1805, J.M.W. Turner, The Shipwreck -- Tate Britain (London)
From the museum label: Storms and shipwrecks were a popular theme when Turner painted this. Fishermen battle waves, attempting rescue of an overcrowded lifeboat. A capsized ship lies behind on the dark sea. Turner specialised in the maritime Sublime — dramatic scenes that powerfully conveyed the danger of life at sea. He does this here by placing us, the viewer, close to the drama. With no land in sight, it is as if we are out on the stormy sea, too. The painting may have been inspired by an 1804 edition of William Falconer's poem, The Shipwreck, which was illustrated by elder marine painter Nicholas Pocock.
1805, J.M.W. Turner, The Shipwreck -- Tate Britain (London)
From the museum label: Storms and shipwrecks were a popular theme when Turner painted this. Fishermen battle waves, attempting rescue of an overcrowded lifeboat. A capsized ship lies behind on the dark sea. Turner specialised in the maritime Sublime — dramatic scenes that powerfully conveyed the danger of life at sea. He does this here by placing us, the viewer, close to the drama. With no land in sight, it is as if we are out on the stormy sea, too. The painting may have been inspired by an 1804 edition of William Falconer's poem, The Shipwreck, which was illustrated by elder marine painter Nicholas Pocock.