The Turner Exhibit at Mystic Seaport

Artist J.M.W. Turner, 1775-1851

   Watercolor paintings, by artist J.M.W. Turner, on loan from the Tate Museum are on exhibit at the Mystic Seaport in Mystic, Connecticut October 5, 2019 - February 23, 2020. Ninety-seven works have been selected for viewing from a collection of more than 30,000 paintings and sketches. The collection was left to the Tate after Turner's death in 1851. Best known for his oils, this is a rare opportunity for Americans to view his watercolors as the Mystic Seaport is the only venue in North America where these works will be exhibited.

A Windmill on a Hill above an Extensive Landscape with Winding River, J.M.W. Turner, Graphite and watercolor on paper, 1794-5

   The exhibit titled J.M.W. Turner: Watercolors From Tate, is housed in the beautiful new Thompson Exhibition Building. The exhibit is both temperature and humidity controlled to help preserve the paintings on paper. Photos are permitted as long as you do not use a flash. The lighting is quite dim in the exhibit area to protect the paintings from fading. So, you may get results like mine - dark and with reflections on the glass. For the most enjoyment - leave the camera at home.

Lach Lang, Morning, J.M.W. Turner, Gouache, graphite and watercolor on paper, c. 1805

Lecture Diagram 65: Interior of a Prison, J.M.W. Turner, Gouache, graphite, and watercolor on paper, c. 1810

   As Professor of Perspective at the Royal Academy (1807-1828), Turner made illustrations to support his lectures. The drawing above, based on a series by Piranesi, was used to illustrate the behavior of shadows for his students. (Sorry about the reflections on the glass)

I didn't catch the title on this watercolor

   Drawn to the seeming simplicity of blue and white in the above painting, I couldn't help but be reminded of a time when learning to use watercolors, I came to a keen realization of the importance of the white of the paper. When using oils you are always adding more layers, and it is easy to put in some white highlights on top when you are almost done. However, with watercolor, unless you are using gouache (an opaque form of watercolor), you must plan out those final whites right from the start, as they are plain, unpainted spots of white paper. Yes, you can blot at wet watercolor to pull some of it off, and yes you can even re-wet some areas to attempt a change, but for the best white - you need to plan ahead and leave those areas untouched to reveal a clean, crisp white. As you wander through the exhibit, look for those spots of bare white paper that Turner planned for from the outset.

Folkestone from the Sea, J.M.W. Turner, Watercolor and gouache on paper, 1823-4

Scarborough, J.M.W. Turner, Watercolor and graphite on paper, c. 1825

   Ok, I know you can spot the ship, the shrimper, the dog, and the washer women in this beach scene, but can you spot the starfish in the painting above? Starfish became a curious feature in Turner's Scarborough paintings after 1809. It may have symbolized a memory of the beaches there. Spoiler alert - It's between the shrimper and the spotted dog!

The Artist and His Admirers, J.M.W. Turner, Water color and bodycolour on paper, 1827

   While the above description may have you wondering what body parts were painted in this watercolor, the term bodycolour, more commonly used in Great Britain, is really the same thing as gouache. It is an opaque white paint added to watercolor with a gum-arabic binder (similar to a white glue). 

Venice: Looking Across the Lagoon at Sunset, J.M.W. Turner, Watercolor on paper, 1840

Goring Mill and Church, J.M.W. Turner, Oil on canvas, c. 1806-7

The River Thames near Isleworth: Punt and Barges in the Foreground, J.M.W. Turner, Graphite and watercolor on paper, 1805

   Visitors to the Mystic Seaport may wonder if the paintings above and below are scenes from the nearby Thames River (located between New London and Groton in CT). They are not. Read the title  again. It is The River Thames in England (not New England).

The River Thames and Kew Bridge, with Brentford Eyot in the Foreground and Strand-on-Green Seen through the Arches: Low Tide, J.M.W., Graphite and watercolor on paper, 1805

Holy Island Cathedral, J.M.W. Turner, Watercolor on paper, c. 1806-7

Whitby, J.M.W. Turner, Watercolor on paper, 1824

The oil painting below seemed the perfect choice for this exhibit at the Mystic Seaport, where visitors learn all about the history of the whaling industry in Connecticut.

Whalers (Boiling Blubber) Entangled in Flow Ice, Endeavoring to Extricate Themselves, J.M.W. Turner, Oil on canvas, 1846

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