The engine, of the ‘Firefly’ class, pulls a train of unroofed open-goods wagons in which passengers, paying the cheapest rates, could travel. It depicts the Maidenhead Railway Bridge (completed (1838) looking east, across the River Thames between Taplow and Maidenhead. These engravings may have given him the idea for a railway painting based upon the principles of perspective he had taught himself through his study of Poussin and Claude, and which he had included in his lectures as Professor of Perspective at the Royal Academy. This is part of our 'Talks for All' series. The Burning of the Houses of Lords and Commons, More paintings by Joseph Mallord William Turner, Bridge of Sighs, Ducal Palace and Custom House, Venice: Canaletti Painting, Dutch Boats in a Gale ('The Bridgewater Sea Piece'), The Dogano, San Giorgio, Citella, from the Steps of the Europa, Ulysses deriding Polyphemus - Homer's Odyssey, Research, private study, or for internal circulation within an educational organisation (such as a school, college or university), Non-profit publications, personal websites, blogs, and social media. Rain, Steam and Speed - The Great Western Railway; the painting depicts an early locomotive of the Great Western Railway crossing the River Thames on Brunel's recently completed Maidenhead Railway Bridge.The painting is also credited for allowing a glimpse of the Romantic strife within Turner and his contemporaries over the issue of the technological advancement during the Industrial Revolution (see … It shows Ulysses sailing from the island where Polyphemus, a one-eyed giant, had held him and his men captive. [5] Structurally, the picture has a balanced arrangement of forms with its firm geometrical elements. The Burning of the Houses of Lords and Commons, The Fighting Temeraire Tugged to Her Last Berth, Snow Storm: Steam-Boat off a Harbour's Mouth, Rain, Steam and Speed – The Great Western Railway, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Rain,_Steam_and_Speed_–_The_Great_Western_Railway&oldid=1012211225, Collections of the National Gallery, London, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 15 March 2021, at 05:33. $15.80+ Rain, Steam, and Speed - The Great Western Railway by Joseph Mallord William Turner. [5] Additionally, both paintings create a contrast between technology and the beautiful, peaceful landscape. Hero, a priestess of Aphrodite, lived in a tower on the Hellespont strait, which separates Europe from Asia. Turner lightly brushed in a hare roughly midway along the rail track to represent the speed of the natural world in contrast to the mechanised speed of the engine. [2] In the lower-left corner of the painting, we can see a little person on a boat, making evident that the bridge is constructed on top of a river. A hazy atmosphere caused by lashing rain over foggy clouds of steam from the speeding train presented an intimidating scenario at the time. Designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel, the bridge was completed in 1838. In this artwork, Turner managed to give us an impression of great speed in a static painting, an attribute that made him stand out from other artists. By J.M.W. Turner. Rain, Steam and Speed. The National Gallery, London, UK. Rain, Steam and Speed. Rain, Steam and Speed – The Great Western Railway is an oil painting by the 19th-century British painter J. M. W. Turner. Sign up to our emails for updates. The Great Western Railway (GWR) was one of a number of private British railway companies created to develop the new means of transport. Rain, Steam, and Speed - The Great Western Railway. Financial independence allowed Turner to innovate freely; his mature work is characterised by a chromatic palette and broadly applied atmospheric washes of paint. The FreeArt logo watermark will not appear on your artwork. A late addition, the hare was lightly brushed on top of the existing paint, roughly midway along the rail track, and is now invisible because the paint has become transparent with age. We are looking east towards London as the train heads to the west. 1844. Nikolai Buglaj's "Race"ing Sideways is a commentary on the Western convention of: luminous perpective By the 19th century, the type of perspective used in paintings such as J.M.W. On seeing Rain, Steam and Speed at the Royal Academy, she claimed the passenger must have been Turner. As a charity, we depend upon the generosity of individuals to ensure the collection continues to engage and inspire. 'Rain, Steam and Speed - The Great Western Railway' (1844) When Turner was born, the horse was still the fastest means of transportation. [8], This celebrated picture demonstrates Turner’s commitment to classical landscape, as well as his passion for experimentation and interest in the modern world. Joseph Mallord William Turner, Rain, Steam, and Speed — The Great Western Railway, oil on canvas, 1844 (National Gallery, London) Rain, Steam, and Speed — The Great Western Railway was exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1844. JMW Turner, Rain, Steam and Speed – The Great Western Railway, 1844, detail. The canvas will be rolled-up in a secure postal tube. This detail expresses the idea of speed, as the puffs are progressively left behind. [8] To illustrate the rain, he dabbed dirty putty on to the canvas with a trowel, whereas the sunshine scintillates out of thick, smeary chunks of chrome yellow. When Turner’s famous Rain, Steam, and Speed – The Great Western Railway was exhibited in 1844, a tragedy that occurred two and a half years earlier, on Christmas Eve in … Artwork Canvas Printing. For more information and activities for this painting visit Garden of Praise.. View larger images: 1800x1327 / 720x531 This image currently has 6 votes. Turner further emphasises the theme of speed by including two small details. [9] The painting is interpreted as a celebration of travel and new technological power, with the railways representing the convergence of technology and natural forces. The title of the painting is “Rain, Steam, Speed - The Great Western Railway.” This gives the viewers insight that this painting is true of a train, and must be connected to the construction of the United Kingdom railway system in 1832. It can be seen in an 1859 engraving of the painting by Robert Brandard, who specifically sought to clarify details in the painting. Turner circa 1844 Joseph Mallord William "J. M. W." Turner, was an English Romanticist landscape painter, watercolourist, and printmaker. Designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel, the viaduct was completed In 1838 and in use from July 1839. 'Rain, Steam and Speed – The Great Western Railway' is an 1844 painting by British artist J. M. W. Turner, regarded as significant for its evocative depiction of the recently growing railway system – a potent symbol of industrialisation at the time. Rain, Steam, and Speed - The Great Western Railway by Joseph Mallord William Turner - 2 images - Art Renewal Center. The art historian John Gage observed: ‘the title of the picture makes clear that Turner was painting not a view of the Great Western Railway, but an allegory of the forces of nature.’ These forces of nature include the rain, which falls steadily but not so heavily as to entirely obscure the view or the gleams of sunlight that fall on the woods and fields either side of the bridge. The Great Western Railway. Turner. A fellow passenger – ‘with the most wonderful eyes’ – had leaned out of the train window for almost ten minutes when the train had come to a halt at Bristol during the storm. Three white puffs of steam released by the engine into the air indicate that the train is in motion. You've probably seen it.