as an avid fan of all things watery and nebulous, you may imagine my delight at having the chance to see the late turner exhibit at the tate britain in addition to their existing collection of turners; add to this the concurrent turner prize exhibition and you may start thinking that turner has gone tate or tate has gone turner for a moment.
regardless of what is the greatest collection of his work that i would probably see under one roof in my lifetime, i was totally swept away by this deluge of work. the brushwork and suggestive reflections in his depictions of bodies of water is so evocatively atmospheric which in the late works metaphorically glows with vapoury sunset hues while the large canvasses depicting mythological landscapes contain pools; both deep and mysterious.
exhibitions like these, where so much of an artist’s oeuvre is represented, makes one connect the dots and styles easier; for me the water is what links it all together; although many a critic will probably debate that it is the light, i maintain that it is the water that reflects that light and imbues turner’s work with that distinctive and ethereal liquid quality.