J.M.W. Turner: Sketchbooks, Drawings and Watercolours

On this page Turner has used blank areas of white paper to suggest different phases of clouds moving above what appears to be a sandy beach. There is a darker grouping of clouds on the left-hand side of the page, with diagonal brushstrokes suggesting falling rain. Beneath this, dark arcs of grey paint suggest waves crashing against the shore, seemingly displacing sand as they do so. Looking closely at the lower centre of the composition reveals what appears to be the masts of a ship that is far out at sea.

See the sketchbook’s Introduction for general notes on possible locations and dating.

Technical notes:

Irregular staining is evident along the right-hand edges of the leaf, possibly sustained in the 1928 Tate Gallery flood.

Verso:

Blank, save for a small blue stain in the upper right of the sheet. This may have been offset from the blue used to represent the sky on folio 8 recto opposite (D12456).