as ',mortlake ,summer ,morning' and ',barnes ,terrace ,summer ,evening4' ,it is a matter of regret that they are not in the ,turner ,gallery4 ,in this year the issue began1 and continued until #ahch1 of what was to have been his magnum opus1 the ,picturesque ,views in ,england and ,wales4 ,says ,mr4 ,rawlinson3-- ',in this ill-fated work1 which was from first to last commercially a failure1 he proposed to depict every feature of ,english and ,welsh scenery--cathedral cities1 country towns1 ancient castles1 ruined abbeys1 rivers1 mountains1 moors1 lakes1 and sea-coast2 every hour of day--dawn1 midday1 sunset1 twilight1 moonlight2 every kind of weather and atmosphere4 ,the hundred or more drawings which he made for the work are mostly elaborately finished and of high character4 ,some are perhaps over-elaborated2 in some the figures are carelessly and at times disagreeably drawn2 but for imaginative1 poetical treatment1 masterly composition1 and exquisite colour the best are unsurpassed4 ,i have ventured to say elsewhere that in my opinion there are at least a dozen drawings in the ,england and ,wales series any one of which would alone have been sufficient to have placed its author in the highest rank of landscape art4' ,the ',launceston' belonging to ,mr4 ,schwann is certainly an imposing vision of height and grandeur2 all the more imposing by reason of the tiny figure on horseback in the foreground4 ,i who know ,launceston well have never seen the castle rising sky-high as ,turner saw it so magnificently in his mind's eye4 ,neither shall ,i ever see ',barnard ,castle' as seen by ,turner1 looking up the ,tees towards the castle1 in the sketch he made for the ,england and ,wales water-colour1 a poet's vision of opalescent colour floating in atmosphere4 ,,chapter ,,xxxiv #ahbh3 ,,aged ,,fifty-,,three ,,the ,,year ,,when ,,constable ,,described ,,turner',s ,,visions ,,as ',,golden1 ,,glorious1 ,,and ,,beautiful' ,in #ahbh ,turner was again in ,rome4 ',the foreign artists1' says ,thornbury1 'who went to see his pictures could make nothing of them4 ,turner's economy and ingenuity were apparent in his mode of framing those pictures4 ,he nailed a rope round the edges of each and painted it with yellow ochre in tempera4' ,the ,inventory shows his travels of this year and the next--',orlans to ,marseilles'2 ',lyons to ,marseilles'2 ',marseilles to ,genoa'2 ',coast of ,genoa'2 ',genoa and ,florence '2 and then the ',roman and ,french' ,sketch-,book4 ,on page #bf of the ',florence to ,orvieto' ,sketch-,book he wrote this as if the event had significance3 ',thursday ,orvieto4' ,one day he made ,turnerian poetry3-- ',farewell a second time the ,land of all bliss ,that cradled liberty could wish and hope ,ere the fell ,saxon and ,norman band ,flouted her 444 on the shore ,why go then8 ,no gentle traveller ,cross thy path save the 444 ,the yellow1 winding ,tiber1' etc4 ,from ,rome he wrote several letters4 ,here is the beginning of one to ,george ,jones1 ,r4,a41 showing the manner of ,turner's correspondence3-- ',rome1 ,october #cth1#ahbh4 ',dear ,jones1--,two months nearly in getting to this terra pictura and at work2 but the length of time is my own fault4 ,i must see the ,south of ,france1 which almost knocked me up1 the heat was so intense1 particularly at ,nismes and ,avignon2 and until ,i got a plunge into the sea at ,marseilles ,i felt so weak that nothing but the change of scene kept me onwards to my distant point4 ,genoa and all the sea-coast from ,nice to ,spezzia is remarkably rugged and fine2 so is ,massa4 ,tell that fat fellow ,chantrey that ,i did think of him then 7but not the first or the last time71 of the thousands he had made out of those marble craigs which only afforded me a sour bottle of wine and a sketch2 but he deserves everything which is good though he did give me a fit of the spleen at ,carrara4' ,and here is the beginning of a letter to ,chantrey3-- ',no4 #ab ,piazza ,mignanelli1 ,rome1 ,,nov4 #fth1 #ahbh4 ',my ,dear ,chantrey1--,i intended long before this 7but you will say ,fudge67 to have written2 but even now very little information have ,i to give you in matters of ,art1 for ,i have confined myself to the painting department at ,corso2 and having finished one am about the second1 and getting on with ,lord ,e4's1 which ,i began the very first touch at ,rome2 but as the folk here talked that ,i would show them not1 ,i finished a small #c feet four inches to stop their gabbling4 ,so now to business4444' ,the small #c feet by #d was the ',view of ,orvieto' exhibited in #ahcj1 referred to with much affection in the opening chapters of this book4 ,the pictures shown by ,turner at the ,royal ,academy this year evoked from ,constable the generous and beautiful appreciation that ,i have already quoted4 ,it bears repetition3 ',turner has some golden visions1 glorious and beautiful4 ,they are only visions1 but still they are art1 and one could live and die with such pictures4' ,what were the works that called forth this tribute of admiration from his great contemporary8 ,they were3-- ',dido ,directing the ,equipment of the ,fleet1 or the ,morning of the ,carthaginian ,empire4' ',east ,cowes ,castle1 the seat of ,j4 ,nash1 ,esq4 ,the ,regatta beating to windward4' ',east ,cowes ,castle1 the seat of ,j4 ,nash1 ,esq4 ,the ,regatta ,starting for their ,moorings4' ',boccaccio relating the ,tale of the ,bird-cage4' ,hardly the finest examples of ,turner's golden visions2 but ,constable found them glorious and beautiful4 ,what did ,constable think of the ,turner exhibited next year1 that magnificent riot of the imagination1 ',ulysses ,deriding ,polyphemus'8 ,it was probably during his second visit to ,italy that he made the slight and lovely ',sketch of an ,italian ,town1' now in the ,victoria and ,albert ,museum4 ,this1 like the ',orvieto1' is essential ,italy4 ,rarely has the feeling of an ,italian hill town been given with such intimacy of observation1 just as it looks1 a moment snatched and recorded1 artlessly1 but with great art4 ,,chapter ,,xxxv #ahbi3 ,,aged ,,fifty-,,four ,,the ,,year ,,of ',,ulysses ,,deriding ,,polyphemus' ,of all ,turner's pictures1 ',ulysses ,deriding ,polyphemus' makes the strongest appeal to the popular imagination4 ,call it scenic1 call it theatrical2 say that it is like the transformation scene at a pantomime2 admit that it is all wrong1 artistically2 that it is lighted from anywhere and everywhere2 concede all its impossibilities and incongruities1 and the ',ulysses' still remains a magnificent effort of the imagination1 a glory to behold1 from the figure of ,phbus1 rising with his horses from the sea1 to the vast ,polyphemus1 who1 not being a mortal and bearing no resemblance to nineteenth--century man1 is the most convincing figure that ,turner ever painted4 ,how often ,i visited the old ,turner room at the ,national ,gallery to study this picture or that1 but always finding myself1 sooner or later1 drawn to this supreme effort of his imagination4 ,and now that he had emptied himself of all he knew and all he had dreamed1 of wonder and splendour1 came the reaction1 and his humorous contempt of the chatter about this masterpiece1 the wonder of the #ahbi exhibition4 7,yet nobody bought it47 ,thornbury recounts that at a dinner party at which ,turner was present1 a lady 7she exists to-day1 and is still making similar observations7 who had seen the ',ulysses' said to her neighbour1 ,mr4 ,judkins1 'the clerical artist1'--',don't you now think it is a sweet picture8' ',turner1 glum and shy1 opposite1 is watching all this4 ,he sees where the lady's eyes fall after she addresses her whispers to ,mr4 ,judkins4 ,his little beads of eyes roll and twinkle with fun and slyness4 ,across the table he growls3-- ',i know what you two are talking about1 ,judkins--about my picture4 ',mr4 ,judkins suavely waves his glass and acknowledges that it was4 ,the lady smiled on the great man4 ',and ,i bet you don't know where ,i took the subject from2 come now--bet you don't4 ',judkins blandly replied3-- ,oh1 from the old poet1 of course1 ,turner2 from the ,odyssey of course4 ',no1 grunted ,turner1 bursting into a chuckle2 ,odyssey2 not a bit of it4 ,i took it from ,tom ,dibdin4 ,don't you know the lines3-- ',he ate his mutton1 drank his wine4 ,and then he poked his eye out4'' ,to this year also belongs ',chichester ,canal1' unfinished1 a scene of peace and quiet beauty1 and was it this year or the next that he painted ',the ,evening ,star1' perhaps in its way one of the most appealing of the 'unfinished' ,turners8 ,how beautiful1 how perfectly satisfying it would be if only the figure of the ,shrimper and the dancing dog had been omitted4 ,truly a contrast to the splendour of the ',ulysses4' ,there the sun was rising in fiery magnificence with the horses of ,phoebus dancing up from the waves1 and all that mythical world aglow with colour3 here the sun is setting over the darkening sea1 and in the mystical afterglow gleams the evening star reflected in the water that ripples gently to that lonely beach4 ,the authority for ascribing ',the ,evening ,star' to this period is to be found in some verses on page #gj of the ',worcester and ,shrewsbury' ,sketch-,book1 dated #ahbi-cj1 among which the following fragments have been deciphered3-- ',where is the star which shone at 444 ,eve'--' ,the gleaming star of ,ever 444 '-- ,the first pale ,star of ,eve ere ,twilight comes ,struggles with 444 ' ,these broken lines may be a reference to ',the ,evening ,star1' which ,mr4 ,finberg believes was painted about this time4 ,the ,official ,catalogue of the ,tate ,gallery1 however1 suggests that ',the ,evening ,star' may be of the same date as ',the ,new ,moon' exhibited in #ahdj4 ,two of the other 'unfinished' oils first exhibited in #aijf may have been painted about this date4 ,each is similar in composition to sepia drawings for the ,liber ,studiorum1 the ',rocky ,bay with ,figures' to the ',glaucus and ,scylla1' which was never published1 and the ',sunrise1 a ,castle on a ,bay1' to the ',solitude4' ,turner1 of course1 gave no title to these suggestions of colour and atmosphere1 and he did not exhibit them4 ,it is only literary pictures that require titles or descriptions4 ,in one1 the sun has risen behind a mist-shrouded castle on a bay2 in the other1 sunrays gleam through a natural arch and light the deep green sea4 ,greek galleys are moored in the bay and drawn up on the shore4 ,a man with outstretched arms may be dimly seen haranguing a group of sailors4 ,we shall never know when or where he painted these 'delight pictures4' ,they call up the spirit of ,turner the poet as the ,sketch-,books call up the spirit of ,turner the wanderer4 ,my eyes fall on the following words in his own handwriting1 and for the moment he seems to be present1 noting nature1 ready to record some sudden beauty4 ',moonlight 4 4 4 4 4 4 ,fish 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 ,temple 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 ,copper ,venice 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 ,sunrise 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 ,hare 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 ,ship--,storm 4 4 4 4 4 4 ,evening ,sunset 4 4 4 4 4 4 ,visions were then passing through the mind of the dumb poet who once 'confessed that he knew much more of his art than he could explain4' ,,part ,,six #ahcj-ahcd ,,from ,,the ',,interior ,,at ,,petworth' ,,to ,,the ,,period ,,of ,,the ',,unfinished' ,,oils ,,chapter ,,xxxvi #ahcj3 ,,aged ,,fifty-,,five ,,he ,,paints ,,the ',,interior ,,at ,,petworth' ,,and ,,mourns ,,the ,,death ,,of ,,his ,,father1 ,,and ,,of ,,sir ,,thomas ,,lawrence ,two events mark this year3 one sad1 the death of his father which affected his whole after life2 the other1 an epoch in his development as artist1 the painting of the ',interior at ,petworth4' ,but first a few words about other matters4 ,as ,i have remarked before1 critics are occasionally hard upon ,turner1 and sometimes they disagree as to what is fine1 and what is poor in his work4 ,ruskin labelled a parcel of vignette beginnings as 'worthless4' ,mr4 ,rawlinson1 referring to the numerous small drawings for vignette illustrations1 such as ,rogers's ,italy of #ahcj1 and the ,poems of #ahcd1 while calling them 'marvels of execution1' also sees in them 'an unpleasant note1' often a strangely forced and extravagant colour4 ,monkhouse considered that it would be difficult to find in the whole range of his works two really greater 7though so small in size7 than the vignettes of ',alps at ,daybreak1' and ',datur hora quieti4' ,personally1 ,i must confess to a feeling of lukewarmness in regard to the vignettes4 ',the ,burning of the ,houses of ,parliament' in ,sir ,edward ,tennant's collection is tight and harsh in colour compared with the loose luxuriance of the oil picture4 ,some one has said that ,turner must on the whole have been an agreeable person to have in a house--if the house were big enough4 ,his visits to ,lord ,egremont at ,petworth were on much the same footing of intimacy as his visits to ,walter ,fawkes at ,farnley4 ,turner had his own private studio at ,petworth1 and nobody but ,lord ,egremont was allowed admission4 ,even he1 who has been described as 'the rough1 cunning1 honest old noble-man1' had to give a peculiar knock on the door before entering4 ,it is said that ,chantrey1 when staying at ,petworth1 imitated ,lord ,egremont's peculiar knock1 and to ,turner's anger entered the room and saw him at work4 ,this pair of eccentrics1 ,turner and ,egremont1 foregathered happily1 and the friendship was severed only in #ahcg by ,lord ,egremont's death4 ,the ,inventory shows that ,turner was at ,petworth in #ahcj4 ,one of the books contains a sketch for that quaint1 attractive ',view in ,petworth ,park with ,tillington ,church in the ,distance1' of which an unfinished version is in the ,national ,collection4 ,the finished oil is in the possession of ,lord ,leconfield4 ,most of the ,petworth sketches are in brilliant tints of opaque colour on grey-blue paper3 they resulted one merry day in that startling1 delightful oil picture in the ,national ,collection called ',interior at ,petworth4' ,here is ,turner working entirely for his own pleasure1 absolutely indifferent to the forms of things1 seeing the havoc through a mist of sunlight with brilliant rays shining down into the octagonal sculpture gallery beyond1 and reflected through the ,venetian blinds of a window in an alcove to the right4 ,how the room came to be in this state we do not know4 ,the pugs and spaniels are evidently enjoying the upturned table and the disarranged furniture3 they caper delightedly over a lady's orange cloak and feathered bonnet4 ,i must find room for an extract from a curious and interesting article upon ',turner's ,path from ,nature to ,art1' by ,professor ,josef ,strzygowski1 that appeared in the ,burlington ,magazine4 ,the learned professor devotes his pen to ',the ,frosty ,morning' and the ',interior at ,petworth1' which he considers represent the two poles3 ,nature and ,art4 ,after remarking that in the days when the ',interior at ,petworth' was painted no sketch was regarded as a picture1 and so ,turner never exhibited the ,petworth ',interior' which 'looks almost like an actual palette1 and a palette1 moreover1 on which the colours have been thoroughly daubed together1 dashes of colour from the paint-brush and the palette-knife left as they are1 without the least intention of hiding the technique'--,professor ,strzygowski proceeds3-- ',we do not know what is represented2 it seems as if the picture might just as well hang upside down4 ,and when we have realised that we are looking upon an interior1 where are the separate shapes expressed8 ,we recognise a large sofa on the right1 statues on the left1 in front a little dog4 ,but these three shapes1 and all the others1 are so confused1 that no one can define their appearance4 ,but what1 then1 does the picture really mean8 asks the layman4 ,that is the real discovery of modern times4 ,sketches in which an artist gives nothing more than his momentary impression1 i4e41 lets himself go subjectively1 leaving the object1 both as regards its meaning and its appearance1 quite in the background1 are now admitted to be finished works of art4 ,the ,interior at ,petworth is not in ,mr4 ,bell's catalogue4 ,turner1 as we now know1 reserved this work1 with so many others1 as a private confession of faith4444 ,for him the shape no longer exists2 he sees only light and colour1 and even those transform themselves in a peculiar way4 ,he does not see a fragment of nature through the medium of his temperament2 but gives us rather1 on the contrary1 his own temperament seen through a fragment of nature4 ,nature is wholly subordinated to his impetuous need for self-expression4444 ,the representation1 the ,interior in itself1 has no value for him1 except in so far as its space can be exhibited as the recipient of tone and colour3 the pictorial symbol1 as the medium of his need for expression1 is everything to him2 the object1 the thing and its shape1 are nothing4 ,thus the cautious painter of ,the ,frosty ,morning becomes an artist2 thus the thing he paints is transformed into spiritual significance1 its shape becomes pictorial symbol2 and the technique1 which before was carefully veiled1 changes to the boldest impressionism4444 ,art like this is for epicures4' ,saner and very beautiful is the water-colour1 ',on the ,lake at ,petworth1 ,evening1' in the ,national ,collection1 although ,i am bound to say that this golden and blue impression is equally beautiful if you look at it upside down4 ,in the ',brighton and ,arundel' ,sketch-,books 7#ahcj71 we find the following in ,turner's handwriting on ',a ,view ,looking ,out to ,sea with a ,sailing ,boat'3-- ',beautiful effect of----1' ',green ,top' 7e4 to waves71 'foam grey in shade'--'reflections of the ,boat 444 in water1' ',reflection of the ,boy 8 on the ,sail1' ',the warmth of the ,tan ,sail1' etc4 ,perhaps from these notes he painted the luminous and peaceful ',old ,chain ,pier1 ,brighton1' with the sun low in a yellow haze gilding the sail1 and the reflections of boat and sail in the still water4 ,certainly from this 'study' he composed the finished ,brighton picture in the collection of ,lord ,leconfield4 ',a ,ship ,aground1' which appears to be a pendant to ',the ,old ,chain ,pier1 ,brighton1' is equally luminous and peaceful1 in spite of the ground swell1 and the movement of the small craft about the disabled ship4 ,in the ',dieppe and ,rouen and ,paris' ,sketch-,book1 we find sketches of three pictures1 probably ,claudes or ,poussins1 with long descriptions in ,turner's handwriting1 of which the following are samples3-- ',the trees are grey and dull green and the whole foreground cold1 the earth particularly cold with a few touches of warm red1 but the ground in the picture never protrudes itself or through the ,colours' 444 ',the sky is very blue at the top with some small white clouds with grey shadows1 but at the ,hor4 horizon yellow1 so that the distant mountains are relieved and ,blue4' ,in another ,sketch-,book are a number of water-colours on blue paper1 probably connected with ,the ,rivers of ,france series1 published between #ahcc and #ahce4 ,turner suffered a great blow this year in the death of his father1 for whom he had a deep affection4 ',dad' had been of great use to his famous son1 helping in the preparation of his canvases1 attending to the gallery of unsold pictures1 and so forth4 ,when they were staying at ,twickenham1 he would travel to town every morning to open the gallery1 riding with the market gardeners1 who conveyed him to ,london for a glass of gin a day 7his own arrangement74 ',dad' was as careful of money as was his son1 who was wont to chuckle1 ',dad taught me nothing except to save halfpence4' ,turner was never again the same man after the death of his father4 ,in this year ,sir ,thomas ,lawrence also died4 ,the ,turner ,collection at ,millbank contains a sketch of the funeral1 looking like a double-page in an illustrated weekly4 ,the following letter shows how the death of ,lawrence affected him3-- ',dear ,jones1--,i delayed answering yours until the chance of this finding you in ,rome1 to give you some account of the dismal prospect of ,academic affairs1 and of the last sad ceremonies paid yesterday to departed talent gone to that bourn from whence no traveller returns4 ,alas6 only two short months ,sir ,thomas followed the coffin of ,dawe to the same place4 ,we then were his pall-bearers4 ,who will do the like for me1 or when1 ,god only knows how soon6 ,however1 it is something to feel that gifted talent can be acknowledged by the many who yesterday waded up to their knees in snow and muck to see the funeral pomp swelled up by the carriages of the great1 without the persons themselves4' ,turner's father was buried in the parish church of ,st4 ,paul's1 ,covent ,garden1 where the painter had been baptized4 ,the plain epitaph was written by ,turner2 it bears no scriptural text4 ,,chapter ,,xxxvii #ahca3 ,,aged ,,fifty-,,six ,,he ,,turns ,,his ',,magic ,,limelight' ,,on ',,caligula',s ,,palace ,,and ,,bridge'2 ,,visits ,,sir ,,walter ,,scott1 ,,and ,,makes ,,his ,,will ,the ,wizard makes a great effort this year1 sending no fewer than six pictures to the ,royal ,academy1 and among them was the famous ',caligula's ,palace and ,bridge1 ,bay of ,bai1' with this quotation from the ,fallacies of ,hope3-- ',what now remains of all the mighty bridge ,which made the ,lucrine lake an inner pool1 ,caligula1 but massy fragments left ,as monuments of doubt and ruined hopes ,yet gleaming in the morning's ray1 that tell ,how ,bai's shore was loved in times gone by4' ,in this return to classicism ,turner is even more wilful than usual with nature4 ,undoubtedly there are two suns present1 as ,mr4 ,wyllie points out1 one of them shining straight through the rents in the palace wall1 the other illuminating the boy and girl sitting on an unsubstantial yellow rock4 ,in fact1 ',turner has turned his magic limelight on where his fancy prompted him1 and has given us only as much nature as he thought good for us4' ,fanciful and unrealised is ',watteau ,painting1' with the following quotation from ,du ,fresnoy's ,art of ,painting4 ',white1 when it shines with unstained lustre clear1 ,may bear an object back1 or bring it near4' ,turner was greatly interested in the theory of colour4 ,he read and annotated ,goethe's ,theory of ,colour1 his copy of which is among the ',relics' at the ,tate ,gallery4 ,the ',watteau ,painting' panel shows that artist1 standing in the centre of the room1 making a drawing of a lady and a gentleman reclining upon a divan4 ,we have a glimpse of ,turner's fun in the sketch he made at ,petworth of himself1 in the place of ,watteau1 painting in a room surrounded by some of the ladies of the household4 ,i have nothing to say in favour of ',lord ,percy under ,attainder1' except to remark that the dame in yellow is taken from a picture by ,van ,dyck at ,petworth4 ,to this year belongs the golden ',admiral ,van ,tromp's ,barge at the ,entrance of the ,texel1' in the ,soane ,museum4 ,turner painted three or four ,van ,tromp pictures at different periods3 one is in ,sir ,edward ,tennant's collection1 another is loaned by the nation to ,sheffield1 and a fourth1 painted as late as #ahdd1 is in the ,royal ,holloway ,college4 ,all bear slightly different titles1 and all are breezy and golden4 ,another picture of #ahca1 a fine1 wild sea-piece1 is in the ,victoria and ,albert ,museum4 ,the title is an apt description3 ',life ,boat and ,manby ,apparatus going off to a ,stranded ,vessel making ,signals 7,blue ,lights7 of ,distress4' ,the ',sketch of ,cochem on the ,moselle' needs no description4 ,it is a mere impression of light and movement1 a quick record1 unfinished if you like1 yet quite finished in its statement of essential beauty4 ,turner made a special journey to ,scotland this year to make illustrations for ,sir ,walter's ,scott ,poetical and ,prose ,works4 ,turner was the guest of ,sir ,walter1 and together they visited the most interesting spots on the ,tweed and the ,border1 and in one of the plates--the ,melrose--he1 ,scott and ,cadell1 small figures1 are shown together1 picnicking on a height overlooking the river and the ,abbey4 ,on the #ajth of ,june he signed his will1 to be followed later by codicils1 the vast1 complicated will that he brooded over so long1 that produced interminable litigation1 with the result that almost all of his behests were disregarded4 ,the ,turner ,gallery at ,millbank is a magnificent1 if tardy1 reparation4 ,,chapter ,,xxxviii #ahcb3 ,,aged ,,fifty-,,seven ,,he ,,paints ',,childe ,,harold',s ,,pilgrimage' ,,and ,,is ,,jocular ,,on ,,varnishing ,,day '444 and now1 fair ,italy6 ,thou art the garden of the world1 ,even in thy desert what is like to thee8' ,this1 the beginning of an extract from ,byron1 accompanied his ',childe ,harold's ,pilgrimage'--that late golden afternoon1 ,italy basking in the heat haze4 ,the stone pine has been mercilessly criticised2 but although that useful tree and the foreground pictures are carelessly painted1 how beautiful is the horse-shoe bend of the placid river1 and the suffused light on ruin1 convent1 walled town1 and distant hills1 illumined from the sun sinking behind the mountains4 ,there is a story connected with two of his other pictures of this year1 ',helvoetsluys--the ,city of ,utrecht1 ',going to ,sea1' and that impossible work with the unwieldy title illustrating ,shadrach1 ,meshach and ,abednego coming forth from the burning fiery furnace4 ,turner asked ,george ,jones1 ,r4,a41 what he intended to paint for the ensuing exhibition4 ',oh6' said ,jones1 'the ,fiery ,furnace1 with ,shadrach1 ,meshach and ,abednego4' ',a good subject1' said ,turner1 ',i'll do it also4' ,in the exhibition ,jones's picture of ',the ,fiery ,furnace' was placed opposite to ,turner's grey ',helvoetsluys1' and next to ,constable's ',the ,opening of ,waterloo ,bridge4' ,turner1 who had been watching ,constable brightening the flags and decorations of his city barges with vermilion and lake1 realised that the flutter of colour was making his own grey picture look insignificant4 ,suddenly he put a round daub of red lead1 somewhat bigger than a shilling1 on his grey sea1 and departed without a word4 ,the intensity of the red lead caused even the vermilion and lake of ,constable to look weak4 ,when ,constable saw the red lead he said--',turner has been here and fired off a gun4' ',a coal1' cried ,cooper1 'has bounced across the room from ,jones's ,fiery ,furnace1 and set fire to ,turner's sea4' ,the great man did not visit the room for a day and a half2 then1 in the last moments that were allowed for painting1 he glazed the scarlet seal he had put on his picture1 and shaped it into a buoy4 ,constable1 according to ,thornbury1 was secretly very severe on ,turner's pictures1 which does not tally with his spoken and written enthusiasm4 ,little did ,constable1 or any one else1 realise the work that ,turner was yet to do4 ,in the following year1 at the age of fifty-eight1 he exhibited his first ,venetian picture--,venice--that was to absorb and haunt him1 and inspire some of the most lovely visions of his ageing eyes4 ,,chapter ,,xxxix #ahcc3 ,,aged ,,fifty-,,eight ,,he ,,paints ,,his ,,first ',,venice' ,,picture ,,and ,,re-,,purchases ,,some ,,of ,,his ,,own ,,drawings ,,at ,,auction ,venice1 'the last home of his imagination1' if we exclude the mountains of ,switzerland1 and the ,thames of ,england1 where he found his final solace1 begins to inspire his brush1 but not the visionary ,venice that he was to evolve later1 visions of colour and light which seem to be floating from sight even as we look at them4 ,first the spade work--that was ,turner's way4 ,as he began painting the sea from the pictures of ,van de ,velde1 so he began painting ,venice from the pictures of ,canaletto1 and in this first interpretation1 or rather illustration1 of ,venice1 he introduced1 in his quaint1 admiring way1 his hero for the moment1 at work4 ',the ,bridge of ,sighs1 ,ducal ,palace and ,custom ,house1 ,canaletto ,painting1' is a sober topographical performance compared with his later pictures of the bride of the ,adriatic4 ,indeed the quotation from ,rogers's ,italy gives more of a lilt to the imagination than the picture3-- ',there is a glorious city in the sea1 ,the sea is in the broad1 the narrow streets1 ,ebbing and flowing2 and the salt sea-weed ,clings to the marble of her palaces4' ,no fewer than twenty-seven pictures of ,venice by ,turner have been catalogued4 ,between #ahcc and #ahce were published the beautiful series of ,the ,rivers of ,france known as ,turner's ,annual ,tour4 ,the letterpress was by ,leitch ,ritchie1 but they did not travel together 'as their tastes were dissimilar4' ,ritchie gives the following description of the artist's methods3-- ',his exaggerations1 when it suited his purpose1 were wonderful2 lifting up1 for instance1 by two or three stories1 the steeple1 or rather the stunted cone of a village church4 ,i never failed to roast him on the habit4 ,he took my remarks in very good part1 sometimes indeed in great glee1 never attempting to defend himself otherwise than by rolling back the war into the enemy's camp4 ,in my account of the famous ,gilles de ,retz1 ,i had attempted to identify that prototype of ,blue ,beard with the hero of the nursery story1 by absurdly insisting that his beard was so intensely black that it seemed to have a shade of blue4 ,this tickled the great painter hugely2 and his only reply to my bantering was1 his little sharp eyes glistening the while1 ,blue ,beard6 ,blue ,beard6 ,black ,beard6' ,there were sixty drawings in this wonderful series1 most of which are in the ,turner ,gallery4 ,he did not sell these water-colours1 preferring to lend them to the publishers for engraving purposes for which he charged from five to seven guineas each4 ,ruskin tells how one day ,turner brought to him the sixty drawings for ,the ,rivers of ,france rolled in dirty brown paper1 offering them for twenty-five guineas each4 ,ruskin1 to his grief1 could not persuade his father to spend the money4 ,in later years he had to pay a thousand pounds for the seventeen which he gave to ,oxford4 ,to look through this series is to be again impressed by the range of ,turner's genius4 ,which is the most beautiful8 ,i know not4 ,sometimes one1 sometimes another--the blue mystery of ',the ,light ,towers of ,hve1' the huddled splendour of ',sunset in the ,port of ,havre1' the wild translucent sweep of the tidal wave in ',quellebuf1' the quiet splendour1 infinity on a few inches of paper1 of ',the ,seine between ,tancarville and ,quellebuf1' the poetry of ',caudebec1' the fantasy of ',jumiges1' the charm of ',the ,post ,road from ,vernon to ,nantes1' the mystery of ',st4 ,denis4' ,invited to pick one1 ,i should hardly know which to choose4 ,what a parcel of dreams for ,turner to bring to ,ruskin rolled in dirty brown paper4 ,and while ,turner the poet was preparing to realise these dreams1 ,turner the man was casting his acquisitive eye on former works of his own that came into the market4 ,when ,dr4 ,munro died in #ahcc1 ,turner attended the sale of his pictures1 and acquired a great many of his own early works2 no doubt he bought others too1 as among the doubtful drawings catalogued at the end of the ,inventory1 are many by different hands4 ,turner informed the auctioneer that some of the drawings attributed to him were not his4 ,that must have been an interesting spectacle4 ,for ,turner1 when he had a grievance1 did not conceal it4 ,,chapter ,,xl #ahcd3 ,,aged ,,fifty-,,nine ,,some ,,old ,,stories ,,and ,,some ,,ageless ,,colour ,,studies ,turner1 in his sixtieth year1 is on the threshold of the period when colour and light were more and more to obsess him to the exclusion of form and detail4 ,in the ,inventory1 there are books labelled simply ',colour ,studies1' and among the water-colours connected with his ',meuse-,moselle-,rhine' tour are some bearing such suggestive titles as ',crimson ,ruins1' ',vermilion ,towers1' ',tower in ,sunbeam1' ',blue ,hills1' ',ruins with ,rainbow4' ,in the ',colour ,studies' ,sketch-,book there are nearly fifty pages described merely as ',colour ,sketches'2 and on the last page are several lines of illegible verse4 ,also1 after a sketch of a ',ruined ,castle on a ,rock' a recipe 'said to be an infallible cure for the bite of a mad dog4' ,in the ',oxford and ,bruges' ,sketch-,book he breaks into this3-- ',old ,tom1 of ,christ ,church1 ,oxford4 ,what8 is it you ,old ,tom that keep this row every night8 ,what8 is it right that you should summon us to bed at nine continually all the year round8 ,is it fair that you1 ,tom1 should thus deal with us every night8' ,with my mind full of the visionary ,turner1 the dreamer and the troubled traveller1 ,i am a little impatient of ',the ,golden ,bough' of this year2 so apparently were the trustees of the ,national ,gallery1 as they banished it to ,dublin4 ,as to ',st4 ,michael's ,mount1' now in the ,victoria and ,albert ,museum1 how beautiful would be the pale gold ,mount1 rising from a pale gold shore into a grey-blue sky1 if the foreground with its fish and figures1 boat and lobster-pots1 could be banished4 ,the fine and whirling spectacle of the ',fire at ,sea1' that looks so well in its new home at ,millbank1 was composed1 no doubt1 from ',the ,fire at ,sea' ,sketch-,book1 which has this endorsement by ,ruskin3 ',a careless book3 the fine ships on fire taken out of it and very little left4' ,he exhibited another ,venice subject this year1 probably the ,venice about which ,thornbury tells a story3 how the inevitable ,jones1 who was showing a picture with a blue sky in it1 tried to paint his sky brighter1 so as to make it outshine ,turner's1 which hung alongside4 ,turner then made his sky still more blue1 whereupon ,jones painted out his blue sky altogether and put in a white one4 ',ah6 ,jones1' said ,turner1 'you've done me now4' ,here may be told once again the story of the encounter between ,gillott the pen manufacturer and ,turner1 in ,thornbury's own words3-- ,we are told that one day ,mr4 ,gillott1 the well-known manufacturer of ,birmingham1 sallied forth from his hotel1 determined at any price to obtain admission to the enchanted house in ,queen ,anne ,street4 ,he was rich1 he was enthusiastic--he believed strongly in the power of the golden key to open any door4 ,he arrived at the blistered dirty door of the house with the black-crusted windows4 ,he pulled at the bell2 the bell answered with a querulous1 melancholy tinkle4 ,there was a long inhospitable pause2 then an old woman with a diseased face looked up from the area1 and presently ascended and tardily opened the door1 keeping the filthy chain up1 however1 as a precaution4 ,she snappishly asked ,mr4 ,gillott's business4 ,he told her in his blandest voice4 ,can't let 'e in1 was the answer1 and she tried to slam the door4 ,but during the parley the crafty and determined ,dives had put his foot in1 and now1 refusing to any longer parley1 he pushed past the feeble1 enraged old she-,cerberus1 and hurried upstairs to the gallery4 ,in a moment ,turner was out upon him like a spider on another spider who has invaded his web4 ,mr4 ,gillott bowed1 introduced himself1 and stated that he had come to buy4 ,don't want to sell1 or some such rebuff1 was the answer2 but ,gillott shut his ears to all ,turner's angry vituperations4 ,have you ever seen our ,birmingham pictures1 ,mr4 ,turner8 was his only remark4 ',never 'eard of 'em1 said ,turner4 ',gillott pulled from his pocket a silvery fragile bundle of ,birmingham bank-notes 7about #ejjj worth74 ',mere paper1 said ,turner1 with grim humour1 a little softened1 and enjoying the joke4 ',to be bartered for mere canvas1 said ,gillott1 waving his hand at the ,building of ,carthage and its companions4 ',you're a rum fellow6 said ,turner1 slowly entering into negotiations1 which ended in ,gillott eventually carrying off in his cab some five thousand pounds' worth of ,turner's pictures4' ,these old stories1 when one has heard them once1 are not very exhilarating1 but they all have truth in their well of words4 ,it is pleasant to turn from them1 and merely to repeat the titles of some of the sketches mentioned before1 sounding as beautiful as they look1 and to glance at such a delicate drawing as the ',view on the ,moselle1' and to follow the river feeling for its level between the flushed hills4 ,and it is pleasant1 too1 to know that the time has now come to consider the loveliest of the 'unfinished' oils1 the pictures painted for his own delight in moments of exhilaration1 that were revealed to the public in #aijf4 ,it is probable that the most delicate and evanescent of them were painted at intervals between this year and #ahch4 ,unsigned1 unnamed1 undated1 it is impossible to give them a certain date1 and really it does not much matter4 ,turner painted them2 the nation has them3 that is all we need to know4 ,,part ,,seven #ahcc-ahde ,,from ,a ,,consideration ,,of ,,the ',,unfinished ,,oils ,,to' ,,rain1 ,,steam ,,and ,,speed' ,,and ,,the ,,last ,,sketch-,,books ,,chapter ,,xli #ahce3 ,,aged ,,sixty ,,some ,,remarks ,,on ,,the ',,unfinished' ,,oils1 ,,and ,,blackwood',s ,,attack ,,on ,,his ',,venice' ,,picture ,,of ,,this ,,year ,ruskin1 to whom we owe so much1 whose prose delights1 consoles1 inspires1 confuses1 bewilders and annoys in turn2 who1 by his very enthusiasm for ,turner1 occasionally ill-judged and unfair to other painters1 is sometimes of disservice to ,turner1 has nevertheless constructed an edifice of interpretation1 praise and blame that must last as long as the pictures themselves4 ,certain of ,ruskin's phrases are unforgettable2 one consists of but two words--',delight ,drawings1' designed to describe the water-colours ,turner made during the last ten years of his working life2 not done for the engraver or for exhibition1 but just for his own pleasure4 ',i look upon them1' said ,ruskin1 'as more valuable than his finished drawings or his oil pictures1 because they are the simple record of his first impressions and first purposes1 plans or designs of the pictures which1 if he had had time1 he would have made of each place4' ,since these words were written1 we have learnt to esteem even more highly these ',delight ,drawings1' and to regard them as the final and highest expressions of ,turner's genius4 ,with the inward eye ,i see ,turner walking about a town with a roll of thin paper in his pocket1 as ,ruskin has described1 making a few scratches upon a sheet or two1 mere shorthand indications of all he wished to remember1 then at his inn in the evening completing the pencilling rapidly1 and adding 'as much colour as was needed to record his plan of the picture4' ,thus in the last decade of his life1 when he had mastered his craft1 turned away from the works of all other painters to the fair face of nature1 did ,turner produce his ',delight ,drawings4' ,equally quickly1 happily and impulsively did he produce the 'unfinished' oils4 ,could there be a better name for these 'water-colours writ large1' than ',delight ,pictures1' done like the drawings for his own pleasure1 in moments of impulse while he was working upon exhibition pictures1 much as a man1 when writing a history of a county1 might break off to record in a hundred words1 a 'thing seen1' something of the present1 that had spoken to his heart while studying the present manners and customs of the county8 ,it is impossible to date accurately all the ',delight ,pictures1' a list of which is given in the chapter towards the end of this book describing the sensation caused by the exhibition of the 'unfinished' oils in #aijf4 ,the ',rocky ,bay with ,figures1' and the ',sunrise1 a ,castle on a ,bay1' both founded on sepia drawings for the ,liber1 may have been done as early as #ahbi or #ahcj2 the ',yachting' series certainly belong to #ahbg2 the ',chain ,pier1 ,brighton1' and the ',ship ,aground' to #ahcj1 and ',the ,evening ,star' may be as early as #ahbi1 or as late as #ahdj4 ,some1 the most delicate and evanescent1 wonders of light1 flushes of colour1 may have been painted any time between #ahcj and #ahdj2 others1 perhaps later1 as ',the ,burning of the ,ships1' and ',sunrise and a ,sea ,monster1' which probably belong to the ',whalers' period4 ,it is impossible to describe them1 and as many are reproduced in colour in this volume1 the attempt is hardly necessary4 ,the catalogue of the ,turner ,gallery bravely attempts description and elucidation2 but these works were never meant either to be titled or described4 ,i am content merely to look at the crepuscular beauty of the nocturne with the evening star2 at the deep green sea lighted near the shore by a gleam of golden sunlight in ',a ,rocky ,bay with ,classic ,figures1' unaware until ,i am told1 that ,greek galleys are moored in the bay and drawn up on the shore1 and that a shadow of a man is haranguing a group of shadowy sailors2 at the mist-shrouded castle behind which the sun is rising--,turner the mystic1 the initiate in light and colour4 ,but if these are beautiful1 what word can describe the ',sunrise with a ,boat between ,headlands1' the ',hastings1' and the ',norham ,castle1 ,sunrise1' his final vision of the ruin that he had painted again and again 7see ,frontispiece74 ,it has now become a mere whisper of light and colour1 a half-uttered murmur of the wonder of sunrise4 ,detail has gone2 it is flooded in light2 the old familiar foreground has disappeared1 leaving only the glory of the sky reflected in the water with the note of red1 the blue rampart1 and the haze that is all colours4 ,what is to be said about ',sunrise1 with a ,boat between ,headlands'8 ,i look at it1 love it1 and easily forget the useful information given in the catalogue to the effect that a water-colour similar in composition1 once in the collection of the late ,sir ,james ,knowles1 is said to be a view on the ,lake of ,lucerne4 ,hastings1 too1 ,turner painted again and again1 but never did he realise so perfectly the atmospheric vision that he once had of ugly ,hastings as in this ',delight ,picture1' with the amber and golden sails rising to the pale blue sky1 the amber sail strong against the rosy light on the cliffs4 ,and the misty1 yellow sunrise of the ',bridge and ,tower1' with the dreamland viaduct spanning the dreamland river1 is it not beautiful8 ,but when he painted that stalwart tree to the right1 ,i think ,turner's imagination flagged4 ,delight ,pictures6 ,delight ,drawings6 ,one of the drawings rises before me as ,i write1 a late one done a few years before his death1 that exquisite ',study on the ,rhine1' body colour on grey paper1 in the collection of ,sir ,edward ,durning-,lawrence4 ,i have no words to describe this wonder of misty blue and gold1 with the moon riding in a sky charged with the mystery of essential colour4 ,we are all1 like ,ruskin1 extravagant at times in speaking and writing of the finest work of ,turner4 ,a man1 long dead1 a contemporary1 said3 ',there are parts of some of them wonderful1 and by ,god1 all other drawings look heavy and vulgar4' ,a living man said in my hearing3 ',they are the finger of ,god3 there is no other way to describe them4' ,i must now take up the story of ,turner's exhibited pictures in #ahce1 which included ',line ,fishing off ,hastings1' now in the ,victoria and ,albert ,museum2 ',venice from the ,porch of ,madonna della ,salute1' now in the ,metropolitan ,museum1 ,new ,york1 signed on a floating plank1 the picture which ,blackwood attacked2 and two versions of the magnificent ',burning of the ,houses of ,lords and ,commons1' one shown at the ,royal ,academy1 the other at the ,british ,institution4 ,turner had watched the conflagration the year before1 as the ',burning of the ,houses of ,parliament' ,sketch-,book of #ahcd tells us4 ,there are also water-colours of this subject in the ,national ,collection1 and at ,farnley1 and a vignette in ,sir ,edward ,tennant's collection4 ,as a nocturne the ',burning of the ,houses of ,parliament' is as furious as ',the ,evening ,star' is peaceful4 ,dim boats push out into the lurid light reflected in the water2 other boats linger in the pools and eddies within the shadow of the bridge2 the whole scene is a bustle of colour1 from pale primrose on the bridge in shadow1 to the hurry of red and yellow in the night sky bright with the illumined smoke4 ,the ,royal ,academy version was1 we are told1 almost repainted by ,turner on ,varnishing ,day4 ',he finished it on the walls the last two days before the gallery was opened to the public'4 ,the authority is ,scarlett ,davies1 whose letter on the subject ,i have already quoted3 ',i am told it was good fun to see the great man whacking away with about fifty stupid apes standing around him1 and ,i understand that he was cursedly annoyed--the fools kept peeping into his colour-box1 examining all his brushes and colours4' ,thornbury tells us that ,lord ,hill1 on looking at the picture1 exclaimed3 ',what's this8 ,call this painting8 ,nothing but dabs4' ,but upon retiring and catching its magical effects1 he added3 ',painting6 ,god bless me4 ,so it is4' ,in this year the attacks in the press began1 heralded by ,blackwood1 with a severe criticism of ',venice from the ,porch of ,madonna della ,salute4' ,the writer in ,blackwood said3-- ',venice1 well ,i have seen ,venice4 ,venice the magnificent1 glorious1 queenly1 even in her decay--with her rich1 coloured buildings1 speaking of days gone by1 reflected in the green water4 ,what is ,venice in this picture8 ,a flimsy1 whitewashed1 meagre assemblage of architecture1 starting off ghostlike into unnatural perspective1 as if frightened at the affected blaze of some dogger vessels 7the only attempt at richness in the picture74 ,the greater part of the picture is white1 disagreeable white1 without light or transparency1 and the boats1 with their red worsted masts1 are as gewgaw as a child's toy1 which he may have cracked to see what it is made of4 ,as to ,venice1 nothing can be more unlike its character4' ,poor old ,turner6 ,but this ',venice' as not a good picture4 ,john ,ruskin1 then sixteen years of age1 read the article in ,blackwood1 read it with indignation1 and his brain became a tumult of thoughts1 and1 when the attack was continued1 he wrote a letter4 ,seven years later that letter became a book1 the first volume of ,modern ,painters4 ,,chapter ,,xlii #ahcf3 ,,aged ,,sixty-,,one ,,the ,,reception ,,of ',,juliet ,,and ,,her ,,nurse' ,,proclaims ,,that ,,turner ,,is ,,beginning ,,to ,,lose ,,favour ,,with ,,the ,,public ,this year1 alas6 ,turner exhibited ',juliet and her ,nurse1' and ',mercury and ,argus4' ,how strange it is that the hand that was painting ,delight ,drawings and ,pictures for pleasure should also be producing ',juliet and her ,nurse' and ',mercury and ,argus' for exhibition4 ,even kindly ,time has not brought ',mercury and ,argus' into favour4 ,shown at the ,japan-,british ,exhibition of #aiaj1 all a modern critic could say was3 ',it is charitable to suppose that it was hastily produced for purposes of exhibition1 with a carelessness as to technical structure which time has exposed4' ,the contemporary attacks on ',juliet and her ,nurse1' following the severe criticism in ,blackwood of the ,venice picture1 provoked ,ruskin to write the letter1 the germ of ,modern ,painters1 mentioned in the foregoing chapter4 ,this defence by the fiery champion of seventeen was acknowledged by ,turner' with thanks but without praise1' and he added1 ',i never move in these matters4' ,during the journey to ,italy1 which ,turner made this year with ,mr4 ,munro of ,novar1 ,i do not suppose that he ever mentioned the name of ,ruskin4 ,that must have been rather a difficult journey1 as ,munro of ,novar was suffering from a 'great depression of spirits'2 but the trip seems to have been of benefit to ,munro4 ,he reports that ,turner enjoyed himself in his way--'a sort of honest ,diogenes way '--and that he was companionable enough if such teasing questions were avoided as to how he got this or that colour4 ,turner never rhapsodised about scenery4 ,his usual morning question during that journey was1 ',have you got the sponge8' ,he was fond of laconic remarks4 ,one of them ,i shall always remember4 ,ruskin1 before starting forth on a certain foreign tour1 called upon ,turner to bid him good-bye1 the ardent youth no doubt expecting1 hoping for1 priceless words of counsel2 but ,turner was mainly anxious that the young author should not give his parents cause for anxiety on his travels4 ',they will be in such a fidge about you1' were his parting words4 ,,chapter ,,xliii #ahcg3 ,,aged ,,sixty-,,two ',,troubles ,,begin ,,to ,,gather ,,about ,,him4 ,,nothing ,,will ,,go ,,right' ,the pictures exhibited in #ahcg did not restore ,turner to favour4 ,they included the ',snowstorm1 ,avalanche and ,inundation1' described as a 'tumult of cloud1 wind and raging torrent in the gorge1' the sketch for which he had made on his way to ,italy with ,munro of ,novar2 and the ',departure of ,regulus1' which ,ruskin included among the 'nonsense pictures4' ,troubles begin to gather about him4 ,nothing will go right4 ,the beautiful ,england and ,wales series had been received with so little favour that it was decided to discontinue the issue4 ,the stock was put up for auction1 but ,turner opened negotiations and purchased the whole privately for three thousand pounds4 ,many of those present were willing to buy portions of the work4 ,to one of these ,turner said3 ',so1 sir1 you were going to buy my ,england and ,wales to sell cheap1 ,i suppose--make umbrella prints of them1 eh8 ,but ,i have taken care of that4 ,no more of my plates shall be worn to shadows4' ,the dealer tried to explain that he wanted only the printed stock1 and ,turner seemed to understand1 made an appointment1 then forgot all about the matter4 ,fighting the world of men1 he never wearied in finding his way about the world of nature1 recording his impressions1 and adding with difficulty to his small stock of education4 ,on the first page of the ',dresden' ,sketch-,book is the following3-- ',i want to go to ,berlin4 ,ich will nach ,berlin gehen4 ,i wish to see4 ,ich wollte--sehen1 etc4' ,a little later he comes into his own joys again--twenty-one pages of ',buildings1' and sixteen of ',views on ,river1' with sketches of sunsets and rocks1 distant coasts and sailing boats--anything so long as it was beautiful in light1 line or movement4 ,,chapter ,,xliv #ahch4 ,,aged ,,sixty-,,three ,a ',,nonsense ,,picture' ,,of #ahch ,,which ,,in #ahgh ,,fetched #edfj ,,at ,,auction ,from this year onward until after #ahde1 when his health began to fail1 ,turner spent more and more time on the ,continent1 making his beloved impressions of the moment1 and producing the unrivalled water-colours of his 'latest phase1' each a 'vision of delight4' ,the ,sketch-,books of the period are records of foreign travel4 ,venice and the ,lake of ,lucerne were the places of his heart's choice4 ,i know not how many times he drew the ,righi1 making the mountain now dark1 now pale1 now red1 now blue2 or how many times he painted ,venice1 her churches1 her buildings and her water-ways until in the end the city in the sea became a celestial city in a dream--his dream4 ,the exhibited pictures of #ahch are splendid failures4 ,they included ',modern ,italy' and ',ancient ,italy1' the latter classed by ,ruskin among the 'nonsense pictures4' ,here is the passage3 ',caligula's ,bridge1 ,temple of ,jupiter1 ,departure of ,regulus1 ,ancient ,italy1 ,cicero's ,villa1 and such others1 come they from whose hand they may1 ,i class under the general head of nonsense pictures4 ',but so strange a creature is man1 so deaf to advice1 that this ',ancient ,italy' was sold by auction in #ahgh for #edfj4 ,some prize ,turner's failures higher than the successes of other men4 ',phryne ,going to the ,public ,bath as ,venus--,demosthenes taunted by ,aeschines1' ,i have not seen4 ,it is one of the ,turners that were withdrawn from the walls of the ,national ,gallery4 ,mr4 ,wyllie describes this procession of dancing girls1 madly throwing a white ,cupid into the air and pirouetting1 as woven into a bewildering maze of light and colour4 ',drawing is neglected1 and the most audacious expedients resorted to1 increasing the brilliancy and the movement of the throng4 ,some of the faces are white with vermilion shadows4 ,the head of ,demosthenes is twisted out of all likeness to human form4 ,in fact everything is sacrificed to colour4' ,never has ,turner been so wilful as he is now at the age of sixty-three4 ,think of it--sixty-three1 and wilder1 more revolutionary1 more indifferent to convention than a hot-headed youth of twenty-three4 ',he paints white sails or buildings up against a sunset1 which is a thing impossible4' ,he disregards drawing and form1 and squeezes features 'together into one corner of a face1 slanting diagonally across it like handwriting' 444 ,true4 ,but the magician conquered1 not through these wildnesses1 but in spite of them4 ,even when most extravagant1 there is enough of the essential ,turner to make the picture great4 ,his dreams were too vast for the poor tools at his command2 he tripped over his tools1 he tripped up over nature2 but he did what no other man has ever been able to do4 ,and he could still be magnificently sane when he painted something that his eyes had seen1 not something that his chaotic fancy had imagined4 ,the year following the ',phryne1' he exhibited one of his sanest1 and probably his most popular picture--',the ,fighting ,tmraire ,tugged to ,her ,last ,berth to be ,broken up1' the last picture of his 'at which no stone was thrown4' ,and he gave to it a true and trite tag of poetry1 which ,i take the liberty of writing as prose1 that the curious reader may amuse himself by trying to recast the line into poetry3 ',the flag which braved the battle and the breeze no longer owns her4' ,the first nine words may be by some esteemed poet3 none but ,turner would have written the last four words as a line of verse4 ,,chapter ,,xlv #ahci3 ,,aged ,,sixty-,,four ',,the ,,fighting ,t,m,,raire1' ,,and ,a ,,sea-,,piece ,,on ,a ,,visiting-,,card ,a party of the ,academy ,club were journeying to ,greenwich1 on their annual visit1 when the steamer passed a tug with an old battleship in tow4 ',there's a fine subject for you1 ,turner1' said ,clarkson ,stanfield1 ,and ,turner1 who could take a hint from anybody1 looked1 chuckled1 ruminated1 no doubt made a pencil sketch1 and the result was ',the ,fighting ,tmraire4' ,she was launched at ,chatham ,dockyard in #agih3 she had been the second ship in ,nelson's division at the ,battle of ,trafalgar in #ahje4 ,sold out of the service at ,sheerness in #ahch1 she was now being towed to ,rotherhithe to be broken up4 ,her career was ended1 but ,turner has made the memory of the old wooden warrior immortal4 ',the ,fighting ,tmraire' is too well known to be described4 ,pages and pages have been written about the picture with scornful comments that the sun and the mast are in the wrong places1 and ,i know not what else4 ,the mast1 of course1 should not be abaft the funnel2 this curious error1 or perhaps intention on ,turner's part so that nothing should interfere with that black note1 was corrected by ,j4 ,t4 ,willmore1 in his engraving4 ,the ',tmraire' as popular4 ,no abusive voice1 says ,ruskin1 was ever raised against it4 ',and the feeling was just1 for of all pictures and subjects not visibly involving human pain1 this is1 ,i believe1 the most pathetic that was ever painted4' ,an admirer who tried to purchase the ',tmraire1' had a long interview with ,turner in ,queen ,anne ,street1 but the painter could not be induced to put a price upon the picture1 although he offered to take a commission of the same size at two hundred guineas4 ,there is the usual ,varnishing ,day story told about the ',tmraire4' ,geddes1 who had a portrait hung above1 realising that his picture was killed by the dazzle of ,turner's sunset1 prepared to introduce a showy carpet into the floor of his portrait4 ,he had laid it in with a flat1 bright tint of vermilion when ,turner appeared4 ',oh1 ho6 ,mr4 ,geddes1' he cried1 and seizing his palette knife loaded on orange1 scarlet and yellow4 ,returning the next day ,turner found that the bright vermilion ground in ,geddes's picture had been converted into a 'rich1 quiet1 sober-coloured ,turkey carpet4' ,less popular1 because it makes no appeal to pathos or sentiment1 was another exhibit of this year1 with another of the unwieldy titles1 ',ancient ,rome1 ,agrippina ,landing with the ,ashes of ,germanicus1 ,the ,triumphal ,bridge and ,palace of the ,csars restored1' with this quotation1 obviously ,turner's own composition3-- ',the clear stream1 ,aye--the yellow ,tiber glimmers to her beam1 ,even while the sun is setting4' ,if only ,agrippina1 with the ashes of her husband and the bodies of her suite were absent1 what a lovely vision this would be with the rosy bridge1 the yellow fairy-like building1 and the full moon riding in the evening sky4 ,yet why ask to have the figures taken away8 ,they are ,turner2 it is all ,turner1 a glorious ,turner1 still in the hour of his splendour1 and quite careless of the fact that it was at ,brindisium1 not ,rome1 that ,agrippina landed4 ,northcote1 who had a dark subject picture hanging above ',ancient ,rome1' said1 ',you might as well have opened a window under my picture4' ,turner was always opening a window to a poet's land1 which1 if it has no earthly habitation1 exists1 eternally1 in that place where all beautiful things dwell--the imagination4 ,the ,sketch-,books of this period are as crowded with drawings as the court of ,agrippina with figures4 ,in the ',venice' ,book of #ahci against a water-colour entitled by ,ruskin ',venice3 ,sunset sketch with turned edge1' he has appended this note3 ',preserve this drawing exactly as it is1 as evidence of the way he worked2 the turned edge of the paper painted upon4' ,the ',venetian ,fishing ,boat' also shows the 'way he worked1' when working for his own pleasure1 not for exhibition--green water1 violet hills1 rosy buildings held together by the strength of that tawny sail--lovely4 ,on a packet which contained a number of drawings in a ,sketch-,book1 now labelled ',miscellaneous1' ,ruskin inscribed the following3 ',thirty-four pieces of paper1 some double4 ,pencil ,outline4 ,rubbish2 only worth looking at for references4 ,it contains many late scrawls of ,german scenery4 ,studies of ,germany1 etc4' ,what may have seemed rubbish to ,ruskin1 pencil scrawls1 etc41 may have been of vital importance to ,turner4 ,how these ,sketch-,books evoke the man and the moment4 ,in one of them is ',a ,study for a ,sea-,piece1' scrawled on a visiting-card1 above the name of ,mr4 ,j4 ,m4 ,w4 ,turner1 #dg ,queen ,anne ,street1 ,harley ,street4 ,the number of studies of the sea he made during his life certainly exceeded the number of visiting-cards he used4 ,,chapter ,,xlvi #ahdj3 ,,aged ,,sixty-,,five ,a ,,contrast ,,between ,,the ,,terrific ',,slave ,,ship' ,,and ,,the ,,mild ',,new ,,moon' ,what a contrast is the cracked and faded picture ',the ,new ,moon' in the ,national ,collection1 also called ',i've lost my boat1 you shan't have your hoop1' with its sunset sky and young moon1 the reflections still beautiful in the wet sand1 to the terrific and impossible ',slave ,ship1' now in ,america1 with its sharks1 its huddle of bodies manacled and writhing in the water1 and the iron chains floating on the surface1 as if they were corks4 ,as ,monkhouse justly observes1 one of ,turner's finest conceptions is spoilt for the want of a little commonsense4 ,how opinions differ4 ,of this picture ,ruskin wrote3 ',i think the noblest sea that ,turner has ever painted1 and1 if so1 the noblest certainly ever painted by man1 is that of ,the ,slave ,ship1 the chief ,academy picture of the exhibition of #ahdj4' ,after a long and eloquent description of the sea1 without mentioning the sharks1 or the bodies1 or the chains1 he concludes3 ',i believe1 if ,i were reduced to rest ,turner's immortality upon any single work1 ,i should choose this4' ,i will now quote ,george ,innes1 the ,american painter3 ',turner's ,slave ,ship is the most infernal piece of clap-trap ever painted4 ,there is nothing in it4 ,it has as much to do with human affections and thought as a ghost4 ,it is not even a fine bouquet of colour4 ,the colour is harsh1 disagreeable and discordant4' ,hamerton suggested that the opinion of ,george ,innes owes part of its severity to reaction against ,ruskin's eloquence4 ,among the other pictures of this year were a ',venice1' now at the ,south ,kensington ,museum1 the middle distance crowded1 the creamy towers beautiful2 and the magnificent ',rockets and ,blue ,lights1' a tempestuous nocturne1 impressionism run riot1 which fetched in the ,yerkes sale at ,new ,york in #aiaj1 #be1jjj1 and which was hailed in the transatlantic newspapers as the finest example of ,turner's genius ever seen in the ,united ,states4 ,in this year1 also1 perhaps later1 may be placed ',the ,arch of ,constantine1 ,rome1' that colour dream with the yellow sunset blazing behind the tree1 and the arch looking like a rose red ruin of the imagination4 ,mr4 ,alfred ,thornton1 who has worked out minutely the actual topography of this picture1 has come to the conclusion that ,turner adhered very closely to the facts1 obviously because the facts happened to coincide with his vision4 ,of the companion picture1 ',tivoli1' ,mr4 ,thornton says3 ',the artist seems to have recorded a series of impressions he might have gathered during an evening walk at ,tivoli4 ,scarcely any two parts of the picture are side by side in nature1 yet all can be identified with more or less certainty4' ',the ,burning of the ,ships1' which is the same size as ',the ,arch of ,constantine' and ',tivoli1' and probably arises1 like them1 out of his last visit to ,rome1 is sheer vision1 sheer imagination1 perhaps founded on some recollection of naval warfare1 or a vague memory of an incident in the ,iliad4 ,it is a fantasy of colour and atmosphere4 ,to look closely is to see clouds of smoke rising from distant ships1 with suggestions of an arch and buildings1 and galleys crowded with rowers2 but ,turner was beyond form and definition when he painted ',the ,burning of the ,ships'2 he saw only the effect of the fire and the fury1 lingering with much loveliness in light4 ,in #ahdj or later he painted many of the water-colours that arrest us by their beauty in the new ,turner ,gallery1 such as ',the ,lake of ,lucerne1 from ,fluelen1' the large1 unfinished ',lake with ,distant ,headlands and ,palaces1' and that delight drawing in ,mr4 ,rawlinson's collection called ',in the ,vale ,d',aosta1 a ,passing ,shower4' ,but of all the pictures produced this year the cracked and faded ',new ,moon1' with the sunset sky1 and the funny additional title1 ',i 've lost my boat1 you shan't have your hoop1' seems to me the most personal to ,turner4 ,he is back in his boyhood at ,margate or elsewhere1 running on the sands with little companions and dogs at sunset1 when the new moon was in the sky1 and the world was young1--a mild1 pathetic little picture1 a strange contrast to the ',slave ,ship4' ,,chapter ,,xlvii #ahda3 ,,aged ,,sixty-,,six ,,how ,,turner ,,did ,,it8 ,,he ',,grasped ,,the ,,handle ,,and ,,plunged ,,the ,,whole ,,drawing ,,into ,a ,,pail ,,of ,,water' ,turner was represented by six pictures at the ,royal ,academy this year--unimportant1 not one worthy of his reputation4 ,there was a topographical ,venice1 which ,chantrey bought on ,varnishing ,day before he had seen it2 and the rather decorative1 rather splendid1 rather fatigued picture called ',depositing of ,giovanni ,bellini's three pictures in the ,church of the ,redentore1 ,venice1' not one of which modern expert criticism allows to ,bellini4 ,little that would have mattered to ,turner2 he was concerned with the look of the pageant only1 a little confused--gold1 red and blue surging in sunlight4 ,no doubt it pleased the old man to add the name of ,giovanni ,bellini to the famous painters who are associated with the descriptions of his pictures4 ,the titles of the ,sketch-,books of this year evoke all manner of visions of beautiful places and the works associated with them--,lucerne1 the ,rhine1 ,thun1 ,zug1 ,goldau1 ,fluelen1 ,bellinzona1 ,como1 ,splugen and ,grenoble4 ,in the ,salting ,collection at the ,british ,museum is a ',bellinzona' of the period1 faint greens1 faint purples1 with touches of red1 the form all lost in colour1 brooded over by the ridge of snow mountains1 the pencilled line of which has been left4 ,in the possession of ,sir ,hickman ,bacon is a water-colour simply called ',a ,swiss ,lake1' the still water reflecting the rosy hills1 and the delicate blues and yellows of the sky--just iridescent atmosphere floated upon the paper4 ,i look at it1 wonder how it was done1 and decide that the explanation by ,leitch1 the water-colour painter1 told by ,mr4 ,shaw ,sparrow in ,the ,studio1 as to 'how ,turner did it1' does not help me4 ,leitch informed a friend of ,mr4 ,sparrow's that he once accompanied ,pickersgill to ,turner's studio1 and there watched the great man working1 or shall ,i say composing4 ,there were four drawing-boards1 each of which had a handle screwed to the back4 ,after the subject had been lightly sketched in1 ,turner grasped the handle and plunged the whole drawing into a pail of water by his side4 ',then quickly he washed in the principal hues that he required1 flowing tint into tint1 until this stage of the work was complete4 ,leaving this first drawing to dry1 he took the second board and repeated the operation4 ,by the time the fourth drawing was laid in1 the first would be ready for the finishing touches2 and ,leitch was greatly impressed by the commonsense of the whole proceeding4' ,commonsense and genius1 knowledge and daring1 cunning and simplicity3 result--,turner's later water-colours4 ,,chapter ,,xlviii #ahdb3 ,,aged ,,sixty-,,seven ',,the ,,snowstorm' ,,and ,,some ',,faultless' ,,water-,,colours ,i open my thumbed copy of ,modern ,painters1 turn to a certain page in volume ,i41 and read this3 ',the ,snowstorm1 one of the very grandest statements of sea-motion1 mist1 and light1 that has ever been put on canvas1 even by ,turner4' ,in this appreciation we can go all the way with ,ruskin4 ',the ,snowstorm' in its new home in the new ,turner ,gallery looks the work of a giant in the interpretation of sea-motion1 mist and light4 ,the ',snowstorm2 ,steamboat off a ,harbour's ,mouth making ,signals in shallow water and going by the lead1' was laughed at by the press when it was shown in the #ahdb ,academy4 ,the parody of the title that appeared in ,punch was almost funny2 but the old man did not think it funny3 ',a ,typhoon bursting in a ,simoon over the ,whirlpool of ,maelstrom1 ,norway2 with a ship on fire1 an eelipse1 and the effect of a lunar rainbow1' with the following skit on the ,fallacies of ,hope3-- ',o ,art1 how vast thy mighty wonders are ,to those who roam upon the extraordinary deep2 ,maelstrom1 thy hand is here1' ,thornbury asserts that the critics of all kinds1 learned and unlearned1 were furious when it was exhibited2 some of them described it as a mass of 'soapsuds and whitewash4' ',turner1' wrote ,ruskin1 'was passing the evening at my father's house1 on the day this criticism came out2 and after dinner1 sitting in his arm-chair by the fire1 ,i heard him muttering low to himself1 at intervals1 ,soapsuds and whitewash again1 and again1 and again4 ,at last ,i went to him1 asking why he minded what they said4 ,then he burst out1 ,soapsuds and whitewash6 ,what would they have8 ,i wonder what they think the sea's like8 ,i wish they'd been in it4' ,as a matter of fact1 ,turner had given himself infinitely more trouble over ',the ,snowstorm' than over ',the ,fighting ,tmraire1' and he had been in considerable danger4 ,to paint ',the ,snowstorm1' he had put to sea from ,harwich in the ,ariel in a hurricane1 had made the sailors lash him to the mast1 and there the student of sixty-seven remained for four hours studying the awful scene4 ,i look at ',the ,snowstorm' to-day1 and remember4 ,i am filled with awe at the man's power4 ,no1 we do not smile at ',the ,snowstorm' now2 but certain folk still smile at ',war3 ,the ,exile and the ,rock ,limpet1' depicting an attenuated ,napoleon1 standing against a blood-red sunset1 in the shallows of a tidal pool1 on the shore of ,st4 ,helena1 gazing with folded arms out to sea4 ,turner failed to make this nobly inspired dream a reality--that is all4 ,punch made merry over the ',exile and the ,rock ,limpet1' calling it ',the ,duke of ,wellington and the ,shrimp 7,seringapatam1 early morning71' with another parody of the ,fallacies3-- ',and can it be1 thou hideous imp1 ,that life is1 ah6 how brief1 and glory but a shrimp6 7,from an unpublished poem47' ,and remarked that3-- ',the comet just rising above the cataract in the foreground1 and the conflagration of ,tippoo's widow in the ,banyan forest by the sea-shore1 are in the great artist's happiest manner4' ',peace1 ,burial at ,sea of the ,body of ,sir ,david ,wilkie1' was a vision which ,turner completely realised1 the poetry1 the pathos1 the grandeur1 the decorative splendour--all4 ,the sails of the steamship are dark against the evening sky1 as if in mourning1 and amidships1 in a blaze of torchlight1 the body of ,wilkie is being lowered to his watery grave4 ,stanfield1 who saw the picture on ,varnishing ,day1 thought the effect of the sails was 'untrue1' which1 of course1 they are1 but ,turner would not alter them4 ',i only wish ,i had any colour to make them blacker1' said the old warrior4 ,from this picture of peace and solemnity ,i turn to the peace and loveliness of some 'smaller' water-colours of this1 his sunset1 period4 ,ruskin1 in his ',notes on ,turner's ,drawings exhibited at the ,fine ,art ,society in #ahgh1' which is printed as the ,epilogue to the volume called ,notes on ,pictures1 tells how in the winter of #ahda-db ,turner brought back with him from ,switzerland a series of sketches1 fifteen of which he placed1 as was his custom1 in the hands of his agent1 ,griffith of ,norwood1 so that he might obtain commissions for finished drawings of each4 ,ruskin tells us that 'he made anticipatorily four1 to manifest what their quality would be1 and honestly show his hand4 ,four thus exemplary drawings ,i say he made for specimens1 or signs1 as it were1 for his re-opened shop1 namely3-- #a4 ,the ,pass of ,splugen4 #b4 ,mont ,righi1 seen from ,lucerne1 in the morning1 dark against dawn4 #c4 ,mont ,righi1 seen from ,lucerne at evening1 red with the last rays of sunset4 #d4 ,lake ,lucerne 7,the ,bay of ,uri7 from above ,brunnen1 with exquisite blue and rose mists and 'mackerel' sky on the right4 ,the whole story1 which is told in ,ruskin's most simple and charming style1 is too long to be repeated here4 ,nine commissions only could be obtained1 making ten with the one given to ,griffith as commission4 ',turner growled1 but said at last that he would do them1' and among them was a ',lucerne ,town1' which ,ruskin1 by hard coaxing and petitioning1 obtained his father's leave to promise to take if it turned out well4 ,it did4 ,what a wonderful realisation of a dream of colour is another water-colour of this period1 reproduced in these pages--',spietz on the ,lake of ,thun1 ,looking ,towards the ,bernese ,oberland4' ,on the last page of the ,ruskin ,catalogue1 which is now called ,epilogue1 the old man1 most eloquent and most sorrowful1 writes3-- ',the ,constance and ,coblentz here with the ,splugen 7#a71 ,bay of ,uri 7#d71 and ,zurich 7#aj71 of the year #ahab1 are the most finished and faultless works of his last period2 but these of #ahdc are the truest and mightiest 444 ,i can't write any more of them just now4' ,about this time ,munro of ,novar offered twenty-five thousand pounds for the whole contents of the ,queen ,anne ,street ,gallery4 ,turner hesitated1 but finally refused4 ,frith1 in his ,autobiography1 tells the story thus3-- ',when ,munro of ,novar went for his final answer1 ,turner cried1 ,no6 ,i won't--,i can't4 ,i believe ,i am going to die1 and ,i intend to be buried in those two 7pointing to ,carthage and ,the ,sun ,rising ,through ,vapour71 so ,i can't--besides ,i can't be bothered4 ,good-evening6' ,the evening of his life was to last nine years1 and ,turner found his own way of escape from being bothered4 ,,chapter ,,xlix #ahdc3 ,,aged ,,sixty-,,eight ,,visions ,,of ,,venice ,,and ,,the ,,first ,,volume ,,of ',,modern ,,painters' ,the two pictures of ,venice exhibited in #ahdc1 so changed1 so faded1 are in their way among the loveliest things ,turner ever painted4 ',san ,benedetto1 ,looking ,towards ,fusina1' was formerly known as ',the ,approach to ,venice1' and ,i wish that title could have been retained1 as one always thinks of it as ',the ,approach to ,venice1' and always in connection with the companion picture1 ',the ,sun of ,venice ,going to ,sea1' with the name of this immortalised1 fishing-boat ',sol di ,venezia' conspicuous on the sail4 ,these two fading visions of ,venice are indescribable1 although everybody attempts to describe them4 ,an eloquent passage may be found in the essay ,m4 de la ,sizeranne wrote for ,the ,studio on ',the ,genius of ,turner1' from which the following is an extract3-- ',nothing will be found more beautiful than the ,approach itself4 ,no robe from ,tintoretto's brush will be found to possess the splendour of the gondolas conveying us4 ,no ,titian--that of the mountains of ,cadore1 the presence of which we divine1 no nimbus about the head of a saint1 will equal that sun1 no purple these skies1 no prayer the infinite sweetness of the dream experienced during those brief1 delicious moments4 ,nothing will be found to compare with the distant vision of that city which1 on the horizon1 seems to be too beautiful ever to be reached1 and appears to recede from the traveller's barque-- ,ainsi que ,dle sur le mer gilded like youth1 silent as dreams1 and like happiness unattainable4' ,earlier in the ,essay this sensitive writer says3-- ',turner was the first of the ,impressionists1 and after a lapse of eighty years he remains the greatest1 at least in the styles he has treated4 ,that ,impressionism came from ,england is proved by the letters of ,delacroix1 and demonstrated by ,m4 ,paul ,signac in his pamphlet on ,neo-,impressionism4444 ,turner is the father of the ,impressionists4 ,their discoveries are his4 ,he first saw that ,nature is composed in a like degree of colours and of lines1 and1 in his evolution1 the rigid and settled lines of his early method gradually melt away and vanish in the colours4 ,he sought to paint the atmosphere1 the envelopment of coloured objects seen at a distance1 rather than the things enveloped3 and he quickly realised that the atmosphere could not be expressed1 except through the infinite parcelling out of things which ,claude ,lorrain drew in a solid grouping and painting en bloc4 ,he shredded the clouds4 ,he took the massive and admirable masses1 the cumuli of ,ruysdael1 of ,hobbema1 of ,van de ,velde1 picked the threads out of them1 and converted them into a myriad-shaded charpie1 which he entrusted to the winds of heaven4' ,time has been cruel to both these ,venetian pictures1 perhaps cruel only to be kind4 ,even in ,ruskin's time much of the transparency had gone2 but there they are1 dreams of ,venice2 not the ,venice we see1 not the ,venice that ,canaletto saw1 but the ,venice that floated before the eyes of ,turner1 that blossomed in the imagination of an old man nearing his seventieth year4 ,i suppose we must call the other pictures of #ahdc failures1 but only because he tried to express the inexpressible--such themes as ',the ,evening of the ,deluge' and ',the ,morning ,after1' with ,moses writing the book of ,genesis1 mixed up with ,goethe's theory of ,light and ,colour1 and accompanied by an extract from the ,fallacies of ,hope3-- ',the ark stood firm on ,ararat3 the returning sun ,exhaled earth's humid bubbles1 and emulous of light1 ,reflected her lost forms1 each in prismatic guise4' ,in this year1 too1 he exhibited ',the ,opening of the ,walhalla1' which has been banished to the honourable seclusion of the ,dublin ,national ,gallery4 ,this ,doric temple1 erected on a hill overlooking the ,danube1 containing two hundred marble busts of eminent ,germans1 had been opened by ,king ,ludwig of ,bavaria in the previous year4 ,the idea inspired ,turner2 he painted a characteristic picture of the ceremony and sent it to ,king ,ludwig1 who returned the gift with the comment that he did not understand it4 ,poor ,turner6 ,munich would be well content to own the ',walhalla' now4 ,in #ahdc the first volume of ,modern ,painters was published1 which 'originated1' as ,ruskin tells us1 'in indignation at the shallow and false criticisms of the periodicals of the day of the works of the great living artist to whom it principally refers4' ,the second volume was not published until #ahdf2 the third and fourth in #ahef1 and the fifth and last volume of this 'enormous work of thought1 inspiration1 sincerity and devotion' in #ahfj4 ,we have it on the authority of ,thornbury1 that ,turner was vexed at ,ruskin's panegyrics1 and said1 ',the man put things into my head ,i never thought of4' ,i doubt if ,turner was vexed at the panegyrics1 but it is quite certain that ,ruskin's imagination saw things in the pictures that ,turner never 'thought of4' ,turner was a man of deeds1 not of thoughts4 ,he worked with his eyes1 hand1 and spirit3 he was ,nature's lover4 ,it is certain1 too1 that after the first irritation felt by his contemporaries at some of the wilder works of ,turner's later years had cooled1 his fame would have steadily increased1 and would have been as high as it is to-day1 had ,modern ,painters never been written4 ,neither that wonderful book1 nor any other book1 could serve ,turner4 ,only he himself could have produced that fantasy1 exquisite and intelligible1 called ',the ,seelisberg3 ,moonlight1' or the study1 purple1 gold and blue1 in the ,victoria and ,albert ,museum1 of a lake1 perhaps ,brienz1 enclosed by snowy peaks1 with the wraith of a castle in the foreground1 and the moon in the blue sky4 ,he went his own way1 and perhaps on the very day that he should have been reading the glowing periods of ,modern ,painters1 hailing him as a sort of superman1 he was the chief actor in that scene on board the old ,margate steamer1 watching the effect of the sun1 and the boiling foam in the wake of the boat1 and at luncheon-time eating shrimps out of an immense silk handkerchief laid across his knees4 ,and while he was eating shrimps and watching the movement of the water1 those who had reached the end of the first volume of ,modern ,painters were perhaps reading with shining eyes and lifted hearts the concluding passage about 'the great artist whose works have formed the chief subject of this treatise'3-- ',in all that he says1 we believe3 in all that he does1 we trust4444 ,he stands upon an eminence1 from which he looks back over the universe of ,god1 and forward over the generations of men4 ,let every work of his hand be a history of the one1 and a lesson to the other4 ,let each exertion of his mighty mind be both hymn and prophecy2 adoration to the ,deity1 revelation to mankind4' ,that is ,ruskin at his finest3 here is ,turner at his--well1 as ,turner4 ,a ,mr4 ,hammersley1 who visited him about this time in ,queen ,anne ,street1 described how he heard the shambling1 slippered footstep coming down the stairs1 the cold1 cheerless room1 the gallery1 even less tidy and more forlorn1 all confusion1 mouldiness and wretched litter2 most of the pictures covered with uncleanly sheets1 and the man6 'his loose dress1 his ragged hair1 his indifferent quiet--all indeed that went to make his physique and some of his mind1 but above all ,i saw1 felt 7and feel still7 his penetrating gray eye4' ,,chapter ,l #ahdd3 ,,aged ,,sixty-,,nine ,,he ,,exhibits ',,rain1 ,,steam ,,and ,,speed1' ,,and ,,twice ,,tries ,,to ,,cross ,,the ,,alps ,,on ,,foot ,the ,sketch-,books of #ahdd tell the happy story of continental rambles1 with flashes of humour1 such as this written in pencil against a water-colour of ',rockets'3 ',coming events cast their lights before them4' ,he is at ,lucerne1 ,thun1 ,interlaken1 ,lauterbrunnen1 ,grindelwald1 ,meiringen1 ,rheinfelden and ,heidelberg and each book has its numerous sketches4 ,to show how unwearyingly this veteran pursued beauty1 ,i quote in full the titles of the drawings in the short ',lucerne' ,sketch-,book1 which has not been broken up3-- ,page #a4 ,lake and sky4 ,water-colour4 #b4 do4 do4 #c4 do4 do4 #d-i4 ,blank #aj4 ,lake and sky4 ,water-colour4 #aa4 do4 ,stormy weather4 ,water-colour4 #ab4 ,the ,righi3 storm clearing off4 ,water-colour4 #ac4 ,a ,stormy sunset4 ,water-colour4 #ad4 ,the ,rockets4 ,water-colour4 ,written in pencil in margin--',coming events cast their lights before them4' #ae4 ,the blue ,righi4 ,water-colour4 #af4 ,the red ,righi4 #ag4 ,the rain1 with rainbow4 ,water-colour4 #ah4 ,the rainbow4 ,water-colour4 #ai4 ,clearing up a little4 ,water-colour4 #bj4 ,still raining4 ,water-colour4 #ba4 ,the rainbow4 ,water-colour4 #bb4 ,a gleam of sunshine4 ,water-colour4 #bc4 ,sunset4 ,water-colour4 #bd4 ,the ,righi4 ,water-colour4 7#ah leaves drawn on47 ,the exhibited pictures included that masterpiece in impressionism1 ',rain1 ,steam1 and ,speed4' ,turner's whole life may be said to have been a preparation for this tour de force2 all the knowledge that he had acquired1 all the facts that he had accumulated1 are used in this brilliant synthesis of the effect upon the eye of rushing movement through atmosphere4 ,has ,claude ,monet1 who acknowledged the impulse he received from studying ,turner in #ahgj1 ever visualised movement1 light and atmosphere in one impression1 as did this wonderful ,turner in his seventieth year8 ,but though his power to express a fleeting vision was at its height in this picture1 his ability to express his thoughts was as stumbling as ever1 shown by the following--printed with other letters by ,sir ,walter ,armstrong in his volume on ,turner3-- '#dg ,queen ,anne ,street1 ,dec4 #bhth1 #ahdd4 ',dear ,hawkesworth1--,first let me say ,i am very glad to hear ,mrs4 ,fawkes has recovered in health so as to make ,torquay air no longer absolute1 and that the ,isle of ,wight will1 ,i do trust1 completely establish her health and yours 7confound the gout which you work under71 tho' thanks to your perseverance in penning what you did1 and likewise for the praises of a gossiping letter1 thanks to ,charlotte ,fawkes1 who said you thought of ,shanklin1 but you left me to conjecture solely by the postmark ,shanklin--,ryde--so now ,i scribble this to the first place in the hope of thanking your kindness in the remembrance of me by the ,yorkshire ,pie equal good to the olden time of ,hannah's culinary exploits4 ',now for myself1 the rigours of winter begin to tell upon me1 rough and cold1 and more acted upon by changes of weather than when we used to trot about at ,farnley1 but it must be borne with all the thanks due for such a lengthened period4 ',i went1 however1 to ,lucerne and ,switzerland1 little thinking of supposing such a cauldron of squabbling1 political or religious1 ,i was walking over4 ,the rains came on early so ,i could not cross the ,alps1 twice ,i tried1 was sent back with a wet jacket and worn-out boots1 and after getting them heel-tapped1 ,i marched up some of the small valleys of the ,rhine and found them more interesting than ,i expected4 ',now do you keep your promise and so recollect that ,london is not so much out of nearest route to ,farnley now 444 ,shanklin1 and 7,i7 do feel confoundedly mortified in not knowing your location when ,i was once so near you1 for ,i saw ,louis ,philippe land at ,portsmouth4--,believe me1 dear ,hawkesworth1 ,yours most sincerely1 ',j4 ,m4 ,w4 ,turner4' ,another blow fell upon ,turner this year4 ,the ,mr4 ,hammersley aforementioned visited him again in ,queen ,anne ,street1 and gives the following account3-- ',our proceedings resembled our proceedings on the former visit1 distinguished from it1 however1 by the exceeding taciturnity1 yet restlessness of my great companion1 who walked about and occasionally clutched a letter which he held in his hand4 ,i feared to break the dead silence1 varied only by the slippered scrape of ,turner's feet1 as he paced from end to end of the dim and dusty apartment4 ,at last he stood abruptly1 and turning to me1 said1 ,mr4 ,hammersley1 you must excuse me1 ,i cannot stay another moment2 the letter ,i hold in my hand has just been given to me1 and it announces the death of my friend ,callcott4 ,he said no more2 ,i saw his fine gray eyes fill as he vanished1 and ,i left at once4' ,the loss of friends set his mind dwelling upon the past1 and it was no doubt in gratitude to all he owed to ,ruysdael that he painted and exhibited this year the vivacious sea-piece now in the ,national ,gallery1 which he called ',fishing-,boats ,bringing a ,disabled ,ship into ,port ,ruysdael4' ,needless to say1 there is no such port anywhere4 ,he also exhibited the beautiful ,approach to ,venice' in the possession of ,sir ,charles ,tennant2 and--the old man twice tried to cross the ,alps on foot1 referred to in the above letter1 which is almost as wonderful as painting a picture4 ,it would seem that he really succeeded in the enterprise if 'passed' means 'crossed1' as in the ',grindelwald' ,sketch-,book1 against a drawing of mountains1 is the following scrawl3-- ',no matter what bef 8 befell ,hannibel--,w4,b4 and ,j4,m4,w4,t4 passed the ,alps from 8 near ,fombey 8 ,sep4 #c1 #ahdd4' ,,chapter ,,li #ahde3 ,,aged ,,seventy ,,pictures ,,of ,,whalers1 ,,and ,,an ,,entry ,,on ,,the ,,last ,,page ,,of ,,his ,,last ,,sketch-,,book ,now1 when he is nearing his decline1 ,turner is described as stooping very much1 and looking down4 ,thinking of ,turner 'looking down1' ,i recall the story that came to ,sir ,walter ,armstrong from ,mr4 ,stopford ,brooke3 how some one who knew ,turner1 at least by sight1 was one day passing along the wharves beyond the ,palace of ,westminster1 when he noticed the figure of a sturdy man in black squatting on his heels at the river's edge1 and looking down intently into the water4 ,passing on1 he thought for the moment no more about it4 ,but on his return1 half an hour later1 the figure was still there1 and still intent in the same way4 ,that watcher was ,turner1 and the object of his interest was the pattern made by the ripples at the edge of the tide4 ,ruskin says that this year his health1 and with it in great degree1 his mind1 failed suddenly4 ,and to ,ruskin we owe this pathetic passage3-- ',the last drawing in which there remained a reflection of his expiring power1 he made in striving to realise1 for me1 one of these faint and fair visions of the morning mist fading from the ,lake of ,lucerne4 ',there ariseth a little cloud out of the sea like a man's hand 444 ,for what is your life8' ,and ,turner was going his own way1 making his little jokes4 ,on ,june #cast1 #ahde1 he wrote to ,mr4 ,e4 ,bicknell of ,heme ,hill3-- ',my ,dear1 ,,sir1--,i will thank you to call in ,queen ,anne ,street at your earliest convenience1 for ,i have a whale or two on the canvas4' ,this letter1 of course1 referred to the ',whalers' pictures1 exhibited in #ahde and #ahdf4 ,the ',whalers' ,sketch-,book contains drawings of ',steamer ,leaving ,harbour1' ',burning ,blubber1' ',whalers at ,sea1' ',study of ,fish1' etc4 ,perhaps he made a voyage2 perhaps he talked with sailors in one of his haunts at ,wapping1 and learnt from them of the wonders of the deep waters related by ,arctic voyagers4 ,however the idea or the vision came he now makes sketches of whaling subjects and paints pictures of ',whalers1' one of which is in the ,turner ,gallery1 four boats' crews attacking their prey with harpoons1 and in the background are the white sails of their vessels1 dimly seen through mists and snow wreaths4 ,the imaginative ',sunrise with a ,sea ,monster' probably belongs to the ',whalers' period4 ,on the misty waters of the ocean1 reflecting a yellow sunrise1 a sea monster1 with a head like a magnified red gurnet1 advances1 the huge head towering out of the water4 ,in the distance are forms suggesting icebergs4 ,punch had a genial sneer at a ',whalers' picture3-- ',it embodies one of those singular effects which are only met with in lobster salads and in this artist's pictures4 ,whether he calls his picture ,whalers or ,venice1 or ,morning1 or ,noon1 or ,night1 it is all the same2 for it is quite as easy to fancy it one thing as another4' ,thornbury is responsible for the following3-- ',i am afraid the tradition is too true1 that that great and bitter satirist of poor humanity's weaknesses1 ,mr4 ,thackeray1 had more than a finger in thus lashing the dotage of a great man's genius4 ,long after1 ,i have heard that ,mr4 ,thackeray was shown some of ,turner's finest water-colour drawings1 upon which he exclaimed3 ,i will never run down ,turner again4 ,but the blows had already gone to the old man's heart1 and it did no good to lament them then4' ,in the ,sketch-,books of #ahde and #ahdf1 we find him at ',folkestone1' ',hythe and ,walmer1' ',ambleteuse and ,wimereux1' ',boulogne1' ',eu and ,treport1' ',dieppe1' and back again at ',folkestone4' ,in the last of all the ,sketch-,books1 ',kent1' #ahde-df1 when ,turner was over seventy1 is this against a drawing of ',houses and ,church'3 ',may #cj4 ,margate1 a small opening along the horizon marked the approach of the sun by its getting yellow1' etc4 ,a little later in this valedictory ,sketch-,book is the following in his own handwriting3-- ',may4 ,blossoms4 ,apple1 ,cherry1 ,lilac1 ,small white flowers in the ,hedges1 in ,clusters1 ,d4 ,blue ,bells1 ,buttercups and daisies in the fields1 ,oak1 ,warm1 ,elm ,g41 ,ash1 yellow1' etc4 ,with that utterance of joy in nature we may take our leave of the ,sketch-,books1 and of the close of the great period of ,turner1 thinking of small white flowers in the hedges1 buttercups and daisies in the fields1 seen by his old eyes1 and recorded tremblingly in his last ,sketch-,book4 ,there is no sign of trembling in the exquisite vision of ',tell's ,chapel--,fluelen1' his adieu to ,switzerland1 perhaps the last water-colour from his hand4 ,,part ,,eight #ahdf-ahea ,,the ,,years ,,of ,,decline--,,and ,,the ,,end ,,chapter ,,lii #ahdf3 ,,aged ,,seventy-,,one ,,the ,,beginning ,,of ,,turner',s ,,decline1 ,,and ,a ',,grey1 ,,dim ,,drawing' ,the story of ,turner's art life really ended in the last chapter3 there is little more to tell1 yet ',queen ,mab's ,grotto1' which he exhibited at the ,british ,institution in #ahdf1 flickers with the old splendour4 ,the sultry arch of trees in the foreground1 the golden castle rising to the sky1 have something of the old witchery1 and the mundane fairies are more attractive than many of his clothed foreground fishermen4 ,in this picture he rivalled nobody but himself1 but the suggestion clearly came from ,shakespeare1 and it was the old man's pleasure to couple the names of ,shakespeare and ,turner in the catalogue1 with this from ,a ,midsummer ,night's ,dream3-- ',frisk it1 frisk it by the moonlight beam4' ,and this from the ,fallacies of ,hope3-- ',thy orgies1 ,mab1 are manifold4' ,the other pictures of this year have the old extravagance of title1 little more4 ,they were3-- ',hurrah for the ,whaler ,erebus6 ,another ,fish6' ',undine giving the ,ring to ,massaniello1 ,fisherman of ,naples4' ',the ,angel ,standing in the ,sun1' with quotations from ,revelation and the poet ,rogers4 ',whalers 7boiling blubber7 entangled in flaw ice1 endeavouring to extricate themselves4' ',returning from the ,ball 7,st4 ,martha74' ',going to the ,ball 7,san ,martino74' ,his ambition was as buoyant as ever1 and the look of his eyes as keen2 but his hand was beginning to lose its power4 ,ruskin has this curt comment3-- ',i shall take no notice of the three pictures painted in the period of his decline 7,undine1 ,the ,angel ,standing in the ,sun1 and ,the ,hero of a ,hundred ,fights74 ,it was ill-judged to exhibit them2 they occupy to ,turner's other works precisely the relation which ,count ,robert of ,paris and ,castle ,dangerous hold to ,scott's early novels4' ,one could continue indefinitely quoting ,ruskin on ,turner1 ranging1 as he does1 through the whole gamut from eulogy to chastisement1 from adoration to grief4 ,here is a passage that arrests me as ,i turn his pages3 pathetic1 but a wilful misunderstanding of ,turner's temperament3-- ',there is something very strange and sorrowful in the way ,turner used to hint only at these under-meanings of his2 leaving us to find them out1 helplessly2 and if we did not find them out1 no word more ever came from him4 ,down to the grave he went1 silent4 ,you cannot read me2 you do not care for me2 let it all pass2 go your ways4' ,and here is a wail that is probably quite within the sad truth4 ,in a note to the first volume of ,modern ,painters1 after remarking sadly that ',turner is exceedingly unequal1' that he has failed most frequently 'in elaborate compositions1' and that 'finding fault with ,turner is not either decorous in myself or likely to be beneficial to the reader1' ,ruskin continues3-- ',the reader will have observed that ,i strictly limited the perfection of ,turner's works to the time of their first appearing on the walls of the ,royal ,academy4 ,it bitterly grieves me to have to do this1 but the fact is indeed so4 ,no picture of ,turner's is seen in perfection a month after it is painted4 ,the ',walhalla' cracked before it had been eight days in the ,academy rooms2 the vermilions frequently lose lustre long before the ,exhibition is over2 and when all the colours begin to get hard a year or two after the picture is painted1 a painful deadness and opacity come over them1 the whites especially becoming lifeless1 and many of the warmer passages settling into a hard valueless brown1 even if the paint remains perfectly firm1 which is far from being always the case4 ,i believe that in some measure these results are unavoidable1 the colours being so peculiarly blended and mingled in ,turner's present manner1 as almost to necessitate their irregular drying2 but that they are not necessary to the extent in which they sometimes take place1 is proved by the comparative safety of some even of the more brilliant works4 ,thus the ,old ,tmraire is nearly safe in colour1 and quite firm2 while the ,juliet and ,her ,nurse is now the ghost of what it was2 the ,slaver shows no cracks1 though it is chilled in some of the darker passages1 while the ,walhalla and several of the recent ,venices cracked in the ,royal ,academy4' ,how the attacks and parodies of ,turner must have pained ,ruskin6 ,this1 for example1 from ,punch on ',venice1 ,morning1 ,returning from the ,ball'3-- ',we had almost forgotten ,mr4 ,j4 ,m4 ,w4 ,turner1 ,r4,a41 and his celebrated ,,ms4 poem1 the ,fallacies of ,hope1 to which he constantly refers us1 as in former years2 but on this occasion1 he has obliged us by simply mentioning the title of the poem1 without troubling us with an extract4 ,we will1 however1 supply a motto to his ,morning--,returning from the ,ball1 which really seems to need a little explanation2 and as he is too modest to quote the ,fallacies of ,hope1 we will quote for him3-- ',oh1 what a scene6 ,can this be ,venice8 ,no4 ,and yet methinks it is--because ,i see ,amid the lumps of yellow1 red and blue1 ,something which looks like a ,venetian spire4 ,that dash of orange in the background there ,bespeaks 'tis morning4 ,and that little boat 7,almost the colour of ,tomato sauce7 ,proclaims them now returning from the ball3 ,this is my picture ,i would fain convey1 ,i hope ,i do4 ,alas6 what ,fallacy6' ,the following pen-picture is no parody4 ,wilkie ,collins told ,thornbury that when a boy-- ',he used to attend his father on varnishing days1 and remembers seeing ,turner 7not the more perfect in his balance for the brown sherry at the ,academy lunch71 seated on the top of a flight of steps1 astride a box4 ,there he sat1 a shabby ,bacchus1 nodding like a ,mandarin at his picture1 which he1 with a pendulum motion1 now touched with his brush1 and now receded from4 ,yet1 in spite of sherry1 precarious seat and old age1 he went on shaping in some wonderful dream of colour2 every touch meaning something1 every pin's head of colour being a note in the chromatic scale4' ,there is nothing sad in that2 but who can look at or recall that 'grey1 dim drawing1 with one or two specks of light from craft on the river1' called ',twilight in the ,lorreli1' without emotion8 ,this was one of the fifty-three drawings that ,turner had brought years before straight to ,farnley on his return from the ,rhine4 ,long afterwards1 possibly in this year1 ,hawkesworth ,fawkes conveyed the set to the dreary house in ,queen ,anne ,street to show to their creator4 ,the old man turned over the drawings until he came to ',twilight in the ,lorreli4' ,his eyes filled with tears1 and he muttered1 ',but1 ,hawkey6 but1 ,hawkey6' ,,chapter ,,liii #ahdg1 #ahdh ,,and #ahdi3 ,,aged ,,seventy-,,two ,,to ,,seventy-,,four ,,he ,,disappears ,,from ,,his ,,old ,,haunts1 ,,and ,,is ,,interested ,,in ,,optics ,,and ,,photography ,turner's art life almost ceased during the years #ahdg1 #ahdh and #ahdi4 ,three old-new pictures only were exhibited3 ',the ,hero of a ,hundred ,fights1' probably an early picture re-touched1 and two works of former years3 ',the ,wreck ,buoy1' which he repainted1 spending 'six laborious days' upon it1 and ',venus and ,adonis1' dating from nearly fifty years before1 after his visit to the ,louvre in #ahjb4 ,the interest of these years1 if it be an interest1 is centred in his cunning and successful efforts to escape from the notice of friends and companions1 and to withdraw his private life from any kind of intrusion4 ,the doors of ,queen ,anne ,street were locked and barred1 and when he was absent from home1 which was often1 his old housekeeper1 ,hannah ,danby1 had no knowledge of his hiding-place4 ,sometimes he was seen at a council meeting of the ,royal ,academy or on ,varnishing ,day1 but his friends were rarely able to obtain speech with him4 ,hawkesworth ,fawkes tried to keep up acquaintance with his father's old ,mend1 and every ,christmas a hamper arrived in ,queen ,anne ,street from ,farnley4 ,there is a letter to ,hawkesworth dated ,december #bgth1 #ahdg1 beginning3--' ,many thanks for the ,p4,p4,p41 viz41 ,pie1 ,phea1 and ,pud--the ,xmas cheer in ,queen ,anne ,street4' ,one day1 so the story runs1 an artist took shelter in a public-house1 where he found ,turner sitting in the furthest corner with his glass of grog before him4 ,said the unnamed artist3 ',i didn't know you used this house4 ,i shall often drop in now ,i know where you quarter4' ,turner emptied his glass1 and as he went out said1 ',will you8 ,i don't think you will4' ,the secret of his hiding-place was not discovered until a day or two before his death4 ,as everybody now knows1 he lived mainly1 during those last years1 in the little house with the roof balcony facing the ,thames at ,cremorne1 in what is called to-day ,cheyne ,walk4 ,the story current for years was that he passed the house in one of his rambles1 saw that rooms were vacant1 liked the place1 and after some bargaining with the landlady1 agreed co become the tenant4 ,he asked her name1 and upon receiving the answer1 ',mrs4 ,booth1' chuckled1 ',then ,i'll be ,mr4 ,booth4' ,this story is incorrect1 as he had made the acquaintance of ,sophia ,caroline ,booth years before1 when she let lodgings at ,margate4 ,as it is believed that ,turner paid his last visit to ,margate in #ahde1 it is probable that he transferred ,mrs4 ,booth to the little house at ,chelsea in that year4 ,her name appears in a codicil to his will1 dated ,february #ast1 #ahdi1 giving her the same provision as ,hannah ,danby1 his housekeeper in ,queen ,anne ,street1 who had entered his service1 a girl of sixteen1 in the year #ahja4 ,hannah ,danby and ,mrs4 ,booth both survived him4 ,turner's curiosity1 his eagerness for wider knowledge about his art and all that pertained to it1 never relaxed1 even in this period of his failing powers4 ,one of the most interesting chapters in ,thornbury's ,life is the account given by ,mayall1 the photographer of ,regent ,street1 of ,turner's interest in optics and photography4 ,i append portions of the information furnished by ,mayall1 whom ,thornbury describes as 'that eminent professor in the progressing and wonderful art'3-- ',turner's visits to my atelier were in #ahdg1 #ahdh and #ahdi4 ,i took several admirable daguerreotype portraits of him1 one of which was reading1 a position rather favourable for him on account of his weak eyes and their being rather bloodshot4444 ,my first interviews with him were rather mysterious2 he either did state1 or at least led me to believe1 that he was a ,master in ,chancery1 and his subsequent visits and conversation rather confirmed this idea4 ,at first he was very desirous of trying curious effects of light let in on the figure from a high position1 and he himself sat for the studies4444 ,he stayed with me some three hours1 talking about light and its curious effects on films of prepared silver4 ,he expressed a wish to see the spectral image copied1 and asked me if ,i had ever repeated ,mrs4 ,somerville's experiment of magnetising a needle in the rays of the spectrum4 ,i told him ,i had4 ',i was not then aware that the inquisitive old man was ,turner1 the painter4 ,at the same time1 ,i was much impressed with his inquisitive disposition1 and ,i carefully explained to him all ,i then knew of the operation of light on iodized silver plates4 ,he came again and again1 always with some new notion about light4444' ,mayall tells us that ,turner when he visited him bore the marks of age2 but in the profile drawing of this period1 ascribed to ,linnell1 with the straggling hair1 the powerful nose1 and the enormous stock about his neck1 the face is keen1 and the artist has quite caught the gleam of the grey eye4 ,this drawing is not by ,linnell1 as has been hitherto supposed1 but by ,landseer and ,count d',orsay in conjunction4 ,mr4 ,a4 ,s4 ,bicknell1 who was present when the sketch was made1 contributed to the ,athenum of ,january #ith1 #aiji1 the following letter on this subject1 as interesting as it is authoritative3--' ',a few days ago ,i first saw a handsome quarto ,turner1 by ,sir ,walter ,armstrong1 #aijb1 in which1 as a second frontispiece1 ,i found a head and shoulders portrait of that great artist1 described on the opposite leaf as from the sketch in water-colours by ,j4 ,linnell1 in the collection of ,james ,orrock1 ,esq4 ',during the last fifty years ,i have occasionally come across a reference to this likeness1 declaring that it was probably the work of some contemporary painter1 sketched at a meeting or private entertainment2 but as these surmises have at length crystallised into a positive assertion concerning ,linnell1 ,i think it may be well to place the truth on record4 ',my father1 ,elhanan ,bicknell1 of ,herne ,hill1 frequently entertained at dinner a large company of the most distinguished artists and patrons of art1 amongst whom ,turner1 but never ,linnell1 was often one4 ,it being the case that ,turner objected to having his portrait taken1 on an occasion of that kind two conspirators1 ,count ,d',orsay and ,sir ,edwin ,landseer1 devised a little plot to defeat the result of this antipathy4 ,whilst ,turner unsuspiciously chatted with a guest over a cup of tea in the drawing-room1 ,d',orsay placed himself as screen beside him to hide1 when necessary1 ,landseer sketching him at full length in pencil on the back of a letter4 ,landseer gave what he had done to ,d',orsay1 who1 after re-drawing it at home1 and enlarging the figure to eight inches in height1 sold it to ,j4 ,hogarth1 printseller in the ,haymarket1 for twenty guineas2 and it was then lithographed and published by the latter1 ,january #ast1 #ahea1 with the title of ,turner's mysterious poem1 ,the ,fallacies of ,hope1 at the bottom4 ,sixteen copies were included in the ,bicknell sale at ,christie's in #ahfc4 ,the ,louis ,,xiv4 panelling of the room1 as well as a piano1 inlaid with ,svres plaques1 are indicated in the background2 and ,i may also mention that ,i was present at that party1 which took place1 to the best of my belief1 about ,christmas1 #ahdg1 or early in #ahdi4 ',ruskin1 who seldom admitted any blemish1 even in the person of his hero1 called this portrait a caricature1 but it was nothing of the kind2 ,i knew ,turner extremely well1 and ,i have always considered it to be a most admirable1 truthful likeness2 indeed1 the only one exactly portraying his general appearance and expression in his latter years4' ,so here we have a likeness of ,turner in the period of his decline and disappearance from his old haunts1 an authentic likeness at one of his re-appearances--chatting with a guest over a cup of tea in a ,herne ,hill drawing-room4 ,,chapter ,,liv #ahej3 ,,aged ,,seventy-,,five ,,his ,,last ,,four ,,pictures ,,painted ,,in ,,hiding ,,at ,,chelsea ,in #ahej1 the year before his death1 ,turner sent four pictures to the ,royal ,academy1 an heroic attempt on the veteran's part to assure the world that his power had not deserted him2 but these canvases are but the tottering ruins of his genius1 and they have been hung among other 'splendid failures' in the large1 lower room of the ,turner ,gallery4 ,but1 as ,i have said before1 ,turner's 'splendid failures' are merely less great than his triumphs4 ,his 'failures' in the large1 lower room of the ,turner ,gallery1 would easily make a lesser man's reputation4 ,these four valedictory works entitled 'neas relating his ,story to ,dido1' ',mercury sent to admonish neas1' ',the ,departure of the ,trojan ,fleet1' and ',the ,visit to the ,tomb1' were painted between ,january and ,april1 #ahej1 in a small room1 with a small window1 in the little house at ,cremorne4 ,we are told that at this window1 and on the roof balcony1 he would spend a long time each day studying the ways of the sun1 the effect of light on the river and on the open places of rural ,chelsea2 and that he would often rise early1 paint for a little1 and then return to bed4 ,mrs4 ,booth declared that some of his last work was inspired by his dreams2 that one night she heard him calling out excitedly2 that she gave him the drawing materials he asked for1 and that he made some notes1 which he afterwards used for a picture4 ,mrs4 ,booth also confessed that she could not resist whispering in the neighbourhood that ',booth' was a great man in disguise1 and that when he died he would surely be buried in ,st4 ,paul's4 ,this local gossip was collected later by ,john ,pye the engraver4 ,here ,i may print1 for what it is worth1 a letter1 that was sent to me by an unknown correspondent in reference to a small book on ,turner ,i wrote three years ago3-- ',clapham1 ,march #aijg4 ',re ,turner4 ',dear ,sir1--,in the eighties 7,i think7 there resided at ,haddenham ,hall1 ,haddenham1 ,bucks1 a ,mrs4 ,booth1 whom it was understood was ,turner's widow4 ,i expressed a wish to look over the ,hall1 and was received by the old lady herself 7she was a very homely body1 and always wore a big cotton apron74 ,in one of the rooms ,i recognised a miniature portrait of the late ,dr4 ,price of ,margate4 ,mrs4 ,booth said1 ,yes6 it was painted by my husband1 ,mr4 ,turner the artist2 he and the ,doctor were great friends4 ,i also understood that ,turner lodged with her when painting his pictures of ,margate4 ',when ,mrs4 ,booth died she was taken to ,margate to be buried4 ,as ,i have never read of ,turner's marriage1 this may prove interesting4 ',p4,s4--,the son of the late ,dr4 ,price still resides at ,margate4' ,in a letter to ,hawkesworth ,fawkes1 dated ,december #bgth1 #ahej1 ,turner wrote3 ',old ,time has made sad work with me since ,i saw you in town4' ,but a certain dinner at ,david ,roberts's house shows that old ,time did not prevent him from being merry and sociable after his manner4 ,the account of this dinner in #ahej is printed in a note to ,ballantyne's ,life of ,david ,roberts4 ,turner's manner at the feast is described as-- ',very agreeable1 his quick bright eye sparkled1 and his whole countenance showed a desire to please4 ,he was constantly making1 or trying to make jokes2 his dress1 though rather old-fashioned1 was far from being shabby4 ,turner's health was proposed by an ,irish gentleman who had attended his lectures on perspective1 on which he complimented the artist4 ,turner made a short reply in a jocular way1 and concluded by saying1 rather sarcastically1 that he was glad this honourable gentleman had profited so much by his lectures as thoroughly to understand perspective1 for it was more than he did4 ,turner afterwards1 in ,roberts's absence1 took the chair1 and1 at ,stanfield's request1 proposed ,roberts's health1 which he did1 speaking hurriedly1 but soon ran short of words and breath1 and dropped down on his chair with a hearty laugh1 starting up again and finishing with a hip1 hip1 hurrah6444 ,turner was the last who left1 and ,roberts accompanied him along the street to hail a cab4444 ,when the cab drove up1 he assisted ,turner to his seat1 shut the door1 and asked where he should tell cabby to take him2 but ,turner was not to be caught1 and1 with a knowing wink1 replied1 ,tell him to drive to ,oxford ,street1 and then ,i'll direct him where to go4' ,sir ,martin ,shee died this year1 and it is said that ,turner was aggrieved that he was not offered the ,presidentship of the ,royal ,academy4 ,it is difficult to realise ,turner in that office this year or in any year of his life4 ,he was not made for official duties1 but to make beautiful and wonderful things4 ,,chapter ,,lv #ahea3 ,,aged ,,seventy-,,six ,,the ,,mystery ,,of ,,the ,,last ,,years ,,of ,,his ,,life ,,revealed ,,to ,,his ,,friends3 ,,and ,,his ,,death ,i leaned against the parapet of the ,embankment in ,cheyne ,walk1 ,chelsea1 and gazed at the row of cosy little houses on the other side of the road that face the ,thames4 ,the house where ,turner died1 ,i had been told1 is now #aai ,cheyne ,walk4 ,my eyes sought #aai1 but found it not4 ,the numbers passed from #aah to #abj4 ,then ,i crossed the road to discover that ,nos4 #aah and #aai have been converted into one house4 ,peering1 ,i discerned1 almost hidden by ,virginia creeper1 a tablet saying that here ,turner died4 ,so this was the house4 ,somewhere near here ',puggy ,booth1' as he was known to the street boys1 ',admiral ,booth' to the tradesmen1 moored his boat4 ,the story was current in ,chelsea that he was an ,admiral in reduced circumstances1 and ,turner was not the man to illumine a mystery1 or end a joke4 ,we learn from ,thornbury that up to the period of his final illness1 he would often rise at daybreak1 leave his bed with some blanket or dressing-gown carelessly thrown over him1 and ascend to the railed-in roof to watch the sunrise1 and see the colour flush the morning sky4 ,there was the railed-in roof1 crowning the ',cremorne ,cottage1' that in ,turner's time had green sward to the edge of the river3 the house with three windows only1 one in the basement1 and one each on the first and second floors4 ,in the room on the second floor1 where he painted his last four pictures1 he died4 ,i remembered what ,i had read of the talk of the undertaker's men about the shabbiness of the place1 and the narrowness of the staircase1 so circumscribed1 that to carry the coffin up was impossible3 they were obliged to convey the body down to the coffin4 ,then my thoughts turned to ,turner the artist1 the poet in paint1 and ,i recalled what his great contemporary1 ,constable1 had said of him3 that one of ,turner's early pictures1 'a canal with numerous boats making thousands of beautiful shapes1' was 'the most complete work of genius' he had ever seen2 that ',turner's light1 whether it emanates from sun or moon1 is exquisite'2 that 'he seems to paint with tinted steam1 so evanescent and so airy'2 and then ,i repeated the passage about the golden visions glorious and beautiful1 only visions1 but pictures to live and die with4 ,so ,i mused1 turning from that sad little house1 now so cheerful1 to gaze upon the ,thames beloved by ,turner4 ,he was born near the river2 he chose his rural retreats at ,hammersmith and ,twickenham because they were by the banks2 and ,wapping was the scene of his later jaunts4 ,almost his first oil picture1 ',moonlight at ,millbank1' was painted by the riverside2 one of his earliest drawings was ',the ,archbishop's ,palace at ,lambeth4' ,i rarely pass the wharves south of the ,houses of ,parliament without seeing him1 as in a vision1 squatting on his heels1 and gazing for half an hour at a time at the ripples4 ,the magnificent new home of his pictures is by the ,thames at ,millbank1 and his last journey but one was from the ,thames3 his last journey was to the crypt of ,st4 ,paul's on the hill above the river3 there he was rendered to the mould3-- ',under the cross of gold ,that shines over city and river1 ,there he shall rest for ever ,among the wise and the bold4' ,there1 in the crypt1 he was buried as he desired1 by the side of ,sir ,joshua ,reynolds1 and his funeral1 as he desired and stipulated in his will1 cost one thousand pounds4 ,when ,i returned home from musing before the ,turner ,cottage1 ,i re-read the story of the last years of his life1 how his hiding-place was discovered1 and so on to the end1 and after4 ,the true facts were revealed through the pertinacity of ,john ,pye the engraver1 who 'left certain memoranda of events connected with ,admiral ,booth's tenancy of the ,cremorne ,cottage1 and death under its roof1 which are of extraordinary interest4' ,pye's memoranda were summarised by ,sir ,walter ,armstrong in his volume on ,turner1 partly from a copy made by the late ,sir ,frederic ,burton1 and partly from information supplied to ,sir ,walter by ,mr4 ,j4 ,l4 ,roget1 through whose hands the whole of ,pye's manuscripts passed4 ,but first a few words of connecting events before ,turner's hiding-place was discovered4 ,his last appearance in public seems to have been at the private view of the ,royal ,academy in #ahea3 'he was shaky2 he was feeble2 he was no longer the sturdy1 dogged1 strange being4' ,after that appearance1 as he had ceased to attend the council meetings1 ,david ,roberts wrote saying how sorry his brother painters were not to see him1 trusting that if he were ill1 they would be allowed to visit him1 and promising1 that if he desired it1 the secret of his dwelling-place should not be disclosed4 ,turner made no answer to the letter1 but two weeks later he visited ,roberts's studio in ,fitzroy ,square looking 'sadly broken and ailing4' ,turner was much affected by the letter he had received1 and said to ,roberts3 ',you must not ask me2 but whenever ,i come to town ,i will always come to see you4' ',i tried to cheer him up1' says ,roberts1 'but he laid his hand upon his heart and replied1 ,no1 no6 ,there is something here which is all wrong4 ,roberts noticed that his small eyes were as brilliant as those of a child1 eyes which some called grey and some blue4 ,probably they were grey-blue4 ,the discovery of his hiding-place was made by ,hannah ,danby4 ,turning over his clothes one day1 she found a letter which gave her the clue4 ,in company with another old woman as old as herself1 she went to ,chelsea1 and in a shop obtained information that satisfied her as to the identity of ',mr4 ,booth4' ,she informed ,mr4 ,harpur1 one of ,turner's executors1 who hastened to ,chelsea1 'only in time to find ,turner sinking4' ,dr4 ,price of ,margate1 an old acquaintanee1 was1 besides ,mrs4 ,booth1 probably the only other person who shared the secret of his seclusion4 ,when ,turner sent for ,dr4 ,price in the last weeks of #ahea1 he was told that death was near4 ',go downstairs1' he said to the doctor1 'take a glass of sherry and then look at me again4' ,the doctor did so1 but the reply was the same4 ,just before his death ,mrs4 ,booth wheeled him to the window to look upon the winter sunset4 ,he died in her arms1 old ,turner1 old woman1 his head upon her shoulder1 on the #aith of ,december #ahea4 ,so passed the greatest of all landscape painters1 weary of men and of orthodox ways1 an old man tired of the fret of life1 but not tired of nature1 an enthusiast to the end in his study of light and its brother colour1 and all phenomena1 that which is plain to the eyes1 and that which hides4 ,sentiment was in heyday in #ahea1 and so ,david ,bogue1 who made the picture of the 'house where ,turner died1 sent a ray of sunlight streaming down to the ,chelsea room by the river1 as if a parent were smiling on a loving and life-loyal child4 ,the month following ,turner's death1 pertinacious ,pye1 as we read in ,sir ,walter ,armstrong's summary of his narrative1 had an interview with the owner of the ,cremorne ,cottage1 and was informed that some four or five years before a lady and gentleman proposed to rent the cottage1 but as they declined to give names and references1 it was arranged that the rent should be paid in advance1 and 'the unknown gentleman and lady became installed in the quiet retreat of their choice4' ,some time later ,john ,pye paid a second visit to ,chelsea1 and talked with ,mrs4 ,booth4 ,she appeared1 he says1 to be about fifty1 was 'good-looking1 dark1 and kindly-mannered1 but obviously illiterate4' ,she told ,pye that ,turner always called her 'old 'un1' and that she called him 'dear1' and that she first made his acquaintance when he became her lodger near the ,custom ,house at ,margate4 ,she had known him for more than twenty years1 the last five of which had been spent in the ,cremorne ,cottage4 ,did any fires of jealousy break into flame in the bosoms of these two women1 his housekeeper mistresses1 ,mrs4 ,booth and ,hannah ,danby1 who knew ,turner so well1 and who met by his deathbed8 ,the following extracts are from an account of the appearance of ,turner's house after his death1 given to ,thornbury by his 'kind friend ,mr4 ,trimmer'3-- ',backwards stretched a large unfurnished room filled with unfinished pictures2 then a larger and drearier room yet2 lastly1 a back room1 against the walls of which stood his unfinished productions1 large full-length canvases placed carelessly against the wall1 the damp of which had taken off the colours altogether1 or had damaged them4444 ,then we went into ,turner's sleeping apartment2 it is surprising how a person of his means could have lived in such a room2 certainly he prized modern luxuries at a very modest rate4 ,i reserved his studio as the finale4 ,often had ,i seen him emerge from that hidden recess when shown into his gallery4 ,that august retreat was now thrown open2 ,i entered4 ,on a circular table lay his gloves and neck-handkerchief4 ,in the centre of the table was a raised box with a circle in the centre with side compartments2 a good contrivance for an artist1 though ,i had never seen one of the kind before4 ,in the centre were his colours1 the great object of my attraction4 ,i remember1 on my father's once observing to ,turner that nothing was to be done without ultramarine1 his saying that cobalt was good enough for him2 and cobalt1 to be sure1 there was1 but also several bottles of ultramarine of various depths2 and smalts of various intensities1 of which ,i think he made great use4444 ,grinding colours on a slab was not his practice1 and his dry colours were rubbed on the palette with cold-drawn oil4 ,his colours were mixed daily1 and he was very particular4 ,if not to his mind1 he would say to ,mrs4 ,danby1 ,can't you set a palette better than this8 ,like ,wilson1 ,turner used gamboge3 this was simply pounded and mixed with linseed cold-drawn oil4 ',his brushes were of the humblest description1 mostly large round hog's tools and some flat4444 ,mrs4 ,danby told me that when he had nearly finished a picture1 he took it to the end of his long gallery1 and put in the last touches4444 ,i next inspected his travelling-box4 ,had ,i been asked to guess his travelling library1 ,i should have said ,young's ,night ,thoughts and ,izaac ,walton2 and there they were1 together with some inferior translation of ,horace4444' ',his painting-room had no skylight4 ,it had been originally the drawing-room1 and had a good north light1 with two windows4444 ,there was a small deal box on a side table2 my father raised the lid to show me its contents2 it was covered with a glass1 and under it was the cast of the great ,turner4 ,dear old ,turner1 there he lay1 his eyes sunk1 his lips fallen in4 ,he reminded me strongly of his old father1 whom long years before ,i had seen trudging to ,brentford market from ,sandycombe ,lodge1 to lay in his weekly supplies4' ,the ,times in the account of ,turner's funeral said3-- ',even those who could only sneer and smile at the erratic blaze of his colour1 shifting and flickering as the light of the ,aurora1 lingered minute after minute before the last incomprehensible ,turner that gleamed on the walls of the ,academy1 and the first name sought for upon the catalogue by the critic1 artist1 and amateur1 as well as by those who could not understand him when they found him1 was his also4 ,many of the most distinguished of our painters1 and many private friends1 paid the last tribute of respect to his remains1 and followed his hearse yesterday1 and a long procession of mourning coaches and private carriages1 preceded it to the cathedral4444 ,the coffin bore the simple inscription3 ,joseph ,mallord ,turner1 ,esq41 ,r4,a41 died ,december #aith1 #ahea1 aged #gi years4' ,as the date of ,turner's birth was not given by the ,times1 it was probably unknown at the time4 ,the date was #agge1 and therefore he was seventy-six when he died1 not seventy-nine4 ,the little1 enlarged house in ,cheyne ,walk is not1 like the ,carlyle house in ,cheyne ,row1 a place of pilgrimage4 ,his shrine is the new ,turner ,gallery at ,millbank4 ,ten years ago this 'new ,turner ,wing' of the ,national ,gallery of ,british ,art was a dream3 to-day it is a reality4 ,perhaps1 who knows1 in ten years' time1 on the site of ,turner's cottage by the ,thames1 extending on either side1 there may rise that home for 'the maintenance and support of ,poor and ,decayed ,male ,artists being born in ,england and of ,english parents only and lawful issue1' which he desired1 which was explicit in his will1 and which we1 his countrymen1 the heirs of his achievement1 have entirely ignored4 ,,part ,,nine ,,after ,,turner',s ,,death ,,to ,,the ,,opening ,,of ,,the ,,turner ,,gallery ,,in #aiaj ,,chapter ,,lvi ,,vicissitudes ,,of ,,the ,,turner ,,bequest ',in the name of ,god1 ,amen4 ,i1 ,joseph ,mallord ,william ,turner1 ,r4,a41 of ,queen ,anne ,street1 ,cavendish ,square1 in the ,county of ,middlesex1 ,esquire1 do make and publish and declare this to be1 and contain my last ,will and ,testament4444 ,turner's long will1 with the complicated codicils which he added to it1 fills eleven closely printed pages of an ,appendix to ,thornbury's ,life4 ,it is a confused and involved document1 and the lawyers spent years and much money endeavouring to effect a compromise between the contesting parties4 ,ruskin succinctly summed up the litigation thus3 ',the nation buried with three-fold honour1 ,turner's body in ,st4 ,paul's1 his pictures at ,charing ,cross1 and his purposes in ,chancery4' ,if love governed the world1 if we lived for one another1 it would have been quite possible to carry out1 at once1 ,turner's wishes1 which are sufficiently plain1 in spite of the muddle of the will4 ,he desired that the nation should have his pictures1 that they should be kept together in a room or rooms added to the ,national ,gallery to be called ',turner's ,gallery1' to be built within a period of ten years2 that his fortune should be devoted to founding a ,charitable ,institution for unfortunate artists2 that provision should be made for ,hannah ,danby and ,mrs4 ,booth2 that the ,royal ,academy should be given funds to found a ,turner ,medal1 and that the testator should have a fitting monument in ,st4 ,paul's and a fine funeral4 ,turner had revoked his legacies to his next of kin3 they were to have nothing4 ,as ,monkhouse justly remarks1 the will was not exactly an unselfish document4 ,apart from his generosity to unfortunate brothers of the brush1 and his care1 no more than his duty1 for his mistress housekeepers1 it was devised to perpetuate his own fame1 and to disregard his relatives4 ,in #ahef the ,vice-,chancellor made an order which took the place of the will4 ,the nation obtained all the works of art by his own hand1 and the ,royal ,academy a sum of twenty thousand pounds for the ,turner ,medal and ,scholarship4 ,the real estate went to the heir-at-law1 and ,hannah ,danby and ,mrs4 ,booth received their portions4 ,the plates1 engravings and copyrights1 and the rest of the property1 were divided among the next-of-kin4 ,in #ahed the removal of the pictures and drawings from ,queen ,anne ,street to the ,national ,gallery began2 in #ahef a final delivery was made1 and in #aheh the catalogue delivered by the assessors1 ,sir ,charles ,eastlake1 the ,president of the ,royal ,academy1 and ,mr4 ,knight1 the secretary1 consisted of the following works3-- ,finished pictures #ajj ,unfinished pictures including mere beginnings #ahb ,drawings and sketches in colour and in pencil including about #cjj coloured drawings #ai1jdi #ai1cca ,of the oil-paintings thirty-four were almost immediately placed on exhibition4 ,additions were constantly made1 until by ,may #aheg1 the exhibited works had reached the number of one hundred and five4 ,that1 in brief1 is the early history of the exhibited portion of the ,turner ,bequest1 as given in the preface to the ,inventory4 ,the whole history1 including the exhibition of a number of the water-colours at ,marlborough ,house and the ,victoria and ,albert ,museum1 would require a long chapter to tell in detail4 ,i must now turn to the #ai1jdi drawings and sketches with which the name of ,ruskin is for ever associated4 ,he has told the story in his inimitable way in the preface to the fifth volume of ,modern ,painters4 ,in #aheg he received notice that permission had been obtained for him from the ,trustees of the ,national ,gallery to arrange1 as he thought best1 the ,turner drawings belonging to the nation4 ',on which1' says ,ruskin1 ',i returned to ,london immediately4' ',in seven tin boxes in the lower room of the ,national ,gallery1 ,i found upwards of nineteen thousand pieces of paper1 drawn upon by ,turner in one way or another4 ,many on both sides2 some with four1 five or six subjects on each side 7the pencil point digging spiritedly through from the foregrounds of the front into the tender pieces of sky on the back72 some in chalk1 which the touch of the finger would sweep away4 7,the best book of studies for his great shipwrecks contained about a quarter of a pound of chalk debris1 black and white1 broken off the crayons with which ,turner had drawn furiously on both sides of the leaves2 every leaf1 with peculiar foresight1 and consideration of the difficulties to be met by future mounters containing half of one subject on the front of it1 and half of another on the back47 ,others in ink1 rotted into holes2 others 7some splendid coloured drawings among them7 long eaten away by damp and mildew1 and falling into dust at the edges1 in capes and bays of fragile decay2 others worm-eaten1 some mouse-eaten1 many torn half-way through2 numbers doubled 7quadrupled1 ,i should say7 up into four1 being ,turner's favourite mode of packing for travelling2 nearly all rudely flattened out from the bundles in which ,turner had finally rolled them up1 and squeezed them into his drawers in ,queen ,anne ,street4 ,dust of thirty years' accumulation1 black1 dense and sooty1 lay in the rents of the crushed and crumpled edges of these flattened bundles1 looking like a jagged black frame1 and producing altogether unexpected effects in brilliant portions of skies1 whence an accidental or experimental finger-mark of the first bundle-unfolder had swept it away4444 ,with two assistants1 ,i was at work all the autumn and winter of #aheg1 every day1 all day long1 and often far into the night4 ',the manual labour would not have hurt me2 but the excitement involved in seeing unfolded the whole career of ,turner's mind during his life1 joined with much sorrow at the state in which nearly all his most precious work had been left1 and with great anxiety1 and heavy sense of responsibility besides1 were very trying2 and ,i have never in my life felt so much exhausted as when ,i locked the last box1 and gave the keys to ,mr4 ,wornum in ,may #aheh4' ,it would take too long to continue the narrative of ,ruskin's labours3 the four hundred cabinets designed by him to contain the drawings2 his privately printed catalogue2 the official catalogue2 his division1 interesting but bewildering1 of the ,exhibited water-colours into groups2 his notes upon them1 delightful to the dilettante1 but of little service to the student4 ,the ,unexhibited drawings were arranged by ,ruskin in three hundred and eight parcels1 and classified by him according to his theory of their artistic value4 #ga parcels were inscribed with the letter ',r1' meaning1 right in intention4 #abd parcels were inscribed with the letter ',m1' meaning1 middling value4 #ajh parcels were inscribed with the letter ',o1' meaning1 entire rubbish4 #e were marked as unexamined4 ,never was man less suited to the task of cataloguing1 which should be absolutely methodical and entirely unfanciful1 than ,john ,ruskin4 ,in a letter to the ,keeper 7,mr4 ,r4 ,n4 ,wornum71 enclosing his catalogue1 ,mr4 ,ruskin referred to the lettering on the parcels as horrible1 and added1 ',i never meant it to be permanent4' ,for long it seemed as if the neglect of the tin boxes1 containing the parcels of unexhibited drawings1 would be permanent4 ,mildew formed on them1 'the contents of the tin boxes were in a dirty state1 with broken pieces of old sealing-wax1 tattered fragments of string1 dusty brown paper1 etc41 etc4' ,in #ahfb ,ruskin1 with the assistance of ,mr4 ,george ,allen1 effected a kind of spring cleaning4 ',i've got the mildew off1' he wrote1 'as well as ,i could1 and henceforth ,i've done with the whole business2 and have told them they must take it off themselves next time or leave it on--if they like4' ,when ,mr4 ,e4 ,t4 ,cook1 who1 in his book on the ,turner ,drawings1 did so much to arouse public interest in the 'buried ,turners1' saw the tin boxes in #aijd1 the 'mildew was on4' ,but the period of neglect of the unexhibited portion of the ,turner ,bequest was nearly at an end4 ,in #aije ,mr4 ,a4 ,j4 ,finberg was invited by the ,trustees of the ,national ,gallery to classify the '#ai1jdi pieces of paper' chronologically1 to re-arrange the ,sketch-,books in order1 and to compile a chronological and descriptive ,inventory of all the unexhibited ,turner sketches4 ,later it was decided to include the whole collection of exhibited drawings and sketches4 ,the work occupied ,mr4 ,finberg's entire time for four years1 and the result was made public in #aiji1 when a ,complete ,inventory of the ,drawings of the ,turner ,bequest was published as described in ,chapter ,,iv4 ,the exhibited water-colours1 as well as all the sketches1 are included in the ,inventory4 ,perhaps for the sake of accuracy1 it would have been better if ,ruskin had never touched the seven tin boxes4 ,in following the communings of ,turner with nature1 he disintegrated many of the ,sketch-,books 7over #aej were dismembered71 removed a leaf here and there1 omitted to number them1 gave the sketches ,ruskinian titles1 and made the task of re-arranging them in chronological or topographical order almost impossible4 ,mr4 ,finberg allows himself the following gentle and amusing reproof of his great predecessor3 ',the question of dates had little or no interest for ,mr4 ,ruskin2 on such questions he is1 as ,m4 ,cherfils grimly remarks1 plus que sobre4' ,in #ahgh1 when a selection of nearly three hundred drawings and sketches were exhibited on the ground floor of the eastern wing of the ,national ,gallery1 the ,turner water-colour rooms became a place of pilgrimage2 still more so when additional rooms were added1 and the sepia drawings for the ,liber were displayed4 ,the collection was changed quarterly1 and for years many made a point of visiting those little rooms each time that the change was made4 ,who did not love the 'delight drawings'8 who did not wonder anew each visit at their beauty8 ,students copied and re-copied them1 desiring nothing better in life than to sit there1 through long days1 trying to follow the ,master's vision4 ,so the years passed4 ,turner was a classic2 his environment was fixed4 ,it seemed as if no alteration would ever be made in the crowded gallery where his oil pictures hung1 overflowing into the adjoining room1 or in the series of little rooms on the ground floor which we visited at each re-hanging1 greeting the water-colours at each encounter like the faces1 loved and lost awhile1 of old friends4 ,it was enough to know when we missed them1 that they would return again1 and that the 'buried ,turners1' the ,sketch-,books with their thousands of pages1 each containing something of the ,master's work1 were being cared for4 ,turner was firmly settled in his niche in the ,temple of ,fame4 ,it seemed that nothing more could ever happen to him4 ,then suddenly1 in the month of ,may #aijf1 something did happen3 something that made the art sensation of the year4 ,that event was the exhibition of the 'unfinished' oils by ,turner at the ,tate ,gallery4 ,,chapter ,,lvii #aijf3 ,,exhibition ,,of ,,the ',,unfinished' ,,turners ,,at ,,the ,,tate ,,gallery ,the event was heralded by the following paragraph communicated to the ,press by the ,director and ,trustees of the ,national ,gallery3-- ',unexhibited ,oil ,paintings2 ,turner's ,bequest4 ,the ,turner ,collection of paintings1 placed in the custody of the ,national ,gallery ,trustees1 on ,september #beth1 #ahef1 contained1 besides the pictures since hung in ,public ,exhibition ,rooms1 or in the ,official ,rooms at ,trafalgar ,square1 or lent under the ,loan ,act of #ahhc to ,provincial ,museums1 a certain number of paintings which1 on account of their unfinished or wrecked condition1 it has never been thought possible to exhibit4 ',a more careful examination has lately led the ,trustees to believe that some1 at least1 of these paintings may now be framed and take their place in the general collection4 ,a selection has been made for this purpose1 and of the paintings selected1 many have been relined1 and all are in course of being surface cleaned and varnished4' ,on ,february #eth1 #aijf1 the 'unfinished' oil-paintings by ,turner were exhibited for the first time1 in ,room ,,vii4 of the ,tate ,gallery4 ,those who were present will never forget the occasion4 ,exclamations of delight and astonishment were continuous4 ,few had ever experienced such a succession of thrills4 ,everybody was surprised into--almost into extravagance4 ,the ,times began its article3 ',to-day the nation is invited to view some marvellous treasures1 of which it has all unconsciously been the possessor for fifty years1' and quoted the remark of an artist who was present3 ',we have never seen ,turner before4' ,another critic wrote3 ',the first coup d'il of the room in which these treasures are displayed1 is one never to be forgotten for those with eyes for seeing4 ,the rare moment in life has come when criticism is disarmed4 ,suddenly1 and without warning1 the observer has been transported to the realms of enchantment4' ,it was1 perhaps1 unfortunate that mingled with these 'unfinished' ,turners1 these prismatic and pearly visions1 these flushes of iridescent colour on white grounds1 were some of the laboured but magnificent failures of his later years and other periods4 ,those who did not know the work of ,turner thoroughly had some difficulty in harmonising the brilliant impulses of his maturity with the ambitious works of his decline4 ,i have discussed these 'unfinished' oil-paintings in preceding chapters2 but it may be interesting to place on record here a list of the titles of the twenty-six unexhibited pictures first shown to the public on ,february #eth1 #aijf4 7,two more were added in #aiji--';,bridge and ,tower1' ,no4 #bdbd2 and ',a ,wreck with ,fishing ,boats1' ,no4 #bdbe47 ',norham ,castle1 ,sunrise4' ,no4 #aiha4 ',sunrise1 a ,castle on a ,bay4' ,no4 #aihe4 ',sunrise1 with a ,sea ,monster4' ,no4 #aiij4 ',sunrise1 with a ,boat between ,headlands4' ,no4 #bjjb4 ',hastings4' ,no4 #aihf4 ',the ,evening ,star4' ,no4 #aiia4 ',interior at ,petworth4' ,no4 #aihh4 ',rocky ,bay with ,classic ,figures4' ,no4 #aihi4 ',storm off a ,rocky ,coast4' ,no4 #aihj4 ',margate from the ,sea4' ,no4 #aihd4 ',breakers on a ,flat ,beach4' ,no4 #aihg4 ',the ,thames from above ,waterloo ,bridge4' ,no4 #aiib4 ',yacht ,racing in the ,solent1 ,no4 #a4' ,no4 #aiic4 ',yacht ,racing in the ,solent1 ,no4 #b4' ,no4 #aiid4 ',yacht ,racing in the ,solent1 ,no4 #c4' ,no4 #aiie4 ',between ,decks4' ,no4 #aiif4 ',a ,regatta at ,cowes4' ,no4 #aiig4 ',shipping at ,cowes1 ,no4 #a4' ,no4 #aiih4 ',shipping at ,cowes1 ,no4 #b4' ,no4 #bjjj4 ',shipping off a ,headland4' ,no4 #aiii4 ',study of ,sea and ,sky4' ,no4 #bjja4 ',the ,old ,chain ,pier1 ,brighton4' ,no4 #bjfd4 ',a ,ship ,aground4' ,no4 #bjfe4 ',the ,arch of ,constantine1 ,rome4' ,no4 #bjff4 ',tivoli4' ,no4 #bjfg4 ',the ,burning of the ,ships4' ,no4 #bjfh4 ,for weeks the appearance of ,room ,,vii4 at the ,tate ,gallery had the aspect of a ,private ,view day at the ,royal ,academy4 ,really it seemed as if art had become popular4 ,the shell of ,anglo-,saxon reserve was broken1 and comments of amazement and delight were uttered aloud at the shimmering light of the sunrise series2 at the pale beauty of the yachting pictures2 at the loveliness of ',the ,evening ,star' nocturne2 at the ,monticellian orgy of colour in the ',interior at ,petworth'2 at those irresistible final efforts of his imagination1 coherent if extravagant1 the ',sunrise with a ,sea ,monster1' and ',the ,burning of the ,ships4' ,unfinished8 ,a work of art is finished when the artist has said all he has to say4 ,turner had no more to tell about sunrises1 sunsets1 or pale sails against pale skies4 ,he knew that1 and he had the strength to leave them as they are--unfinished1 but supremely realised4 ,,chapter ,,lviii #aijh3 ,,fifty-,,two ,,more ',,unexhibited' ,,turners ,,shown ,,at ,,the ,,national ,,gallery ,in ,july #aijh1 it was announced that the ,director of the ,national ,gallery had 'discovered' in the private offices1 three large water-colours by ,turner4 ,later in the year1 in the month of ,december1 these1 with forty-nine other examples that had never been exhibited before1 were 'cleaned1 mounted1 framed1' and hung temporarily in ,room ,,xxii4 of the ,national ,gallery4 ,this series1 although extremely interesting1 was not of the importance of the #aijf display4 ,some of the water-colours and pencil drawings1 it is said1 were found in a portfolio at the back of a bookcase1 and the twelve oil studies in a dusty parcel bearing ,ruskin's initials4 ,those oil studies1 as has already been explained1 were painted between #ahje and #ahaj in oil on thin veneer2 the forty water-colours were painted round about the year #ahjj1 and included several of large size1 such as ',derwentwater1' ',study for a ,picture of ,norham ,castle1' and ',scarborough ,castle' ,these 'new' ,turners remained for some time on screens in ,room ,,xxii4 of the ,national ,gallery1 drawing crowds of people eager to see so many of the 'delight drawings' and studies by ,turner1 some of them 'prentice work2 some of the highest importance1 but done before he had quite mastered his material2 some flashes of genius4 ,in #aiaj they were removed to their last home in the ,turner ,gallery at ,millbank1 and in that year six more were added to the series--',st4 ,catherine's ,hill1 ,guildford1' #bfgf2 ',newark ,abbey1' #bfgg2 ',windsor from ,lower ,hope1' #bfgh2 ',the ,ford1' #bfgi2 ',sketch for ,walton ,bridges1' #bfhj2 ',walton ,reach1' #bfha4 ,here are the titles of the twelve oil sketches1 and the forty water-colours4 ,the ,arabic numerals are those of the ,catalogue1 the ,roman numerals and letters against the water-colours are the numbers and pages of the ,sketch-,books and ,sections in the ,inventory4 ,oil ,sketches ',newark ,abbey4' ,no4 #bcjb4 ',a ,narrow ,valley4' ,no4 #bcjc4 ',a ,wide ,valley with a ,town and ,spire4' ,no4 #bcjd4 ',the ,thames near ,windsor4' ,no4 #bcje4 ',windsor ,castle from the ,river4' ,no4 #bcjf4 ',a ,town on the ,thames4' ,no4 #bcjg4 ',windsor ,castle from the ,meadows4' ,no4 #bcjh4 ',tree-tops and ,sky4' ,no4 #bcji4 ',a ,river with a ,castle and ,village4' ,no4 #bcaj4 ',sunset on the ,river4' ,no4 #bcaa4 ',windsor ,castle from ,salt ,hill4' ,no4 #bcab4 ',eton from the ,river4' ,no4 #bcac4 ,water-colour ,sketches ',view of ,windsor ,castle4' ,no4 ,,xxxiii4 7,h74 ',durham ,cathedral4' ,no4 ,,xxxvi4 7,g74 ',derwentwater4' ,no4 ,,xxxvi4 7,h74 ',head of ,derwentwater4' ,no4 ,,xxxvi4 7,i74 ',langdale ,pikes4' ,no4 ,,xxxvi4 7,j74 ',coniston ,old ,man4' ,no4 ,,xxxvi4 7,l74 ',coniston ,old ,man4' ,no4 ,,xxxvi4 7,u74 ',rood ,screen of a ,church1 seen from north ,transept4' ,no4 ,l4 7,a74 ',study for a ,picture of ,norham ,castle' 7#a74 ,no4 ,l4 7,b74 ',study for a ,picture of ,norham ,castle' 7#b74 ,no4 ,l4 7,c74 ',christ ,church ,cathedral1 ,oxford4' ,no4 ,l4 7,g74 ',donkeys beside a ,mine ,shaft4' ,no4 ,,lx4 7,i74 ',a ,castle seen through ,trees4' ,no4 ,,lxiv4 7,l74 ',windsor ,park4 ,the ,horses by ,sawrey ,gilpin1 ,r4,a4' ,no4 ,,lxx4 7,g74 ',st4 ,agatha's ,abbey4' 787 ,no4 ,,lxx4 7,h74 ',the ,ford4' ,no4 ,,lxx4 7,k74 ',study for ,historical ,subject4' ,no4 ,,lxx4 7,n74 ',dolbadern ,castle4' ,no4 ,,lxx4 7,o74 ',fonthill ,abbey4' ,no4 ,,lxx4 7,p74 ',a ,welsh ,mountain ,subject4' ,no4 ,,lxx4 7,q71 ',stormy ,sunset in ,wales4' ,no4 ,,lxx4 7,u74 ',falls of ,schaffhausen from below4' ,no4 ,,lxxix4 7,b71 ',falls of ,schaffhausen and ,castle4' ,no4 ,,lxxix4 7,c74 ',schaffhausen from below the ,falls4' ,no4 ,,lxxix4 7,e74 ',the ,source of the ,arveron' 7#a74 ,no4 ,,lxxix4 7,f74 ',the ,source of the ,arveron' 7#b74 ,no4 ,,lxxix4 7,g74 ',the ,source of the ,arveron' 7#c74 ,no4 ,,lxxix4 7,l74 ',a ,road among ,mountains4' ,no4 ,,lxxix 7,h74 ',a ,valley ,between ,mountains4' ,no4 ,,lxxix4 7,k74 ',gordale ,scar4' ,no4 ,,cliv4 7,o74 ',great ,end1 ,scawfell ,pikes4' ,no4 ,,cliv4 7,m74 ',barden ,towers4' ,no4 ,,cliv4 7,l74 ',head of ,derwentwater4' ,no4 ,,cliv4 7,n74 ',scarborough4' ,no4 ,,cxcvi4 7,c74 ',an ,italian ,scene4' ,no4 ,,cxcvi4 7,x74 ',ruins of an ,amphitheatre4' ,no4 ,,cxcvi4 7,z74 ',stormy ,evening on ,coast4' ,no4 ,,cclxiii4 7#ccd74 ',a ,sea ,piece1 ,evening4' ,no4 ,,cclxii4 7#ccc74 ',carnarvon ,castle4' ,no4 ,,lxx4 7,m74 ',scene in the ,great ,st4 ,bernard ,pass 7874' ,no4 ,,lxxx4 7,d74 ,the ,turnerian surprises were not yet finished4 ,they culminated in the announcement that one of the desires expressed by the painter in his will1 namely1 that his pictures should be kept together in a building to be called the ',turner ,gallery1' was at last about to be fulfilled through the generosity of ,mr4 ,j4 ,j4 ,duveen1 afterwards ,sir ,joseph ,duveen1 who offered to add a new wing1 comprising five rooms1 with other rooms below1 to the ,national ,gallery of ,british ,art1 for the exhibition of the ,turner ,bequest4 ,it was stated that the whole of the ,turner collection would be removed to this building1 with the exception of such pictures as should be needed sufficiently to exemplify the ,master in the representative ,british ,school at ,trafalgar ,square1 including the two works which1 in fulfilment of the terms of his will1 hang side by side with two pictures by ,claude ,lorrain4 ,so at last the dream which many of us had been dreaming for years1 and working for in writing and speech1 was to be realised4 ,it first became1 ,i think1 a subject of public interest through a letter that ,mr4 ,lionel ,cust wrote to the editor of the ,times in ,july #aijf1 at a time when the ,government authorities contemplated utilising the vacant land at the back of the ,tate ,gallery for a new ,stationery ,office4 ,the support given to ,mr4 ,cust's proposals caused the abandonment of this scheme1 and the ,director of the ,national ,gallery was informed by the ,first ,commissioner of ,works that if a certain sum of money could be provided from private sources to erect a ,turner ,gallery1 the ,government would be prepared to find the remainder4 ,thanks to the efforts of ,sir ,hugh ,gilzean ,reid1 this sum was within a near distance of being secured1 when further need for it was removed by the generous action of ,mr4 ,duveen1 who offered to erect a ,turner ,gallery at his own cost4 ,in #aijg the nation became indebted to ,mr4 ,c4 ,mallord ,turner for a number of ,turner relics4 ,this collection1 lent for a period of ten years1 includes two cases of models of ships and a cabinet of glass jars of colour from the artist's house2 an oil-colour box with palette and brushes2 a travelling pocket-book holding cakes of water-colour2 several drawings1 and a letter from ,turner to his father2 the catalogue of pictures and drawings on exhibition at his gallery in #ahji2 one of the original copper plates for the ,liber ,studiorum1 etched and mezzotinted by himself2 eight volumes from his library1 including guide and handbooks1 with annotations and sketches by ,turner2 and a volume of ,,ms4 poems1 and specimen ,,mss4 of the lectures given by him at the ,royal ,academy as ,professor of ,perspective4 ,another donation1 from ,mr4 ,sidney ,cockerell1 was a portrait of ,turner by ,charles ,turner1 with an inscription on the back1 stating that the drawing was made about two months before the death of the sitter1 in #ahea4 ,it is a profile to right1 head and shoulders1 and the official description of the garments he wears is--'tall hat1 white collar1 large tie with pin and top-coat4' ,in the months of ,may and ,june1 #aiaj1 the ,turner ,room at the ,national ,gallery1 the well-known1 well-loved room was dismantled1 and in ,june1 the ,turner ,room at the ,tate ,gallery was closed1 and the 'unfinished' oils were carried through the doorway of the new ,turner wing1 now ready for hanging4 ,a screen was placed before the entrance1 but the visitor looking above the screen had a glimpse of the brilliant red wall-hangings1 and he wondered1 somewhat anxiously1 how the old dark ,turners would look in their new and gorgeous environment4 ,the very early pictures have not been admitted to the splendour4 ,they hang outside the annexe1 on the dividing wall separating ,room ,v4 from the ,turner ,gallery1 four on one side of the doorway1 four on the other1 examples of the ,turner who had not begun to find his way4 ,some of the titles suggest light and air1 but the execution is heavy and fumbling1 and they are blackened by time4 ,at the extreme left is the little ',carnarvon ,castle' of the year #ahjj2 above is a trifle called ',view of a ,town1' of #agih4 ,in the middle of the group is the huge ',morning on the ,coniston ,fells1 ,lancashire1' exhibited in #agih1 muddled1 inconsequent1 almost a libel on the fines from ,paradise ,lost that accompanied it-- ',ye mists and exhalations that now arise1 ,from hill or streaming lake1 dusky or grey1 ,till the sun paint your fleecy skirts with gold1 ,in honour to the world's great ,author rise4' ,adjoining this blackened ',morning' is an unimportant1 hardly noticeable ',sea ,piece1' painted about #ahjb4 ,on the other side of the doorway is the ',moonlight1 a ,study at ,millbank1' of #agig1 looking like a fog at midnight dominated by a moon--like a wafer4 ,adjoining it is the pleasant self-portrait1 painted in #ahjb when he was twenty-seven--,turner with the strong chin1 loose lower lip and the observant eyes1 gazing straight out at the world4 ,next to it is the ',mountain ,scene' of #ahjj1 small and poor1 and beneath is the straightly-seen ',view on ,clapham ,common1' quite attractive4 ,almost pathetic is this wall of timid and indifferent early ,turners1 hanging just without the precincts of the superb array of his life work1 but interesting as showing from what insignificant beginnings rose the mighty edifice4 ,i think if ,i had my way1 ,i would make the contrast even more marked1 almost epigrammatic4 ,i would hang the little ',moonlight at ,millbank' just above the ',sunrise ,with a ,boat ,between ,headlands1' and the little ',carnarvon ,castle' against the loveliness of ',norham ,castle' at dawn4 ,again and again ,i visited this threshold room1 barred by a screen from the new ,turner ,gallery4 ,at ten o'clock on the morning of ,july #ahth1 #aiaj1 ,i was there again with an invitation-card to view the ',new ,turner ,wing4' ,,chapter ,,lix #aiaj3 ,,the ,,new ',,turner ,,gallery' ,,at ,,millbank ,so1 at last1 fifty-nine years after his death one of the wishes of his muddled will is almost obeyed--that his works should be hung 'in a room or rooms1 to be added to the ,national ,gallery1 and to be called ,turner's ,gallery4' ,it would have been better if the new ,turner ,gallery had adjoined the ,national ,gallery2 but that seems to have been impossible4 ,at present the exhibited portion is distributed thus3 #abi oils and #dfg water-colours1 etc41 at the ,tate ,gallery2 #bj oils and a large selection of water-colours at the ,national ,gallery2 and #ca oils and other works in the provinces4 ,the ,salting ,bequest water-colours are in the ,british ,museum1 and there are also many examples1 varying from his first to his last period1 at the ,victoria and ,albert ,museum1 with several oil pictures4 ,besides these there is the unexhibited portion of the ,bequest1 and the numerous oil pictures and water-colours in private and public collections in this country and abroad1 making the largest amount of work ever produced single-handed by any artist4 ,there is one word only to describe the setting of the new ,turner ,gallery1 the word magnificent4 ,there are five rooms on the main floor1 and four on the ground floor4 ,the walls of the two large rooms or halls are covered with a rich ,venetian red silk brocade1 the walls of the others are hung with gold canvas4 ,the first new ,turner ,room is #cd yards long1 nearly #aa yards wide1 and #ac yards high4 ,i hardly knew the old1 familiar masterpieces4 ,at first ,i saw nothing but that gorgeous red brocade1 sweeping over the walls1 probably the colour ,turner himself used 7but certainly in a cheaper material7 in his own gallery in ,queen ,anne ,street4 ,red may have been his favourite colour1 but we must remember that in his ,queen ,anne ,street ,gallery1 the walls were covered with pictures1 so that the red hangings were barely visible4 ,in the new ,turner ,gallery the eyes see first the dominating red walls1--then the pictures4 ,no work is skied4 ,all the pictures are on the line1 arranged chronologically1 from the dark ',tenth ,plague of ,egypt' of #ahjb1 to the flaming ',fire at ,sea' of #ahcd4 ,how well1 sombre but glowing1 they all look4 ,hanging together are those early1 grandiose1 masterful canvases1 a challenge to the art world of his day1 the ',calais ,pier1' the ',nelson1' and ',the ,shipwreck4' ,opposite1 on the line for the first time1 is the vast ',england3 ,richmond ,hill1' vastly entertaining4 ,at one end of the room hangs the well-loved1 cool1 and temperate ',crossing the ,brook1' and at the other end1 facing it1 that mighty effort of his imagination1 ',ulysses ,deriding ,polyphemus1' almost dwarfed1 strange to say1 by its companions the whirling ',medea1' and the flaming ',fire at ,sea4' ,here and there are the quieter works1 pastoral and appealing1 done in #ahji1 when his mind was happy and at rest1 the ',bligh ,sand1' and the ',river ,scene with ,cattle1' so tranquilly aglow4 ,the next room is hung with the best of the 'unfinished' oils4 ,the red silk brocade is almost too overpowering for the aerial loveliness of the ',sunrise' pictures1 for that magical' ,hastings1' with the tawny sail1 and the crepuscular delicacy of ',the ,evening ,star4' ,the pearly ',yachting' series stands the ordeal better1 and that glorious riot of colour1 ',interior at ,petworth1' actually flaunts the red brocade4 ,the old warrior pictures look better than ever--',the ,fighting ,tmraire1' the ',burial of ,wilkie1' and that swift foreshadowing of ,impressionism1 ',rain1 ,steam and ,speed4' ,if ,turner1 mad for fame1 as for art1 could have seen these two rooms1 one hung with the pictures he did for exhibition1 the other with those he did for joy6 ,if only he could have had prevision of this year of his triumph6 ,the other seven rooms hung with gold canvas--just right--contain a selection of his water-colours1 finished and unfinished1 oil beginnings1 and others4 ,the water-colours range from the copy of ',folly ,bridge1' which he made at the age of twelve1 to such visions of his later years1 when definition became lost in light1 and form in colour1 as ',ravine and ,tower1' and ',the ,via ,mala1' and certain dreams from the ',rheinfelden' and ',heidelberg' ,sketch-,books1 that one looks at with wonder and joy1 and again with wonder and joy4 ,there is a room of his early water-colours with two exquisite interpretations of ',norham ,castle'2 there is a room of the sepia drawings for the ,liber ,studiorum1 with a case in the middle containing twenty-one supreme water-colours1 dominated1 at the end of the case1 by the ',venetian ,fishing ,boat'--a fairy thing flashing green1 blue1 and gold2 and elsewhere there is a range of his water-colours1 each a treasure2 but ,i think my choice would fall upon ',sunshine on the ,sea1' everything omitted except--sunshine upon the sea4 ,on the ground floor1 approached by a staircase 7on the stair walls hang three of his colossal failures1 ',waterloo1' ',the ,deluge1' and ',pilate'--do not look at them6--71 are four more rooms4 ,one contains seventeen 'beginnings' of oil pictures1 painted about #ahjg1 never exhibited before in public1 but probably shown in his studio in ,queen ,anne ,street in #ahjh1 to tempt patrons to commission 'finished' pictures from them4 ,times have changed4 ,we value beginnings now4 ,another ground-floor room is hung with large 'unfinished' early water-colours1 including a lovely beginning in a rosy flush1 of ',coniston ,old ,man1' and an atmospheric filmy blue ',valley with ,mountains4' ,an adjoining room contains the oils on thin veneer1 painted between #ahje and #ahaj1 and first exhibited in #aijh4 ,my choice would be ',tree ,tops and ,sky4' ,and the last room of all1 a light1 cheerful apartment1 as it should be1 includes his last four pictures1 painted the year before he died1 and other magnificent failures and experiments4 ,here is a picture of the period when he was haunted by the idea of ,whalers in ,arctic seas2 and when he muddled off a final beauty in despair of ,venice at sunset with a blue sky and ragged clouds2 and when he tried to see ',the ,angel ,standing in the ,sun1' driving ,death before him1 ,turner then being seventy-one2 and other dreams by this amazing man1 whose art vision endured1 not only to the end1 but became more ethereal and dehumanised and seer-like as his physical frame shrank and tottered4 ,all that is over4 ,the immortal part of him remains1 and this is the year of his final triumph1 long delayed4 ,he who loved fame and praise1 and spent much of his life pitting himself against his contemporaries and predecessors1 would chuckle to know that his works in the new ,catalogue of the ,tate ,gallery extend to #add pages1 while all the other artists represented have but #bfd pages between them4 ,it was almost a shock to return from these golden lower rooms to the two large galleries on the main floor1 adorned with the rich red silk brocade1 that dazzles and distresses4 ,i cannot like these red1 flaming walls1 but there is no doubt that the pictures look finer than they did in ,trafalgar ,square4 ,indeed1 we seem to see some of them for the first time4 ,i never realised before what a stupendous work is the ',snowstorm--,steamboat off a ,harbour's ,mouth1 ,making ,signals4' ,one could spend an hour studying the swirl of the waves and the whirl of the storm1 the movement of those deep water waves1 and the lights that gleam in and through them4 ,incline your head a little to the right1 and there is ',a ,ship ,aground1' with the tugging movement of shallow water1 the reflections and the gleams portrayed with equal skill4 ,then turn your eyes still further to the right1 and there is ',rain1 ,steam1 and ,speed' and the ',burial of ,wilkie4' ,for some reason or another--the red walls1 or the wonderful lighting of the gallery1 or the flame of ,turner that in this year of his triumph spiritualises our perceptions--these pictures seem to have taken on more delicate delicacies of eolour1 new intricacies of vision4 ,and what about the ',interior at ,petworth1' that ,mr4 ,mac,coll has bravely hung in the place of honour in the gallery where ',the ,evening ,star' and ',the ,fighting ,tmraire' dispute for our allegiance8 ,the ',interior at ,petworth' is a puzzle to almost everybody4 ,i watched a nice father and his nice little daughter1 who had been talkative before most of the ,turners1 stand in front of this orgy of colour--dumb4 ,then the little girl said3 ',daddy1 what does it mean8' ,and he after a long pause and another long look said1 very seriously1 as if he were a little ashamed3 ',i don't know what it means1 my dear4' ,how ,i longed to say to them3 ',friends1 ,turner didn't mean you to know what his ,interior at ,petworth means4 ,he didn't mean you to see it4 ,it's like this4 ,he was a great artist1 almost miraculous1 with extraordinary faculties and power of work1 and an ambition1 that was almost a mania1 to excel all other painters1 living and dead1 and to make the public of his day realise what a mighty man he was4 ,so he painted his big exhibition pictures1 every inch finished1 understandable by everybody1 classical1 pastoral1 homely1 heroic--,the ,bay of ,baise1 ,crossing the ,brook1 the ,frosty ,morning1 and ,the ,fighting ,tmraire2 but that was only half his life4 ,he was mad about drawing and painting2 he never rested2 he was always making experiments1 trying to capture the fleeting loveliness of dawn or sunset1 the pomp of high noon1 and the splendour of colour in hot sunshine that to some artists is as intoxicating as wine4 ,he never meant such experiments1 done to relieve his surcharged soul1 to be seen2 he never exhibited them4 ,it is we1 valuing every scrap from ,turner's hand1 who are responsible for their exhibition2 it is we who have brought to the light of day these attempts of the wizard1 the old man mad about art1 to force painting to realise what others would have thought to be unrealisable4 ,they are wonderful4 ,folk will come from the end of the world to see them4 ',friends1 how that room at ,petworth came to be in that awful disarray ,i know not4 ,it looks like a nightmare spring-cleaning1 with no witness of the fury but the streaming sun4 ,turner looked on the sight--that's certain2 was intoxicated by the orgy of colour1 painted it in one swift hour1 and having cased his soul1 hid his colour-cry1 as men hide their love poems in youth4' ,thus would ,i have spoken to that nice father and nice child2 but while ,i was rehearsing my remarks1 they had moved on4 ,i sought them1 and found the twain in one of the lower rooms where some of the early water-colours are displayed1 'unfinished1' because they were painted for love1 not for exhibition1 and love had said in them all that love can say4 ,i found the father and child standing just where ,i would like them to have been--before those two exquisite drawings hanging by the window1 looking1 not like paint1 but like vapours of iridescent colour--the rosy flush of ',coniston ,old ,man1' and the filmy blue of ',valley with ,mountains4' ,father and child were silent1 but there was something in their eyes more eloquent than words4 ,then her hand stole into his and was clutched tight4 ,my eyes moistened too4 ,for ,i was looking upon the visible signs of invisible things4 ,love made those drawings1 and the watchers were quickened by their loveliness4 ,the father's grasp grew tighter on the small hand as she blinked away the mist in her eyes4 ,i should like to have explained1 to that nice father and child1 the ,sketch-,books1 the unseen part of ,turner's prodigious achievement1 the studies direct from ,nature for his own use1 records as he called them4 ,throughout his life his procedure seems to have been always the same--the sketch or the mere note direct from ,nature1 on which later1 sometimes years later1 he based an oil picture1 or a water-colour for the engravers4 ,he could always1 when he had once 'wrenched himself free from the trammels of topography and antiquarianism1' make a vital sketch from ,nature1 but it took him years to master oil-painting4 ,the dark1 heavy1 early ',buttermere ,lake' was made from 'a pale and delicately charming water-colour4' ,there is not an artist who would not be delighted to study1 in the ,sketch-,books1 the slight vital suggestions and to compare them with the finished works--the beginning and the end of his ,hornby1 ,heysham1 ,watchet1 ,boscastle1 ,bolton2 to look at the vigorous studies from which the ',bridgewater ,sea ,piece1' and ',the ,shipwreck' were made1 and to swoop down upon that astonishing foreshadowing of ,impressionism1 ',men ,chatting ,round the ,fireplace at ,petworth1' made during the visit to ,petworth when he was fifty-five1 from which his dream1 world-well-lost period dated3 ,turner the visionary1 who1 like ,wordsworth at the end1 passed into regions where feeling is almost too mystical1 too rarefied for expression1 and indeed can only be expressed by allusion and suggestion4 ,the ,turner ,sketch-,books are as valuable1 in their way1 as1 say1 a discovery of diaries kept by ,shakespeare from the day he first left ,stratford to the hour he returned home full of honours and wisdom4 ,turner died in hiding--by choice2 and1 to our great advantage1 he hoarded his ,sketch-,books1 as he hoarded his 'unfinished' works1 meant only for his own eyes1 those gleaming1 grey-blue eyes that never lost their sparkle1 and that saw and controlled his hand to paint a ',ulysses ,deriding ,polyphemus 'for fame1 and a ',teasing the ,donkey at ,petworth' for joy4 ,,chapter ,,lx ,,turner ,,at ,,the ,,national ,,gallery--,,and ,,claude4 ,a ,,last ,,look ,turner has not disappeared from the ,national ,gallery2 he still has a small shrine there4 ,the oil pictures retained at the ,national ,gallery1 with ',childe ,harold's ,pilgrimage' in the place of honour1 show an aspect of his achievement1 but not the progressive splendour of his genius4 ,in this room hang the two famous works by ,claude ,lorrain4 ,every one knows the story1 which has been told again in these pages1 how ,turner1 long before his death1 bequeathed ',the ,sun ,rising ,through ,vapour' and ',dido ,building ,carthage' to the nation on the condition that they should hang for ever between two paintings by ,claude4 ,turner outshone ,claude in all other fields1 as the sun outshines the moon1 but he never conquered ,claude in the particular classical garden that the ,lorrainer cultivated4 ,you may judge for yourself4 ,there they hang1 the two great ,claudes1 between the two great ,turners1 an arrangement sanctioned by the ,court of ,chancery2 there1 if the spirits of the departed do ever visit this earthly scene of competition and aspiration1 these two purified souls should have a gallant and courteous encounter4 ,the twain would look gravely at the ,turner pictures1 and perhaps ,turner would explain1 if spirits need explanations1 that the supreme work of his life is not here4 ,but there are some works on the walls that would make ,claude wonder4 ,would he not look entranced at ,turner's visions of ,venice--four pictures showing how he progressed from topographical facts to impressions of the city fading in the sea1 trailing the loveliness of her colour with her3 from the hard ',bridge of ,sighs1' with the metallic blue sky1 painted in #ahcc1 to the magic ',san ,benedetto' of ten years later1 the golden sky flecked with crimson1 and the golden pathway on the sea1 an open gate leading to a land that exists only in the imagination of poets in words and in paint4 ,claude would look at this golden path that 'lies o'er the sea invisible1' and at that other splendour1 glorious still1 though faded like the real ,venice1 called ',the ,sun of ,venice ,going to ,sea1' such a sea1 such a fishing-boat sailing out from the rose-red city4 ,claude would look1 and his eyes would glisten1 and he would make obeisance1 and acknowledge the supremacy of his companion in these paintings of the loveliness and mystery of light and colour4 ,with the other ,turners at the ,national ,gallery ,claude would feel on more equal ground1 and while looking at ',ancient ,rome1' with the diaphanous buildings1 he might murmur the title of his own ',enchanted ,castle1'--fantasy arising firmly from fact1 not as in ',ancient ,rome1' fantasy accompanied by uncouth facts4 ,and ,claude would realise the inequalities of ',the ,meuse1 ,orange-,merehantmen going to pieces on the ,bar1' the incomparable sky1 and the grotesque and ill-drawn figures of the fishermen lolling in their boats2 the glory of ',orvieto1' in the sky1 and the unsubstantially of the figures and the fountain in the foreground2 the force and swing of the sea in ',spithead1' and the impossible height of the waves2 the loveliness and splendour of the panorama of nature in ',childe ,harold's ,pilgrimage1' and the futility of the 'party of pleasure' in the foreground2 and--and--the tumbling splendour of ',queen ,mab's ,grotto1' done when the old man was seventy-one1 still ambitious1 still ready at a moment's notice to realise the unrealisable4 ,turner must explain to ,claude1 as henceforth officials must explain to bewildered visitors1 that the works at the ,national ,gallery are but a small part1 not very representative1 of his colossal life-work2 that to see his achievement in all its astonishing variety1 it is neeessary to descend to the ground floor of the ,national ,gallery1 where a selection of the water-colours is still shown1 and where the ,sketch-,books are preserved1 and then to make the journey to ,millbank1 home of the magnificence of ,turner from the sombre masterpieces of his youth to the golden visions of his maturity--from his early experiments in tinted drawings to his last flashes of colour lost in light--works that have made the child who was born in a dark ,london court of a crazy mother and a chirpy father--immortal4