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Snow storm. The ship at the entrance to the harbour (Blizzard)

Joseph Mallord William Turner • Painting, 1842, 91.4×121.9 cm
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About the artwork
Art form: Painting
Subject and objects: Landscape, Marina
Style of art: Romanticism
Technique: Oil
Materials: Canvas
Date of creation: 1842
Size: 91.4×121.9 cm
Artwork in collection: Smart and Beautiful Natalya Kandaurova
Artwork in selections: 41 selections

Description of the artwork «Snow storm. The ship at the entrance to the harbour (Blizzard)»

In fact, this "Snow storm" Turner has a long title. This is how "cover letter" the artist complements the work: "The ship leaves the Harbor, giving signals in the shallows and measuring the depth of the lot. The author was a witness of the storm in the night the "Ariel" sailed away from Harwich"".

Turner enthusiastically depicted the rage of the elements, a tribute to romanticism. Hurricanes, storms – his favorite subject (1, 2, 3). But perhaps this "snow storm" is the culmination of his "spontaneous" work. Fierce hurricane engages, captivates and funnel on the canvas, it seems, draws in, and this attraction is impossible to resist. Widely known legend that for the sake of writing this painting, the artist, whose age was close to 70, begged the sailors to tie him to the storm to the match and watched literally from the inside of the process. Sam Turner gladly retold the story. Today, most researchers are inclined to believe that it is rather a beautiful legend. However, if "you look long into an abyss" – the abyss of the raging elements, the swirl of the storm, can't hear the laughter of Turner, straight from the epicenter of the storm, his happy, violent laughter, like a hurricane shaking and demanding more, more?..

The paintings were accepted by the academic circles guardedly. But the Impressionists in the future will appreciate it highly. In General, the late Turner on away from naturalism. It shows element and condition, light, color and radiance. Portraying the raging elements, the artist admitted that he wrote not in order to be understood, and to love his paintings, there is no obligation: "I write because I want to show, what was the scene, what's it like". But in those years aristocratic Britain very cautious about the experiments of Turner. About this painting, one critic said that it was some "soapsuds and whitewash". Turner enraged and asked what, in their opinion, it seems the sea? Critics and recommended the same to meet the sea closer, to know the answer to this question.

Author: Alain Esaulova
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