Inspired by William Turner

J. M. W. Turner was an English Romantic artist of the 19th century who worked primarily in oil paint and watercolor. He is known for his expressive landscape and marine paintings and is widely recognized as having elevated the status of landscape painting, which had previously been regarded as a “lower" subject in the artistic hierarchy. Regarded today as a great master of English painting, Turner faced harsh criticism during his lifetime, although he won the support of art critic John Ruskin as well as his contemporaries the Impressionists. 

Like all artists, Turner was inspired by art that came before him. He was particularly influenced by the work of great French classical painters, such as Claude Lorrain and Nicolas Poussin. Known today as the “Painter of Light," Turner focused on light and color, with forms often being suggested rather than depicted naturalistically. It is often hard to tell where sea or land ends and where sky begins in Turner's works, the clouds and reflections of the sky swirling and blending into the rest of the landscape. 

Turner's treatment of landscape, light, shadow and color have influenced many creators around the world, from the Impressionists to contemporary artists. At Artsper we have curated a selection of works that take inspiration from Turner in some way, in an attempt to display the diversity of this artist's global influence!