Ruth Leon recommends… The Fighting Temeraire – Christine Riding
Ruth Leon recommendsThe Fighting Temeraire – Christine Riding
The Fighting Temeraire (1839) by James Mallord William Turner (1775–1851) is one of Turner’s most popular paintings, in fact it was voted the nation’s favourite in 2005, and whilst crowds flock to see this work today, it was also a crowd pleaser in the 19th-Century. But just what is it that has made this work such a hit across the centuries?
This most beloved of paintings captures the moment that HMS Temeraire was towed up the Thames to Rotherhithe, to be broken up. But what did this symbolise to the British people at the time? And how does Turner use his unrivalled skill as a landscape artist to capture the moment?
Find out more about the history of the HMS Temeraire through Turner’s brushstrokes. How does the painting depict both the victory and the sacrifice of the Battle of Trafalgar? And how does a ghostly ship on the Thames against a blood-red sunset capture the mood of a nation?
Curator Christine Riding is the head of the curatorial department and Curator of British Paintings at the National Gallery, London. She is a leading expert on Turner’s work and the author of Turner and the Sea, published by Royal Museums Greenwich/Thames & Hudson in 2013. In this masterly video she shares her thoughts on why this is such an important work. She knows everything about Turner, about the painting, about the context in which it was painted and first displayed and the man himself. Riding on Turner is an experience not to be missed.
If you are not already a member of the National Gallery you may have to become one to access this and their other wonderful videos but, trust me, it’s worth it even if you never go near that big stone building in Trafalgar Square.
Comments