Turner and Venice.(Current and Coming)

So many exhibitions and books have been devoted to the art of Joseph Mallord William Turner that it would seem every facet of his career has been investigated. Among the titles devoted to the various locations in which he painted are Turner in the North, Turner in the South, Turner on the Thames, Turner's Holland, and Turner on the Loire. Nonetheless, there are still uncharted waters for scholars of this prolific English artist. Nearly one-third of the paintings Turner executed between 1833 and 1846 grew out of three brief visits to Venice in 1819, 1833, and 1840. The city so preoccupied him that between 1833 and 1846 there were only two years in which he did not submit paintings with Venetian subjects to the annual Royal Academy exhibitions in London. The city also figures in at least one thousand of his pencil sketches and watercolors. When in Venice Turner drew tirelessly, until nightfall made it difficult to continue. And during his last trip even Venice at night intrigued him as a subject.

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A groundbreaking exhibition entitled Turner and Venice is currently on view at the Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth, Texas, where it may be seen through May 30. It was co-organized with the Tate Britain in London, which houses the enormous Turner bequest (comprised of 300 paintings and 19,000 watercolors and drawings), and where the show was on view last autumn. The current exhibition includes 33 oil paintings and 128 works on paper. Several of the works in the show were conceived as pairs but have been separated over the years. Reuniting them here provides viewers with new insights into this aspect of Turner's oeuvre. There are also works by several of Turner's contemporaries (Richard Parkes Bonington, William Etty, James Holland, and Samuel Prout) and his predecessors (Canaletto and Titian).

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The ethereal quality of Venice is largely due to the evanescent light that continuously plays off the gently moving waters of the lagoons and canals. Vistas seem to evaporate and then suddenly reappear. This ever-changing landscape observed under intense sunlight, ...