A concise biography of J.M.W. Turner and selection of 86 of his works, shown full-page in all their glory. Turner was such a transitional artist, painting (and elevating) classical landscapes but then along the way fusing color and light in ways that were well ahead of their time, predating the Impressionists and more abstract artists who would follow several decades later.

The top 10 for me, in chronological order, are as follows. It’s interesting, in looking some of these up online, in images from Wikipedia, Tate, et al the colors are sometimes less vibrant. Turner apparently used pigments that he knew were not durable, with the result being many of his colors fading. The book appears to have attempted to restore some of this.

Anywho, some faves:

Weymouth – 1811
Snow Storm: Hannibal and his Army Crossing the Alps – 1812
Norham Castle, on the River Tweed – 1822-23
Staffa, Finagal’s Cave - 1832

Disaster at Sea – 1835(?)
The Fighting Temeraine – 1839
The Slave Ship: Slavers Throwing Overboard the Dead and Dying – Typhoon Coming On – 1840
Venice: Looking Across The Lagoon at Sunset - 1840

Snow Storm – Steam-Boat off a Harbour’s Mouth – 1842
Rain, Steam, and Speed (The Great Western Railway) – 1844
The Angel Standing in the Sun – 1846

Whoopsie, that’s 11. Ah, well. ( )