JMW Turner and changing visions of landscape is a major new exhibition exploring artists’ approaches to landscape from the 17th century to the present day. It commences the celebrations for the 250th anniversary of the birth of JMW Turner, one of the most influential artists in the history of western art.
The exhibition explores the evolution of landscape art, centring on Turner’s influence, whose landscapes conveyed a full range of artistic, historical and emotional meanings. Featuring seven oil paintings and nine works on paper by Turner, it compares his visionary approach with those who influenced him, like Claude Lorrain, Ruisdael and Canaletto, and those he inspired, from John Sell Cotman to Govinda Sah. Renowned twentieth-century artists like Paul Nash and contemporary figures such as Ibrahim Mahama, Emma Stibbon, and Henna Nadeem demonstrate the ongoing relevance of landscape in art.
JMW Turner and changing visions of landscape will bring together, for the first time ever, four of his paintings of the Bridges at Walton – from Norwich Castle, Tate, and a private collection. Painted between 1805-1840s, each painting gives a completely different character to this one location, offering a glimpse into his evolving style.
Using Turner’s multi-faceted vision as a starting point, this exhibition journeys through landscapes real, imagined, dramatic, comforting, nightmarish, fragile and beautiful. Featuring works by some of the most celebrated British landscape artists alongside exciting contemporary works, JMW Turner and changing visions of landscape reveals the breadth and complexity of human concerns surrounding landscape, and our changing attitudes to the natural world.
