TUKNER'S SKETCHES AND DRAWINGS \ PlPP^r^" O 3 c -. y ^ffURNER'S SKETCHES AND DRAWINGS^ ^N?^^ K! By A. J. FIN BERG WITH 100 ILLUSTRATIONS SECOND EDITION METHUEN & CO. LTD 36 ESSEX STREET W. G. LONDON First Published . July 2zst igio Second Edition . igii PanSTBD IN GRiiAT BRIXAIW- CONTENTS FAGB LIST OF PLATES, INTRODUCTORY, ..... The nature of our subject-matter. 1 The raw material of art, .... 2 The character of our subject-matter, as embryonic forms of artistic expression, prescribes our method of study. 2 Our difficulties of description and analysis, . 3 The separation of Art-criticism from Aesthetic, 3 Eight aspects of Turner's genius, 4- 1. SEVEN YEARS' APPRENTICESHIP— 1787-1793, Turner's first drawings, 6 'St. Vincent's Tower,' 6 Copies and imitations. 8 His debt to art. 10 Work with Mr. Hardwick, 10 Oxford sketches, 11 ' Radley Hall,' 12 Working from the Antique, 14 The Bristol sketch-book. 14 End of the apprenticeship, 16 II. THE TOPOGRAPHICAL DRAUGHTSMAN— 1793-1796, 17 Welsh tour of 1793, .... 17 ' St. Anselm's Chapel,' 18 Turner's topographical rivals. 18 Midland tour of 1794, 20 Limitations of topographical and antiquarian art, 22 ' Interior of a Cottage,' 23 Light and Shade as a means of expression, . 24 The sketch-books of 1795 and their contents, 25 ' ' ' High Force of Tees or Fall of Melincourt ' ? 27 — TURNER'S SKETCHES AND DRAWINGS CHAPTER III. THE SUBLIME— 1797-1802, . Change from pure outline to light and shade, 29 ' Ewenny Priory,' .... 30 Contrast between 'Ewenny' (1797) and 'LlandafF Cathedral' (1796) 30 Transition from Objectivity to Subjectivity, 31 Growth of taste for the Sublime, 31 There are no sublime objects, but only objects of sublime feeling, 32 Therefore no guidance but from Art, 32 The Wilson tradition. S3 The two currents in Turner's work at this period (a) Study of Nature ; (6) Study of the Wilson tradition, . SS In the 1797 sketches these two currents are kept distinct, 34 The North of England tour (1797) and its record, 34 ' Studies for Pictures : Copies of Wilson,' 36 The two currents begin to coalesce. 37 The origin of ' Jason,' 38 Scotch tour (1801), . 38 Swiss tour (1802), . S9 IV. THE SEA PAINTER— 1802-1809, . 41 Contrast between Marine painting and the Sublime, 41 Turner's first sea-pieces. 42 The ' Bridgewater Sea-piece,' 42 ' Meeting of the Thames and Medway,' 46 ' Our landing at Calais—nearly swampt,' . 48 'Fishermen upon a Lee Shore,' 48 The Dunbar and Guisborough Shore sketch-book 48 ' The Shipwreck," .... 49 The mouth of the Thames, 51 ' ' Sheemess ' and the Death of Nelson,' S3 V. 'SIMPLE NATURE'— 180S-1813, 55 The works of this period an important yet generally neglected aspect of Turner's art, ...... 55 ' ' Turner's classification of Pastoral ' as distinguished from Elegant Pastoral,' ....... 56 The Arcadian idyll of the mid-eighteenth century, . 57 ' ' The first Pastoral ' subjects in Liber,' . .57 The ' Windmill and Lock,' ...... 57 vi . ' CONTENTS Events connected with the development of Turner's deeper and more solemn conception of the poetry of rural life, . 58 An attempt to define the mood of pictures like the ' Frosty Morning,' ....... 64 The work of art is nothing less than its full significance, . 67 Distinction between mood and character, . .68 VI. THE ' LIBER STUDIORUM/ ..... 72 Object of this chapter, .... 72 ' The first Liber ' drawings were made at W. F. Wells's cottage at Knockholt, Kent, . .73 ' Cows,' . Bridge and . .73 ' so-called Castle,' . Development of the Flint . .75 'Basle,' ........ 78 ' Little Devil's Bridge,' ...... 80 ' London from Greenwich,' . .80 •Kirkstall Crypt,' . .81 Etchings of the so-called ' Raglan Castle ' and ' Source of the Arveron,' ....... 82 Suggestion for the better exhibition of the ' Liber Studiorum drawings, ....... 83 VII. THE SPLENDOUR OF SUCCESS, OR 'WHAT YOU WILL' 1813-1830, ..... 84 Survey of the ground we have covered. 84 The training of Turner's sympathies by the Poets, 85 The limits of artistic beauty. 86 The predominantly sensuous bent of Turner's genius, 86 The parting of the ways, .... 87 The influence of the Academy and society 88 Turner's first visit to Italy, 89 The Naturalistic fallacy, . - 95 Turner's work for the engraver, . 97 VIII. MENTAL AND PHYSICAL DECAY, AND THE ORIGIN OF IMPRESSIONISM— 1 830-1 845, 116 Mental Characteristics of the 1815-1830 period, . 116 Their influence on form and colour. 117 Colour enrichment a general characteristic of Romantic art. 118 What further development is required to give the transition to Impressionism ?..... 118 Turner's first Impressionistic work, 119 Vagueness as a means of expression, 119 vii TURNER'S SKETCHES AND DRAWINGS Two ways of painting one's impressions. Turner's earlier way contrasted with the modern Impressionistic way, 119 The change after 1830 is it a change in terms of sight or of thought—visual or mental ? . 120 The content of Turner's later work, . 120 Relation of Turner's later work to Impressionism defined. 121 The historical development of Turner's later mannerj 126 The Petworth sketches, .... 126 Discovery of the artistic value of the Indeterminate, 128 ' Rivers of France,' ..... 129 Venetian sketches, ..... 131 Swiss and Rhine sketches, . 134 The end, ...... 135 IX. CONCLUSION, 136 The distinction between Art-criticism and Aesthetic, 136 The aim of this chapter, ..... 137 Art and physical fact, ..... 137 The ' common-sense ' conception of landscape art as evidence of fact 137 Mr. Ruskin's treatment of the relation of Art and Nature, . 138 His confusion of Nature and Mind, .... 140 Art as a form of communication implies that the dualism of Nature and Mind is overcome, ..... 143 .'' What does Art represent . 144 An individualised psychical content present to the mind of the artist. 145 Classification of Turner's sketches and studies from the point of view of their logical content, ..... 146 The assertions in a work of art do not directly qualify the ordinary real world, but an imaginary world specially con- structed for the artist's purpose, .... 150 The ideal of complete definition, . 151 • Yet the content must determine the form, . 151 Plea for a dynamic study of Artistic form, .... 153 INDEX, 155 Via ) LIST OF PLATES All the Drawings are in the National Gallery, unless otherwise specified. (The numbers, etc., in brackets refer to the position of the Drawings in the Official Inventory. The Pass of Faido, St. Gothard, Frontispiece Water Colour. 1844. (ccclxiv. 209.) PAGES I. St. Vincent's Tower, Naples, .... Between 6-7 Water-Colour. About 1787. (i.e.) II. Central Portion of an Aquatint by Paul Sandby, after Fabris, entitled 'Part of Naples, with the Ruin'd Tower of St. Vincent.' Published 1st Jan. 1778, . Between 6-7 III. Radley Hall : South Front, ..... Facing 11 Water-Colour. About 1789. (iii. d). IV. View on the Avon, from Cook's Folly, .... Facing 14 Water-Colour and Ink. About 1791. (vi. 24). V. Lincoln Cathedral, ..... Between 20-21 Water Colour, exhibited at Royal Academy, 1795. In Print Room, British Museum. VI. Lincoln Cathedral, from the South-west, . Between 20-21 Pencil. 1794. (xxi. 0). VII. Pony and Wheelbarrow, ..... Facing 23 Pencil. 1794. (xxi. 27a). VIII. Melincourt Fall, Vale of Neath, .... Facing 26 Pencil, part in Water-Colour. 1795. (xxvi. 8). IX. Interior of Ripon Cathedral : North Transept, . Facing 28 Pencil. 1797. (xxxv. 6). X. Conway Falls, near Bettws-y-Coed, .... Facing 30 Water-Colour. About 1798. (xxxviii. 71.) XI. Conway Castle, ...... Facing 32 Pencil. About 1798. (xx.xviii. .50a). XII. Ruined Castle on Hill, ..... Facing 34 Water-Colour. About 1798. (l. k). ix TURNER'S SKETCHES AND DRAWINGS PLATE PAGES XIII. Study of Fallen Trees, ..... Facing 36 Water-Colour. About 1798. (xlii. 18-19.) XIV. Caernarvon Castle, ..... Facing 31 Pencil. 1799. (xlvi. 61.) XV. Cassiobury : North-west View, .... Facing 38 Pencil. About 1800. (xlvii. 41.) XVI. Blair's Hut on the Montanvert and Mer de Glace. Sketch for the Water-Colour in the Farnley Collection, Facing 39 Water-Colour. 1802. (lxxv. 22.) ' XVII. Study for the Bridgewater Sea-piece,' . Facing 42 Pen and ink, wash, and white chalk on blue paper. About 1801. (lxxxi. 122-123.) XVIII. Study of a Barge with Sails Set, . ... Facing 43 Pen and ink, wash, and white chalk on blue paper. About 1802. (lxxxi. 138-139.) XIX. Fishermen launching Boat in a rough Sea, . Facing 44 Pen and ink and wash. About 1802. (lxviii. 3.) ' XX. Study for Sun rising through Vapour,' . Facing 45 Black and white chalk on blue paper. About 1804. (lxxxi. 40.) XXI. Study for ' The Shipwreck,' .... Facing 47 Pen and ink and wash. About 1805. (lxxxvii. 16.) XXII. Men-of-War's Boats fetching Provisions (1), . Facing 49 Pencil. About 1808. (xcix. 18.) Men-of-War's Boats fetching Provisions (2), . Facing 50 Pencil. About 1808. (xcix. 22.) XXIV. ' The Inscrutable,' ...... Facing 52 Pencil. About 1808. (ci. 18.) ' XXV. Sketch for Hedging and Ditching,' . Between 56-57 Pencil. About 1807. (c. 47.) ' Hedging and Ditching,' .... Between 56-57 Wash drawing in Sepia for ' Liber Studiorum.' About 1808. (cxvii. w.) XXVII. (a) Mill on the Grand Junction Canal, near Hanwell, Pencil. About 1809. (cxiv. 72a-73). Facing 61 (6) ' Windmill and Lock,' Engraving published in ' Liber Studiorum,' 1st June, 1811 (R. 27). LIST OF PLATES PLATE XXVIII. Whalley Bridge and Village, .... Facing 62 Pencil. About 1808. (cm. 8). XXIX. Whalley Bridge. Sketch for the Picture exhibited at the Royal Academy. 1811. (Now in Lady Wantage's Collection), . Facing 63 Pencil. About 1808. (cm. 6.) XXX. London, from Greenwich Pai-k, Facing 64 Pencil. About 1809. (cxx. h.) XXXI. Petworth House, from the Lake, . Facing 65 Pencil. About 1809. (cix. 4.) XXXII. Petworth House, from the Park, Facing 66 Pencil. About 1809. (cix.