JWM Turner: The Regatta Starting for their Moorings 1827-1828

 

Joseph Mallord William Turner (1775-1851) was one of the most influential artists of all time. His mastery at capturing the beauty of the natural world through his paintings with use of colour and tone set him apart as one of the greatest landscape artists in history.

I’ve always been drawn to the paintings of Turner, particularly the abstract nature of his later work. The atmosphere conveyed in his images are very evocative and he was able to portray a scene with great energy and sense of place and season. Not interested in simply depicting the natural world in a realistic way, but often in capturing the essence of nature, its beauty, its power, and its mystery. Many elements of his images were abstract and undefined but there was often a focal point where clarity prevailed and the eye could clearly distinguish shape and form.

On a visit to the V&A museum in London, I came across Turners painting East Cowes Castle: The Regatta Starting for their Moorings 1827-1828. This oil painting has a beautiful translucence and standing before it, the viewer is drawn deeper in. The bright sunlight reflecting in the water leads the eye up the River Medina on the Isle of Wight and the symmetrical composition and warmth of tones conveys a sense of calm. The triangular forms on the sides - trees to the right and ships masts on the left, enforce the perspective and the subtle blue sky adds depth and atmosphere. Stepping closer to the painting I was able to see the details and the work that Turner had put into the trees. They are subtly detailed and have a softness to them that adds an ethereal quality. It seems that this mix of detail and abstraction is always paramount to Turner’s work and that as his career progressed, became more confident in depicting scenes that were far more abstract than his contemporaries and this defined him as the pioneer of modern landscapes. Choosing what to show and what to suggest is finely balanced and it may be more important to convey the essence of a scene and not every realistic detail within it.

     

 Detail from painting

By blending exposures and layering details from sharper images, I’m able to create a similar effect that softly blurs the lines between the abstract and reality. It would be unwise to compare the similarities of my photography to Turner but after looking closely at East Cowes Castle I was surprised to see similar effects in the portrayal of trees. In some respects, the photography of movement will create a soft abstraction which Tuner would also try to replicate, whether that being the motion of waves, the energy of a storm or the velocity and power of a steam train. This blurring of energy and depiction of movement may sometimes appear similar in my photography as this motion is captured either through camera or subject movement during exposures.

Detail from multiple exposure photograph

The painters desire to replicate that movement on the canvas may appear similar as the edge definition is diffused and in Turner’s case, the energy and direction of motion was often captured with exaggerated brush strokes that mimicked the movement of his subjects as could often be seen in his seascapes with waves or stormy weather. The interpretation of energy and motion that Turner often captured with brush strokes, enhancing and energising the movement of his subjects, is replicated by long exposures in photography that capture the movement of trees, clouds or water in the landscape.

Some of this aesthetic is conveyed in my images where time is distorted and reality is softened and blurred with the passing of time or a movement of subject or camera. Creating an atmosphere in my images is something that I aspire to, evoking a mood and feeling as opposed to a perfectly rendered landscape.

JWM Turner: The Regatta Starting for their Moorings 1827-1828