The exhibition explores the “fascination of the artist for meteorological and atmospheric phenomena”, indicates Martha Degiacomi, art historian at the foundation. The very title, “The Sun is God”, refers to the admiration of William Turner (1775-1851) for light and the sun.
“The Sun is God” presents in seven sections more than 100 paintings and watercolors produced by the painter throughout his life as an artist between the 1790s and 1840s. “Rather than a chronological retrospective, this exhibition is intended as an experience immersive”, explains in the catalog David Blayney Brown, former chief curator of the historical collections of British art at the Tate and curator of the exhibition.
Alongside the paintings are presented sketches, sketches and pieces left unfinished by the artist.
Mastery of watercolor
William Turner produced more than 30,000 sketches and watercolours, often from life. He is one of the first to paint in the open air very personal small works that he valued as much as his larger formats, made in the studio, says Martha Degiacomi.
His father, a barber by trade, exhibited his twelve-year-old son’s first watercolors in his living room. At 14, William Turner was admitted to the Royal Academy in London.
And his “absolute mastery” of watercolor, then a minor genre, elevates this technique to the same rank as oil painting, adds the art historian. In 1802, aged 27, the artist was elected a full member of the Royal Academy in London.
William Turner, “The Lake of Buttermere” (1797-1798), oil on canvas. [Tate Gallery]
A sun that absorbs
His fascination with meteorological phenomena never left him. And with advancing age, the landscapes of the man who will inspire the Impressionists will become more and more blurred and luminous, underlines Martha Degiacomi.
In “Départ pour le bal” (San Martino), William Turner paints a sun that absorbs the gaze, which makes the mist vaporous. The Palace of Venice fades into the background. There is something mystical in this painting, believes the art historian, as we can imagine gondolas taking characters to feast in the masked balls of the city of the Doges.
ats/look
William Turner exhibition, “The Sun is God”, Gianadda Foundation, Martigny, until June 25, 2023