Turner and Earlier Masters in Venice

Intro:

J. M. W. Turner was a master of water paintings, and therefore, Venice was the perfect place for him to work. Turner made three trips to the Italian city during his career in the summers of 1819, 1833, and 1840. On these trips he made detailed sketches of the city which he later turned into oil paintings. These paintings clearly reflect Turner's unique style that places heavy emphasis on atmosphere over naturalistic representation. However, Turner's training involved repeatedly copying the masters who came before him, and he never entirely gave this practice up. Many of his paintings are attempts to improve upon the works of his predecessors and contemporaries. One of his most celebrated predecessors in the case of Venetian paintings is Canaletto. Many of Turner's paintings copy the subject matter of Canaletto's works, and Turner's Canaletti Painting that he completed after his second trip to Venice even includes Canaletto himself.

However, despite his obvious respect for the Venetian master, Turner does not mimic Canaletto's style, and his inspiration often comes from either his sketches taken during his three trips, or the works of other painters. This collection shows the relationship between Turner's work and several of his predecessors and contemporaries. Although Turner is certainly in conversation with these artists, he portrays a view of the city that is vastly different than those seen before.

Gallery:

The Grand Canal, Venice, Looking Toward the Rialto

Stylistically, Bonington is most similar to Turner among these Venetian painters. The clouds are wispy and painterly, and the city has a similar warm glow to the city as seen in both of Turner's works below. The buildings are sketch-like and patchy much like those in Turner's paintings. However, the water is clearly distinguishable from Turner's. It does not share the reflective quality seen so clearly in on the left side of the Grand Canal in Turner's Venice, From the Porch of Madonna della Salute.

Artist: 
Richard Parkes Bonington

Date: 
1826

Medium: 
Oil on Millboard

Dimensions: 
3.52 cm x 4.54 cm

Location: 
Kimbell Art Museum

Accession Number: 
AP 2009.02

Venice From the Dogana

Stanfield was a friend of Turner's who entered this painting into the Royal Academy Show in 1833. Turner challenged him in a friendly rivalry by painting the same scene and entering it into the same show (the Canaletti Painting below). Critics widely praised Turner's work and proclaimed that he had won the competition by virtue of his brilliant colors and warm atmosphere, but Stanfield's painting is certainly the more accurate of the two. Notice the differences in the buildings between the two paintings. How might this illustrate the different purposes that each artist had?

Artist: 
Clarkson Frederick Stanfield (Often mistakenly referred to as William Clarkson Stanfield)

Date: 
1833

Medium: 
Oil on Canvas

Dimensions: 
130 cm x 165.4 cm

Location: 
Bowood House, Derry Hill, UK

The Stonemason's Yard (formally known as Campo S. Vidal and Santa Maria della Carità)

Turner would have seen this painting at the British Museum. This piece shows a very unique view of Venice, highlighting the working class on the land. There is only a small strip of water in the background, but the sky takes up much of the painting. The buildings are quite naturalistically rendered. This painting was highly regarded by critics in both Canaletto and Turner's times. Notice in particular the differences in the skies of each painting. How does this contribute to the overall feeling of each painting?

Artist: 
Canaletto

Date: 
1725

Medium: 
Oil on Canvas

Dimensions: 
124 cm x 163 cm

Location: 
National Gallery, London, UK

Bridge of Sighs, Ducal Palace and Custom-House, Venice: Canaletti Painting

Turner pays homage to his predecessor Canaletto in this painting he completed after his second trip to Venice by placing him in the lower left corner, painting in a large, gilded frame. But the inspiration for this painting more likely came from Turner's friendly competition with Clarkson Frederick Stanfield who painted a very similar scene just before Turner, and displayed it in the Royal Academy Show. However, Bonington's style most closely resembles this work, and Turner may have been influenced by his earlier works in Venice.

Artist: 
J. M. W. Turner

Date: 
1833

Medium: 
Oil on Mahogany

Dimensions: 
51 cm x 82.5 cm

Location: 
The Tate Museum

The Grand Canal with Santa Maria della Salute

This painting of the Madonna della Salute on the Grand Canal was attributed to Canaletto at the time of Turner's painting of the same subject, and he very likely would have seen it displayed in the Louvre. However, it was later reattributed to Michele Marieschi, and remains so today. The distorted perspective seen so clearly on the porch in the lower right gives this painting a unique feel not seen in the painting Canaletto actually did of the subject. But the atmosphere is quite similar to Canaletto's work. The water is flatly rendered, but the ships on the water are mostly industrial rather than leisurely, much like those in Turner's painting.

Artist: 
Michele Marieschi

Date: 
1735-1740

Medium: 
Oil on Canvas

Dimensions: 
125 cm x 213 cm

Location: 
Louvre Museum

Accession Number: 
INV 162

Entrance to the Grand Canal and the Church of La Salute

Turner likely never saw this painting that Canaletto actually did of the Madonna della Salute, but it is still painted from a similar viewpoint to Turner's own painting. Yet again, Canaletto focuses on naturalism, and shows a much more accurate portrayal of the real scene in Venice. This stands in stark contrast to Turner, who is clearly more interested in atmosphere than portraying what he sees. Notice, for example, the difference of the porch in this painting and in Turner's, and the reflections in the water especially close to the buildings. Perhaps most notably, note the dramatic difference in the colors of the respective skies, and how this affects the atmosphere of each painting.

Artist: 
Canaletto

Date: 
1730s

Medium: 
Oil on Canvas

Dimensions: 
119 cm x 153 cm

Location: 
Louvre Museum

Accession Number: 
RF 1961-33

Venice, from the Porch of Madonna della Salute

The colors in this painting immediately set it apart from the others portraying similar subjects. The sea-green in the water and the brilliant cerulean in the sky are artistic liberties taken by Turner. He does not intend to simply paint what he sees. It is almost as if he is painting a different city than Canaletto and Marieschi. The clean white stone of Turner's Madonna della Salute is nothing like the faded yellow of those others. The tower sticking out above the buildings on the left of the canal is in reality behind the viewer. It does not show up in Canaletto or Marieschi's paintings, and although the viewpoint is somewhat similar, Turner moves the viewer into the middle of the canal where they could not possibly be, and in doing so, he nearly pushes the Madonna della Salute out of the painting entirely.

Artist: 
J. M. W. Turner

Date: 
1835

Medium: 
Oil on Canvas

Dimensions: 
91.4 cm x 122.2 cm

Location: 
The Met

Accession Number: 
99.31