Turner: The Extraordinary Life and Momentous Times of J. M. W. Turner

As a long-time fan of J. M. W. Turner's painting, I was excited to see this new biography by Franny Moyle. In fact, an article by Julian Bell in the NY Review of Books discussing Moyle's book and "The Young Mr Turner" by Eric Shanes (published earlier in the year at a much higher list price), convinced me to purchase both books. I have now finished Moyle's book, and have spent considerable time consulting Shanes', and can recommend both books strongly to others.These biographies are particularly welcome because Turner's personal reputation as a money-grubbing misanthrope and recluse has cast a shadow over the widely-loved landscape and seascape painter of his middle years. Understanding of Turner has been further muddied by a hangover from the furious critical response to the "pre-impressionistic" techniques of his later years. To a public expecting realistic depictions of places and events, a painter with an exploratory agenda for visual experience was suspected of laziness, self-indulgence, perhaps insanity. In our times the major works of Turner's last decade now seem uncontroversial, even prescient, for a public educated by the impressionists, post-impressionists, and all that have come since, but the intimations of a descent into insanity still re-echo. Thus there is much relief in a narration of the facts of Turner's family and early life, numerous friendships and collaborations, enormous ambition and talent, meteoric rise, strength and stamina, and arc of ageing; that moderates and mitigates the negative reputation, and leaves an impression of a person within the normal human spectrum, flawed of course, but with exceptional ability, well and thoroughly employed until the very dregs of an active old age.Turner particularly benefits from Moyle's female point of view. In Shanes' opinion Turner suffered from an "inability to place sufficient trust in any woman to form a loving relationship, a sexual fear that apparently led to voyeurism or the treatment of women simply as objects." Moyles, on the other hand, senses Turner's mode of affection for and dependence on the two women, Sophia Booth and Sarah Danby, with whom he had long-term domestic relationships, women who shared his origins in the respectable urban trades, but lacked the genius that enabled his professional life among the aristocracy and entrepreneurial elite. It may be that Moyle has sensed and been moved to defend in Turner the same walled vulnerability that attracted and held Booth and Danby.Shanes' book is visually stunning, having well over 400 high-quality illustrations within the text, and Shanes intends to follow "Young Mr. Turner" with a second volume, no doubt to be similarly lavishly illustrated. Moyles' book has about 50 well-chosen illustrations in three 8-page sections, although her discussions cover so many other works by Turner that a reader will be left curious and frustrated and/or searching for other sources. Both books are well written and easy to read, while possessing the density of scholarship expected of modern historical publications. The fluidity of Shanes' writing is especially welcome, given that his book is aimed more toward a professional audience. But for the general reader "Turner: the Extraordinary Life and Momentous Times of J. M. W. Turner" will be abundantly rewarding.

Turner's long life spanned 76 years; born in Georgian England in 1775, he died in Victorian England in 1851. His paintings grace American museums from Boston to New York to Cleveland to Washington and beyond; his prolific output, long life and his Will's bequest of his art to the British nation means London's National Gallery and Tate Britain are where one sees his most famous and revered pieces.Franny Moyle's "Turner," is long but expertly detailed, starting with a chapter of his death in Chelsea under the pseudonym "Admiral Booth" and the book ends describing the litigation surrounding the Will's bequests of his remaining oils and watercolors going to the nation. These now are the core of his artistic legacy, his rich contribution to the images of British history and, most interestingly, his late-in-life change from representational art to "forcing a debate on the meaning of truth in art." As one contemporary described it," his intense impression of the scenery of nature ...he devotes himself solely to the effects & colors of what he sees." It is from this change, much criticized at the time, he became the mid nineteenth century's godfather of Impressionism.Moyle's methodology is chronological, exhaustive research, descriptive parsing of his oils and watercolors but decidedly understated. Her explication of the emerging art societies, the role of aristocrats in supporting artists in the eighteen century and then the change to the moneyed class of the Industrial Revolution which Turner needed adds to the broader themes in her biography. Ambitious, a bit gruff, complicated, penurious, secretive, needy of his circle of friends (Ruskin, Egremont, etc.) JMW Turner, completely devoted to his art, Franny Moyle brings him to life in her fine book.

I have always been astonished by Turner's art, and I picked up this to learn more about him. A few times it felt like a slog through descriptions of sales of his art at increasing prices, sending me to Google to find out how many pounds a guinea was worth (answer: 1.05, plus interesting background). But it has excellent parts about some paintings and the contemporary reception to them, particularly the short section about "The Fighting Temeraire". I wished there had been more like that. But there are good accounts of the man and his age, including his young prodigal output, his friendships, his travels, his relations with the changing types of art patrons, his ambitions to rise in the art world, his finances, his personal lives, and his physical deterioration. This book apparently seeks to puncture several myths about Turner - that he was insane at the end, that he was miserly and mean, that he painted much erotica and it was destroyed, that the quality of his painting deteriorated at the end of his life (I suspect that one was debunked about 100 years ago), and so on. I did not know the myths, but this volume makes a strong case for its view of the greatest (the only great?) British painter.

Perhaps I shouldn't have chosen this as a bedtime book, because it was so fascinating I couldn't put it down. Just one more chapter, I kept telling myself into the wee small hours until each night Inability to keep my eyes open was the only thing that eventually made me shut the book to get some sleep.I knew very little about Turner before reading this book and normally have no interest in biographies, but the writing was so engaging, both about Turner and the times he lived in, that I am delighted to add this to my collection.Like a good novel, this book grips the reader immediately, by starting at Turner's death and the ensuing scandal, then goes right back to the beginning to follow the progress of this remarkable man which led to this point. Although to me it has the easy readability of a good novel, it is a history book giving us all the information in a way that makes the man and his era come alive.

Written with great clarity and with good judgment in that all the things that you would like in a biography were present: the context, the nature of Turner's art, his paintings etc I felt pleased to have bought this book. I learnt a lot.

Fantastically researched. You will know Turner once reading this fabulous biography.

Excellent biography

This is an amazing and very comprehensive account of the truly 'Extraordinary Life and Momentous times of TMW Turner'.Franny Moyle has produced an account of Turner's character that I hope will correct the concept, that surrounds this great painter, which has been laid down in the past by authors and filmmakers. I recommend this biography of Turner to all who know little or a great deal about one of England greatest landscape painters. Anyone interested in social history should immerse themselves in this book. I also hope it will be available as an audio book.