Knowing when one of Turner’s paintings is narrative can be very tricky. But there are dangers in over-interpretation. Here are some ideas to assist in their reading.
landscape
Early paintings by this prolific and highly innovative painter who concentrated on totems of indigenous peoples of the Pacific North-west, and wonderful trees and forests.
Two people looking at a cross in the middle of a vast canvas filled with lush plains, rising hills, and distant snow-capped peaks. How should we read them?
What are accessories or ‘staffage’, what narrative, and what intrinsic to the reading and style of a landscape?
Who is the wanderer and painter in Thomas Fearnley’s landscapes? Does he have any deeper purpose, or was he just a graphical signature?
Bringing together some characteristics and features of three narrative Chinese handscroll paintings.
A landscape without human or animal figures often looks eery or unnatural. This new series looks at how figures are used in landscape paintings, with copious examples.
A truly beautiful hand scroll in blue-green style, which tells the story of an ancient ode using exquisite images.
His last great painting of crowds at a religious ceremony, and his first significant self-portrait. The final years of the eternally golden harvest.
Under pressure from his dealers, Breton concentrated on single figures in the countryside, typically at dawn or dusk. These have become some of his most popular paintings.
The Eclectic Light Company 