Romanticism, JWM Turner and visit to Exhibition of works by Norman Ackroyd

Romanticism

Romanticism is a very different approach to the Realism we have just been looking at. It demonstrates the shift in attitude away from the dominant classical tradition which tried to evoke the landscape of classical Greece and Rome. In British art, Romanticism was embraced in new responses to nature in the art of John Constable and J.M.W. Turner, and it has a lasting legacy, even with contemporary artists. As Sharma points out, we are all influenced by our culture and the past.

 JMW Turner (1775-1851)

Andrew Wilton’s book, “Turner in his time” (2006 edition) examines Turner’s influence and his “endlessly innovatory career” (Wilton, p. 11). Turner often shocked his contemporaries with his loose brushwork and vibrant colour palette while portraying the development of the modern world unlike any other artist at the time. He was a strong influence towards Impressionism.

Turner’s later career is examined in the book, Late Turner: Painting Set Free (2014) which was produced to accompany an exhibition of the same name which I went to see at Tate Britain.

I have chosen the two images below to demonstrate Turner’s approach to Romanticism, and his later development of looser brushwork, attention to light and colour and the onset of industrialisation.

Norham Castle, Sunrise, 1845, depicts a romanticised vision of the English countryside, designed to vividly portray the natural drama and intensity of the landscape. Pure colours rather than contrasting tones express the blazing light as the historic building and landscape merge. With the inclusion of the castle in the background, it still bears echoes of the “Ideal” or Classical landscape of the previous era.

However, Turner was early to depict the onset of industrialisation.  In Rain, Steam and Speed – The Great Western Railway, 1844, Turner captures the new means of transport, possibly symbolising speed itself, but also at the same time portraying the sublime elements of nature.

I believe that Turner continues to be relevant today. When I try, for instance, to capture fleeting clouds above a factory chimney, or reflections on the water, Turner’s brushwork and use of light is still a good reference point.

JWM Turner, Norham Castle, Sunrise, 1845, oil on canvas, Tate Britain

Turner, Rain, Steam and Speed – The Great Western Railway, 1844, oil on canvas, National Gallery, London

Norman Ackroyd R.A. (b. 1938) Printmaker

Norman Ackroyd’s work demonstrates many elements of the Romantic movement, and its modern- day relevance. I have been to see his major new exhibition at the Yorkshire Sculpture Park, “The Furthest Lands”. Ackroyd has described how he is inspired by the most outer reaches of the furthest lands, which were once inhabited, but now deserted, and bounded by nothing but sea. He sees remnants of life long ago, fields laid out for agriculture, but now abandoned. (Interview: Ackroyd with Superimpose Magazine, 2011, vimeo). In this respect, he picks up on Sharma’s theme about the changing landscape, and human intervention.

His aquatint etchings capture the wildness of the elements, rugged rocks and dangerous seas, using tone and energy to great effect, such as his etching, Cape Wrath, Sutherland, below.

Norman Ackroyd, Cape Wrath, Sutherland, 2011, The Furthest Lands, Yorkshire Sculpture Park, 2018 , aquatint etching.

Conclusion

Through the arguments and examples set out above, I intend to progress my practice to the next level. I will build on the concept that the natural landscape has inevitably been modified by human intervention and culture. Using ideas and techniques that I learn from the artists I have identified, and by challenging what I see and depict, I will portray images that capture the essence of “place” through a range of paintings and prints.