J M W Turner

J M W Turner [J M W Turner]

(Joseph Mallord William Turner 1775–1851) a major English artist, famous for his ↑landscape and ↑seascape paintings (= scenes of the countryside and of the sea). A characteristic feature of his work is his original treatment of light and weather conditions. His style had a great influence on later artistic movements, especially Impressionism and ↑abstract expressionism. Turner spent much of his life travelling widely in Britain and Europe, doing drawings for his paintings. His best-known paintings include ↑Fighting Téméraire (1838) and Rain, Steam and Speed (1844), both of which are in the ↑National Gallery in London. Many of his paintings became the property of the British nation after his death and are in ↑Tate Britain in London. In 1987 the Clore Gallery was added to the Tate especially to display Turner’s works.