...finally found the time to see the...
Turner paintings on Friday,
2 days shy of the exhibit
closing on Sunday.
As usual the last few days
of the exhibit is crowded...
Turner did a lot of glazing
to achieve the light effects
which were principal
elements in his
artworks.
I heard someone made a comment
about him being ahead of his
time....
it's not easy not to agree
as we've not seen any of
his effects in the contemporary
art scene.
However, artists like Homer, Eakins,
Delacroix, Constable, Raeburn
and other masters are equally
capable...
I might venture to say that he has seen
stuff that contemporary painters
would be dumbfounded to admit
can only see under the
influence of LSD...
which for all we know,
may have been existing
during Turner's time
but just were not simply
called LSD...
until the Beatles
era...
suffice it to say this
is British creativity ...
Turner was crazy enough to tie himself
to the ship's mast in order to
experience the power of the
sea storm...
all the physical energies
nature unleashes
and the bravery as well
as the overcoming of
fear necessary for
a mortal to face legitimately
and squarely what nature has got.
Now then Turner can
claim, " He's seen
and experienced it",
and therefore can share it
visually via his
pictures which do
give the viewer
the idea of such a
harrowing experience....
I did something almost similar
to this where i made an attempt
to paint the storm looming
so i went to the hill
an hour before the storm...
the gusts of the wind
knocked my easel and canvas
to the ground and the
howling wind
made me feel like a
scared rat....
as i was
up on the hill by myself
amidst the darkening sky
and the freezing cold
wind....
sure, you might say,
i'm easy to cower...
but remember ,
he who runs and lives,,,
lives to paint another day.
so when I say,
Turner was crazy...
to tie himself to the mast
in the middle of the storm...
folks! I tell you...
he was!....
though, I must admit,
dismally, that he was
extra brave
and i am half a coward.
that's all folks!
jt
