FOR A PAINTER WHOSE CREED was “Light is therefore colour,” Italy would always beguile and it proved pivotal for landscape artist J.M.W. Turner. Just why his first trip in 1819 was so seminal is currently explored within the exhibition Seeing The Light, held in the beautiful setting of Turner’s House in Twickenham, the place that he, once an aspiring architect, conceived himself.
Exhibition curator Dr Carly Collier says, “It’s been special to think about Turner’s watercolours, his practice and life in the unique setting of Turner’s only 3D artwork; the house hewell.” And House Director Dr Matthew Morgan explains the role it fulfils for contemporary visitors: “One of the purposes of the house is that it allows us to think about Turner as a man. You go to the Tate or National Gallery and see the paintings, his public side. Here it’s an opportunity to engage with him on a more personal level.”
