Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 19.djvu/661

* TURNER. 569 TURNER. TURNER, Fkedkrick .Jackson (18G1 — ). An Anu'ricaii historian, born at Portage, Wis. He graduated at the University of Wisconsin in 1884, and after jjursuing graduate courses in .Johns Hopkins I'niversity. returned to the former in- stitution as instructor in American history. Sub- sequently he became in succession an assistant professor and a professor, and u])oii its organiza- tion in 1901 was made director of the School of History. He lias been one of the editors of the AiiH'ricaii llistorical Magaziiw. to which he has contributed largely. He published a number of historical articles in the licports of the Ameri- can Historical Association an<l in magazines, and also The Indian Trade in Wisconsin (1890), in "Johns ]lo]ikins Studies." TURNER, .Joseph JIallord William (1775- 1851). The most celebrated landscape painter of the English scliool. He was born in Covent Garden, London, April 23, 1775. the son of William Turner, a barber. Almost in his in- fancy he began to paint and draw. He had but little schooling beyond reading, which he learned from his father, and writing, which was all he accjuired at the schools of Brentford and Har- gate. During this time he was constantly em- ployed in coloring prints and similar work. His father ollVrcd him every facility for artistic education in his power. Before 1789 the lad was placed with Thomas Walton, an architect, to learn perspective, but proved a sorry pupil. Afterwards he studied with Thomas Hardwick, on whose advice he entered the Academy Schools in 1789 to study landscape. He was admitted to the studio of Reynolds, under whom he copied portraits and perhaps learned oil teclmique; but Sir Joshua had but little inlluence upon the rising pupil. His first drawing exhibited at the Academy was a view of Lambeth Palace (1790). During the following years he was much occupied with designs for prints in magazines, which necessi- tated sketching tours over a great part of Eng- land and Wales. He continued his artistic edu- cation, however, as one of the coterie of young artists who frequented the hospitable abode of Dr. Thomas Munro, whom Ruskin calls "Tur- ner's real master:" this is only true in the sense that the artist profited by his patronage and more by his encouragement. In Mimro's house he had opportunity to copy the early English water- colorists and also the older masters; there, too, he met Girtin and Cozens. He was especially in- fluenced by Girtin. the foimder of modern water- color i)ainting, with whom he sketched much and formed a fast friendship. The success of Gir- tin's Yorkshire aquarelles moved Turner, in 1797, to make a similar attempt, and his travels in Yorksliire and the north resulted in his forming several impoi-tant friendships among the northern gentry, like that with Dr. Wliitakcr, whose works Turner afterwards illustrated with some of his best designs. More than this, it had a marked inlluence upon his artistic career, as is shown by his exhibit at the Academy in 1798, which proclaimed his genius as a painter of poetic landscape, in such pictures as "Horning on the Comston Fells, Cumberland" (National Gallery), and aquarelles like "Xorham Castle." which Turner esteemed of high importance in his de- velopment. In 1799 he exhibited several Welsh subjects, in rivalry with Girtin. and his first picture of a naval engagement, the "Battle of the Nile" — works which secured his choice as asso- ciate of the Royal Academy. With this year ceases what Ruskin calls Tur- ner's period of development, and the period of his first style (1800-20) begins. Dropping the topographical subjects which had previously been his chief interest, he introduced historical and mythological motifs into his pictures, delil)erately striving to equal or surpass the masters then most celebrated, William van de ^>lde, Nicolas and Gaspard Poussin, and Claude Lorraine, in their own subjects. He was especially iiillucnced by Claude, the great painter of light," which Tur- ner also considered the chief problem of paint- ing. In 1802 he paid his first visit to the Con- tinent, the results of which appeared in the ex- hibition in the following year of pictures and drawings of the Savoy Alps, most of which are now in the National Gallery, as well as "Calais Pier," and a "Holy Family" of the same year. The same collection possesses his famous "Ship- wreck" (1805) ; his "Garden of the Hesperides" (1800), painted in the classical style in rivalry with Poussin: and the "Sun Rising Through Vapor" (1807), one of his best and most individ- ual works. From 1807 to 1819 he was engaged in his Liber Studiorum ( q.v. ), in rivalry with Claude's Liber Veritatis. His work, however, went fur- ther than Claude's, in that it purposed to illus- trate all classes of landscape, while Claude's was merely for purposes of identification of his pictures. The etchings for these plates, all of which were supervised or executed by Turner himself, show the master at his very best. Diur- ing this period he also made travels in Devon- shire, in the North of England, in Scotland, and on the Continent. Among other important works of this period arc: "Apollo and Python" ( 1811 ) ; "Hannibal and His Army Crossing the Alps" (1812): "Crossing the Brook" (1815); and "Dido Building Carthage" (1815), the best of a Carthage series — all in the National Gallery. With his visit to Italy in 1819 begins his second style (1820-35), the period of his most perfect works, distinguished by lightness and brilliancy of color. Ceasing 'to imitate the old masters, he nevertheless clung to the clas- sicist idea of ideal composition. This mature style is well represented by the first of the series of the wonderful Italian pictures upon which his fame chiefiy rests — the "Bav of Baiie. with Apollo and the Sibyl" (1823); also by "Dido Directing the Equipment of the Fleet" "(1828) ; "Ulysses Deriding Polyphemus" (1829); "Cali- i;ula's Palace and Bridge" (18.31) ; and "Childe Harold's Pilgrimage" (1832). During 1833-46 he often visited Venice, which for some time ex- ercised a paramount influence ujion his art. Of his numerous Venetian subjects the National Gallery possesses a rich collection of water- colors, and the "Grand Canal," in the Metro- politan Museum, New York City, is a fine e.x- ample of the oils. He found time, however, for other subjects, like "Saint Michael's Mount, Cornwall" (1834), and "The Fighting Tem^- rnire" (1S3S), the best known and most popular nf his works. His time was still much occupied with designs for illustrations, like Hirers of Kiiflland and Ports of EnpUiml. in 1824. The drawings for the series England and Wales