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

ISBN 978-1-84976-386-8
J.M.W. Turner > 1802-18 Academician and professor > Colour Studies of the Sun, Skies and ... > Skies Sketchbook > Artwork

Joseph Mallord William Turner Heavy Storm Clouds Breaking above the Sea c.1818

Joseph Mallord William Turner, ‘Heavy Storm Clouds Breaking above the Sea’ c.1818
Folio 28 Recto:
Heavy Storm Clouds Breaking above the Sea c.1818
D12476
Turner Bequest CLVIII 28
Watercolour on white wove paper, 125 x 247 mm
Blind-stamped with Turner Bequest monogram bottom right
Inscribed in red ink ‘28’ bottom right
Stamped in black ‘CLVIII – 28’ bottom right
Accepted by the nation as part of the Turner Bequest 1856
This page shows a turbulent scene with dark grey storm clouds breaking above what appears to be the sea. Thick diagonal brushstrokes suggest sheets of rain buffeted by a fierce wind. The jagged brushstrokes in the lower half of the composition suggest the combined chaos of crashing waves and falling rain. In this respect, the sketch is comparable to the rectos of folios 23, 24, and 31 (D12471, D12472, D12479).
See the sketchbook’s Introduction for general notes on possible locations and dating.
Verso:
Blank

Caitlin Doley
July 2024

How to cite

Caitlin Doley, ‘Heavy Storm Clouds Breaking above the Sea c.1818’, catalogue entry, July 2024, in David Blayney Brown (ed.), J.M.W. Turner: Sketchbooks, Drawings and Watercolours, Tate Research Publication, October 2024, https://www.tate.org.uk/art/research-publications/jmw-turner/heavy-storm-clouds-breaking-above-the-sea-r1208900, accessed 21 November 2024.