River Seen from a Hill by Joseph Mallord William Turner (1775-1851). Exhibited c. 1840-45. Oil on canvas, 787 x 794 mm. Courtesy of Tate Britain (Accession no. N05475. Accepted by the nation as part of the Turner Bequest 1856). Click on image to enlarge it.
Commentary from Tate Britain Online (2016)
This is an unfinished work in the square format used by Turner in the 1840s, usually for exhibited pairs of paintings. The subject, a river landscape with a bridge, might be an Italian scene, but this remains unclear. The use of areas of pale, contrasting colour to denote the features of the landscape is somewhat reminiscent of the unfinished colour studies Turner made in watercolour, known as ‘colour beginnings’.
Last modified 14 May 2016