Turner in Twickenham - a short history

    

The English artist Joseph Mallord Willam Turner (1775-1851) was born in 1775 in the Covent Garden district of London where his father was a barber and wig maker. Even as a boy he showed an exceptional talent for drawing and painting.


This is image No 62 from a series of engravings supervised
by Turner called Liber Studiorium.
The view is near the Isleworth Ferry on Railshead Road.

In 1785, when his only sister Mary was taken seriously ill, his mother's mental health started to deteriorate, and he was sent to live for several months with his uncle, a butcher in Brentford, a coaching town on the River Thames south west of London. While he was there, Turner's talent was encouraged by his uncle and he spent a lot of time by the Thames painting and sketching.


  

For the rest of his life the Thames would be a major theme in his work. His uncle's house in Brentford Market Place still exists and is now marked by a commemorative plaque.

Supported by his father, by the age of 13 Turner was sketching at home and exhibiting his work in his father's shop window for sale. At the age of 14 he decided to become an artist, and began to study at the schools of the Royal Academy. At 15 one of his paintings was exhibited at the Royal Academy. By the age of 20 he had established his own studio and his work was in demand.

Turner's sister died in 1786 and his mother never recovered, eventually dying in a mental institution in 1804. The tragedy drew Turner and his father closer together and they shared a home for many years until his father's death in 1829. Turner did not marry but had two children by Sarah Danby in 1801 and 1811.

In 1802, when he was only 27, Turner became a Member of the Royal Academy and around this time he started travelling overseas. In 1804,he rented Sion Ferry House on the Thames at Isleworth, a village just upriver from Brentford from where he took regular boat trips up the river as far as Oxford. Again these trips informed and inspired his work.

continued

The Liber Studiorum is a series of engravings which were published by Turner in parts between 1807 and 1819. Each part consisted of five plates, printed in brown ink and sewn in a paper wrapper. Each plate carried an etched outline, usually etched by Turner himself, with light and shade expressed by mezzotint engraving. The mezzotint was usually added by an engraver under Turner's supervision, but in a few cases it was done by Turner himself. Turner drew the series to a close prematurely, with a total of 71 plates issued. The meaning of the Liber Studiorum has been a matter of much debate.