From Library Journal
J.M.W. Turner's oeuvre is so massive that a never-ending spate of thematically organized books continue to appear. Having produced books on Turner's bird studies and landscapes of Northern England and the Alps, Hill weighs in with another winning subject, the painter's views of England's most famous river. The author skillfully intertwines Turner's life, painting, and the history of the Thames to produce a book that is handsome and scholarly. A London man, Turner found opportunities to travel, sketch, and paint along the river's banks. However, his move into Syon Ferry House in 1805 was the true starting point for extensive attempts to capture the artistic mood of the river outside his door. The many illustrations reveal the fruits of his efforts, and the final section on the Isleworth Sketchbooks provides insightful imagery. Essential for academic and specialized art collections and recommended to those documenting British culture.- Paula A. Baxter, NYPLCopyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Book News, Inc.
Retraces Turner's journeys along the Thames during 1805. Combines art- historical research with topographical and social history to provide a chronology of Turner's sketches in different media with identification and description of the scenery and buildings they depicted. Abundantly illustrated. 11.25x10" Annotation copyright Book News, Inc. Portland, Or.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

In this beautiful book, David Hill retraces Turner's journeys along the Thames during 1805: his explorations of the river in his immediate neighbourhood; his sailing trips upstream to Oxford or down the River Wey to Guildford and Godalming; and his adventures downstream through the Port of London and out to the open waters of the Estuary and the Nore. Hill charts the growth of Turner's association with the river, the way in which he transformed his sketches from this period into paintings, and the influence of his Thames experience on the rest of his career.

FROM THE CRITICS

Library Journal

J.M.W. Turner's oeuvre is so massive that a never-ending spate of thematically organized books continue to appear. Having produced books on Turner's bird studies and landscapes of Northern England and the Alps, Hill weighs in with another winning subject, the painter's views of England's most famous river. The author skillfully intertwines Turner's life, painting, and the history of the Thames to produce a book that is handsome and scholarly. A London man, Turner found opportunities to travel, sketch, and paint along the river's banks. However, his move into Syon Ferry House in 1805 was the true starting point for extensive attempts to capture the artistic mood of the river outside his door. The many illustrations reveal the fruits of his efforts, and the final section on the Isleworth Sketchbooks provides insightful imagery. Essential for academic and specialized art collections and recommended to those documenting British culture.-- Paula A. Baxter, NYPL

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