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Mortlake

This view looks upriver from Mortlake towards Kew, to the west of London. The picture is one of two Turner made from this terrace; the other shows the view downriver, lit by brilliant morning sunshine. Light is also the subject here. It seems to melt the balustrade, an effect intensified by the silhouetted dog, which is a paper cut-out, stuck on at the final stage.

In the later nineteenth century Turner's reputation grew when his work featured in several exhibitions, including the Art Treasures show at Manchester in 1857. Whistler was among the large international audience who saw this picture there.

JMW Turner Mortlake Terrace: The Seat of William Moffatt, Esq: Summer's Evening exhibited 1827
Oil on canvas. Lent by the National Gallery of Art, Washington. Presented by Andrew W Mellon 1937

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