J.M.W. Turner was a fascinating and enigmatic figure. Both astonishingly
prolific and extraordinarily innovative, he is widely seen as the
greatest British landscape painter of them all, anticipating and
surpassing the Impressionists in his dramatic interpretations of the
effects of light and colour. The Turner Book goes beyond the usual
interpretations of the artist, revealing the extraordinary self-belief
and ambition that allowed him to continue steadfastly with his
experimentation in the face of hostile critical attack. The book
examines in detail key works and the techniques by which Turner realised
them and features revealing extracts from his notebooks, travel journals
and poetry. Beautifully illustrated with both famous and unknown works
and ranging over the entire course of the artist's career, this is the
essential guide to Turner's life and work. Sam Smiles is Professor of
Art History at the University of Plymouth at Exeter and the author of
numerous acclaimed books, including J.M.W. Turner, Two-way Traffic:
British Art and Italian Art 1880-1980 and The Image of Antiquity:
Ancient Britain and the Romantic Imagination.