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Joseph Mallord William Turner

Glencoe, 1831-1834

Now On View

Description

Maker

Title

Glencoe

Year

1831-1834

Medium

Watercolor with scraping and touches of black chalk on wove paper

Materials/Techniques

Materials

Supports

Dimensions

9.4 x 14.3 cm (3 11/16 x 5 5/8 inches)

Type

Credit

Gift of Mrs. Gustav Radeke

Object Number

22.087

Exhibition History

Exhibition History

Drawing Closer

March 12 - September 4, 2022

This small sheet holds a vast and turbulent view of Glencoe, a scenic river valley in the highlands of Scotland. Joseph Turner presents this sublime panorama as a vortex of color and light, his energetic brushstrokes mingled with minute details, such as the couple starting a fire in the foreground and the tiny figure—just a fleck of bright red—walking down a winding path to the right. As the boundaries between rock, sky, and raincloud blur, the grandeur of nature comes into sharper focus.

From Dürer to Van Gogh

June 5 - October 26, 2008

Turner’s watercolor practice was closely related to printmaking, and a large portion of his designs were eventually engraved for various publications. This watercolor was one of 40 designs intended to illustrate the published volumes of Sir Walter Scott's Prose Works, Tales of a Grandfather, 1834. Literary illustration afforded Turner the luxury of experimenting with dramatic landscape. He set out to represent not only the districts and places described in Scott's text, but also the mood of the tales.

Use

The images on this website can enable discovery and collaboration and support new scholarship, and we encourage their use. This object is in the public domain (CC0 1.0). This object is Glencoe with the accession number of 22.087. To request high-resolution files or new photography, please send an email to imagerequest@risd.edu and include your name and the object's accession number.