Turner, J. M. W. (Joseph Mallord William) 1775-1851

Turner by Graham Reynolds ( Book )
135 editions published between 1878 and 2013 in 8 languages and held by 2,423 WorldCat member libraries worldwide
"J. M. W. Turner was a painter whose treatment of light put him squarely in the pantheon of the world's preeminent artists, but his character was a tangle of fascinating contradictions. While he could be coarse and rude, manipulative, ill-mannered, and inarticulate, he was also generous, questioning, and humane, and he displayed through his work a hitherto unrecognized optimism about the course of human progress. With two illegitimate daughters and several mistresses whom Turner made a career of not including in his public life, the painter was also known for his entrepreneurial cunning, demanding and receiving the highest prices for his work." "Over the course of sixty years, Turner traveled thousands of miles to seek out the landscapes of England and Europe. He was drawn overwhelmingly to coasts, to the electrifying rub of the land with the sea, and he regularly observed their union from the cliff, the beach, the pier, or from a small boat. Fueled by his prodigious talent, Turner revealed to himself and others the personality of the British and European landscapes and the moods of the surrounding seas. He kept no diary, but his many sketchbooks are intensely autobiographical, giving clues to his techniques, his itineraries, his income and expenditures, and his struggle to master the theories of perspective." "In Turner, James Hamilton takes advantage of new material discovered since the 1975 bicentennial celebration of the artist's birth, paying particular attention to the diary of sketches with which Turner narrated his life. Hamilton's textured portrait is fully complemented by a sixteen-page illustrations insert, including many color reproductions of Turner's most famous landscape paintings. Seamlessly blending vibrant biography with astute art criticism, Hamilton writes with energy, style, and erudition to address the contradictions of this great artist."--BOOK JACKET

J.M.W. Turner : a wonderful range of mind by John Gage ( Book )
34 editions published between 1962 and 2012 in 3 languages and held by 1,833 WorldCat member libraries worldwide
"This book reveals the extent to which Turner wanted his paintings to communicate intellectually as well as emotionally; and how intensely involved he was with the culture of his times, using landscape as a vehicle for the deepest ruminations on society, politics and the human condition." "Sam Smiles discusses and illustrates the whole range of Turner's work, tracking his career from the 1790s to the 1840s, exploring the themes that motivated him and explaining his importance for subsequent generations."--Jacket

Joseph Mallord William Turner by John Walker ( Book )
37 editions published between 1976 and 2001 in 5 languages and held by 1,321 WorldCat member libraries worldwide
Contains 94 illustrations of the most significant oil paintings, watercolors, engravings, and drawings of Turner's lifeworks

The paintings of J.M.W. Turner by Martin Butlin ( Book )
14 editions published between 1977 and 1984 in English and Undetermined and held by 1,124 WorldCat member libraries worldwide

J.M.W. Turner: his life and work; a critical biography by Jack Lindsay ( Book )
23 editions published between 1951 and 2006 in 5 languages and held by 1,113 WorldCat member libraries worldwide
In straightforward fashion, Ackroyd outlines the career of this remarkable man, who progressed rapidly from his early years as a student at the Royal Academy to prominence as one of England's foremost painters, creating dramatic works in which he explored the glowing effects of light fused with air, water, fire and steam. Turner's paintings, which often approach abstraction, astounded and shocked his critics, causing some to say he was a madman, an assessment reinforced by his eccentric, irascible character. Ackroyd shows how the artist, who never married and lived all his life with his father ₂though he had secret liaisons and two illegitimate daughters₂was obsessed with his art, but was also an astute businessman, opening his own gallery in London when he was only 29, cultivating prosperous patrons and speculating in land and houses, all the while turning out a multitude of dazzling oil paintings, watercolors and engravings. This is a short but intriguing introduction to the life and output of an artist who claimed that he knew of "no genius but the genius of hard work." Publishers Weekly

Turner : the great watercolours by Eric Shanes ( Book )
10 editions published between 2000 and 2001 in German and English and held by 951 WorldCat member libraries worldwide
This book is published to accompany the Royal Academy's unparalleled survey of Turner's watercolours

Turner in his time by Andrew Wilton ( Book )
10 editions published between 1987 and 2007 in English and held by 767 WorldCat member libraries worldwide

J.M.W. Turner : romantic painter of the industrial revolution by William S Rodner ( Book )
2 editions published in 1997 in English and held by 753 WorldCat member libraries worldwide

Turner's Venice by Lindsay Stainton ( Book )
22 editions published between 1985 and 1993 in 4 languages and held by 743 WorldCat member libraries worldwide

Turner on the Thames : river journeys in the year 1805 by David Hill ( Book )
2 editions published in 1993 in English and held by 520 WorldCat member libraries worldwide