Tate Britain| Past Exhibitions | Norham Castle, Sunrise

Turner Rediscovered 1906

‘We have never seen Turner before!’ said one of the amazed visitors to the new display that opened here in February 1906. As well as Norham Castle, Sunrise, the gallery contained twenty other unfinished paintings that were being shown for the first time, together with some of the so-called ‘eccentric’ paintings of Turner’s final years, which had been dropped from the display at the National Gallery.

Though the unfinished nature of the new pictures was clearly set out, it did not deter the widespread acceptance of them as complete statements. Earlier institutional fears about public comprehension were put to one side by Sir Charles Holroyd, the Keeper of the Tate, who pointed out to the Tribune’s correspondent that, ‘it must be borne in mind that the public nowadays is educated to appreciate what are called impressionist pictures’. Elsewhere, the pictures led the Spectator’s critic to conclude that, ‘Turner in his latest development, more than any artist who had gone before him, painted not so much the objects he saw as the light which played round them.’

Throughout the twentieth century appreciation of these pictures grew, especially in the case of Norham Castle. The painting was given special treatment in the exhibition marking the bicentenary of Turner’s birth at the Royal Academy in 1974-5 and since then it has continued to fascinate and inspire artists and musicians, for example the 1982 piece of music At First Light by British composer George Benjamin.

after Joseph Mallord William Turner 1775-1851
Norham Castle, on the River Tweed, engraved by Charles Turner 1824, from The Rivers of England
Mezzotint on paper 152 x 216 mm
Purchased 1986
[+] View this work in the Collection

Joseph Mallord William Turner, A Tower on a Hill, possibly Cilgerran Castle, Pembrokeshire circa 1828. Watercolour and gouache on paper 311 x 490 mm. Bequeathed by the artist 1856

Joseph Mallord William Turner 1775-1851
A Tower on a Hill, possibly Cilgerran Castle, Pembrokeshire circa 1828
Watercolour and gouache on paper 311 x 490 mm
Bequeathed by the artist 1856
[+] View this work in the Collection

Joseph Mallord William Turner 1775-1851
Sunrise circa 1825-30
Watercolour on paper 334 x 472 mm
Bequeathed by the artist 1856
[+] View this work in the Collection

Joseph Mallord William Turner, Sunrise? circa 1820-30. Watercolour on paper 306 x 489 mm. Bequeathed by the artist 1856

Joseph Mallord William Turner 1775-1851
Sunrise? circa 1820-30
Watercolour on paper 306 x 489 mm
Bequeathed by the artist 1856
[+] View this work in the Collection

Many of Turner’s ‘colour beginnings’ were abandoned in an ambiguous state, allowing him the flexibility to decide later how (and whether) to resolve the numerous images he produced during a painting session. In many of the images it is not always possible to determine conclusively if he intended to evoke sunrise or sunset. He once confided to a friend that he preferred to study sunrise, as its effects lasted longer, allowing him more time to record them.

Joseph Mallord William Turner 1775-1851
A Colour Wash Underpainting circa 1811-20
Watercolour on paper 302 x 428 mm
Bequeathed by the artist 1856
[+] View this work in the Collection

Joseph Mallord William Turner 1775-1851
River Scene: Sunset circa 1820-30
Watercolour on paper 342 x 492 mm
Bequeathed by the artist 1856
[+] View this work in the Collection

Joseph Mallord William Turner 1775-1851
Tower on a Hill at Sunrise circa 1825-7
Watercolour and pencil on paper 302 x 482 mm
Bequeathed by the artist 1856
[+] View this work in the Collection

Joseph Mallord William Turner 1775-1851
Sunset over the Sea circa 1820-30
Watercolour on paper 388 x 502 mm
Bequeathed by the artist 1856
[+] View this work in the Collection

Norham Castle, Sunrise is Turner’s most consummate depiction of a tower or castle silhouetted against a dawn or twilight sky. But he produced many variations on this theme during his career. Those shown here arose out of the process of preparing numerous visual ideas for the set of Picturesque Views in England and Wales (1825-39).

Joseph Mallord William Turner 1775-1851
A Castle on a Hill, probably Norham
Watercolour on paper 308 x 488 mm
Bequeathed by the artist 1856
[+] View this work in the Collection

Joseph Mallord William Turner 1775-1851, Norham Castle, Sunrise circa 1845. Oil on canvas 908 x 1219 mm. Bequeathed by the artist 1856

Joseph Mallord William Turner 1775-1851
Norham Castle, Sunrise, c.1845
Tate Britain
Oil on canvas
support: 908 x 1219 mm
frame: 1060 x 1370 x 70 mm
[+] View this work in the Collection

Seeing the picture for the first time in 1906, everyone was amazed by its simplicity and the purity of Turner’s colours. Like the other unfinished canvases, it had become superficially dirty as a result of neglect, but after cleaning it was found that this had fortunately preserved Turner’s work much as he had left it. The apparently effortless way he suggests form through the generalized build up of colour belies his long meditation on the subject. It should be noted that, had Turner decided to exhibit the picture in his lifetime, he very probably would have extensively reworked the image, obliterating the delicacy that we prize.

Like Norham Castle, this canvas was part of the group first shown in 1906. Both paintings were singled out by the press as being of special interest. The Spectator claimed, ‘No modern luministe [that is, Impressionist] has ever handled a complicated problem of light with the sureness of The Thames above Waterloo Bridge... one of those marvellous pictures which Turner painted in the palest tones, and which yet have infinite contrast and illusion of depth… The light through the phantom arches of the bridge is one of those things which Turner alone could do’.

Joseph Mallord William Turner 1775-1851
The Thames above Waterloo Bridge circa 1830-5
Oil on canvas 905 x 1210 mm
Bequeathed by the artist 1856
[+] View this work in the Collection

André Derain 1880-1954
The Pool of London 1906
Oil on canvas 657 x 991 mm
Presented by the Trustees of the Chantrey Bequest 1951
[+] View this work in the Collection

Derain’s London pictures were commissioned as a response to Monet’s earlier Thames sequence, which had been exhibited in Paris in 1904. Shortly before Derain came to London in1906, Turner’s unfinished canvases, including Norham Castle and the Thames above Waterloo Bridge, went on display.

Given the level of general interest, it would be remarkable if Derain had not seen them. Turner’s use of strong pure colour would very probably have confirmed the direction Derain had already selected. His correspondence reveals that he judged the pairing of Claude and Turner’s paintings in the National Gallery highlighted the superiority of the latter.


13 November 2006 – 18 February 2007 About Visiting info Turner at Norham Turnerian Pastoral Turner Rediscovered 1906 Further Resources
	Turner Rediscovered 1906 ‘We have never seen Turner before!’ said one of the amazed visitors to the new display that opened here in February 1906. As well as Norham Castle, Sunrise, the gallery contained twenty other unfinished paintings that were being shown for the first time, together with some of the so-called ‘eccentric’ paintings of Turner’s final years, which had been dropped from the display at the National Gallery. Though the unfinished nature of the new pictures was clearly set out, it did not deter the widespread acceptance of them as complete statements. Earlier institutional fears about public comprehension were put to one side by Sir Charles Holroyd, the Keeper of the Tate, who pointed out to the Tribune’s correspondent that, ‘it must be borne in mind that the public nowadays is educated to appreciate what are called impressionist pictures’. Elsewhere, the pictures led the Spectator’s critic to conclude that, ‘Turner in his latest development, more than any artist who had gone before him, painted not so much the objects he saw as the light which played round them.’ Throughout the twentieth century appreciation of these pictures grew, especially in the case of Norham Castle. The painting was given special treatment in the exhibition marking the bicentenary of Turner’s birth at the Royal Academy in 1974-5 and since then it has continued to fascinate and inspire artists and musicians, for example the 1982 piece of music At First Light by British composer George Benjamin. after Joseph Mallord William Turner 1775-1851 Norham Castle, on the River Tweed, engraved by Charles Turner 1824, from The Rivers of England Mezzotint on paper 152 x 216 mm Purchased 1986 [+] View this work in the Collection Joseph Mallord William Turner 1775-1851 A Tower on a Hill, possibly Cilgerran Castle, Pembrokeshire circa 1828 Watercolour and gouache on paper 311 x 490 mm Bequeathed by the artist 1856 [+] View this work in the Collection Joseph Mallord William Turner 1775-1851 Sunrise circa 1825-30 Watercolour on paper 334 x 472 mm Bequeathed by the artist 1856 [+] View this work in the Collection Joseph Mallord William Turner 1775-1851 Sunrise? circa 1820-30 Watercolour on paper 306 x 489 mm Bequeathed by the artist 1856 [+] View this work in the Collection Many of Turner’s ‘colour beginnings’ were abandoned in an ambiguous state, allowing him the flexibility to decide later how (and whether) to resolve the numerous images he produced during a painting session. In many of the images it is not always possible to determine conclusively if he intended to evoke sunrise or sunset. He once confided to a friend that he preferred to study sunrise, as its effects lasted longer, allowing him more time to record them. Joseph Mallord William Turner 1775-1851 A Colour Wash Underpainting circa 1811-20 Watercolour on paper 302 x 428 mm Bequeathed by the artist 1856 [+] View this work in the Collection Joseph Mallord William Turner 1775-1851 River Scene: Sunset circa 1820-30 Watercolour on paper 342 x 492 mm Bequeathed by the artist 1856 [+] View this work in the Collection Joseph Mallord William Turner 1775-1851 Tower on a Hill at Sunrise circa 1825-7 Watercolour and pencil on paper 302 x 482 mm Bequeathed by the artist 1856 [+] View this work in the Collection Joseph Mallord William Turner 1775-1851 Sunset over the Sea circa 1820-30 Watercolour on paper 388 x 502 mm Bequeathed by the artist 1856 [+] View this work in the Collection Norham Castle, Sunrise is Turner’s most consummate depiction of a tower or castle silhouetted against a dawn or twilight sky. But he produced many variations on this theme during his career. Those shown here arose out of the process of preparing numerous visual ideas for the set of Picturesque Views in England and Wales (1825-39). Joseph Mallord William Turner 1775-1851 A Castle on a Hill, probably Norham Watercolour on paper 308 x 488 mm Bequeathed by the artist 1856 [+] View this work in the Collection Joseph Mallord William Turner 1775-1851 Norham Castle, Sunrise, c.1845 Tate Britain Oil on canvas support: 908 x 1219 mm frame: 1060 x 1370 x 70 mm [+] View this work in the Collection Seeing the picture for the first time in 1906, everyone was amazed by its simplicity and the purity of Turner’s colours. Like the other unfinished canvases, it had become superficially dirty as a result of neglect, but after cleaning it was found that this had fortunately preserved Turner’s work much as he had left it. The apparently effortless way he suggests form through the generalized build up of colour belies his long meditation on the subject. It should be noted that, had Turner decided to exhibit the picture in his lifetime, he very probably would have extensively reworked the image, obliterating the delicacy that we prize. Like Norham Castle, this canvas was part of the group first shown in 1906. Both paintings were singled out by the press as being of special interest. The Spectator claimed, ‘No modern luministe [that is, Impressionist] has ever handled a complicated problem of light with the sureness of The Thames above Waterloo Bridge... one of those marvellous pictures which Turner painted in the palest tones, and which yet have infinite contrast and illusion of depth… The light through the phantom arches of the bridge is one of those things which Turner alone could do’. Joseph Mallord William Turner 1775-1851 The Thames above Waterloo Bridge circa 1830-5 Oil on canvas 905 x 1210 mm Bequeathed by the artist 1856 [+] View this work in the Collection André Derain 1880-1954 The Pool of London 1906 Oil on canvas 657 x 991 mm Presented by the Trustees of the Chantrey Bequest 1951 [+] View this work in the Collection Derain’s London pictures were commissioned as a response to Monet’s earlier Thames sequence, which had been exhibited in Paris in 1904. Shortly before Derain came to London in1906, Turner’s unfinished canvases, including Norham Castle and the Thames above Waterloo Bridge, went on display. Given the level of general interest, it would be remarkable if Derain had not seen them. Turner’s use of strong pure colour would very probably have confirmed the direction Derain had already selected. His correspondence reveals that he judged the pairing of Claude and Turner’s paintings in the National Gallery highlighted the superiority of the latter.