`TURNER AND THE ELEMENTS` FIRST EDITION, 2011, by Ortrud Westheider and Michael Philipp

"TURNER AND THE ELEMENTS" FIRST EDITION, 2011, by Ortrud Westheider & Michael Philipp, HIRMER ART PUBLICATIONS, 256 PG, HARDCOVER, IN FINE UNREAD CONDITION

A painter of the elements, J. M. W. Turner depicted in his landscapes natural forces such as wind, fire, and water with an emphasis on their considerable destructive power and mans raw vulnerability in the face of it. And be they storm scenes, avalanches, or disasters at sea, Turners oil paintings and watercolors were also informed by contemporary research in the natural sciences.
 
Conceived by the Bucerius Kunst Forum in Hamburg and edited by leading Turner experts, this volume comprises eighty-five masterpieces from the Tate Gallery in London that are also scheduled for the National Museum in Krakow and the UKs newly opened Turner Contemporary. The works presented here exemplify Turners extensive knowledge of nature and the impact of its forces, garnered from a lifelong fascination, and show that important developments in the artists technique over the course of several decades mirrored the many new scientific insights of the time. Especially significant is Turners stunningly realistic depiction of light, which made many of his canvases seem to actually glow.
 
With 150 lush, full-color illustrations, this volume shows how Turners ever-deepening understanding of the natural worldand of light in particularearned him his place in the pantheon of great European artists.