Yale Center for British Art, Paul Mellon Collection
Copyright Status:
Public Domain
Accession Number:
B1981.25.633
Gallery Label:
This is one of a group of ambitious works based on Turner’s 1805 tour of the River Thames and its tributaries. Rivers and waterways had long been major arteries for transport and trade. Frequently the sites of historic ruins as well as of bustling contemporary activity, they provided Turner with a rich source of subject matter, such as this view of Newark Abbey. Although the painting takes a historic ruin as its subject, it confirms Turner’s move away from antiquarian topography. The hazy forms of a nearby mill, ancient trees, and several moored barges dominate the composition. Yet it is the sensitive treatment of the evening sky, streaked with clouds in tints of cream, pink, and gray, that makes this image so memorably atmospheric. Gallery label for J. M. W. Turner: Romance and Reality (Yale Center for British Art, March - 29, 2025 - July 27, 2025)
