Joseph Mallard William Turner

About the Artist

Joseph Mallord William Turner was born in London, England in 1775 and died in 1851. A leading painter of the Romantic era, he was known for works themed on the sea and landscape. Turner expressed intense color and the movement of natural phenomena in both watercolor and oil, leaving behind works with abstract elements in his later years. His artistic world centers on natural phenomena, especially the sea and weather, emphasizing emotion and imagination. He elevated landscape painting to an artistic status equal to history painting, exerting a major influence on later Impressionist and abstract art. He built an unrivaled style especially in landscape and marine painting. His signature works include pieces that intensely convey the sea and natural phenomena, and his work holds an important place in modern art history. He left behind many oil paintings and watercolors, his artistic influence steadily recognized.