J.M.W. Turner 1775-1851: World of Light and Colour

I am disappointed. Small format, so as already read in some reviews, the paintings are too small to affect. First you cannot see any details. For example I remember that the picture "Seaport with the Embarkation of the Queen of Sheba" is a very beautiful realistic and mystic painting, but in this book you can only suppose how impressive this really is. The other more abstract paintings with mystic skies do not affect either, because they need a bigger size too, so that you can see the true colours and how they flow together. It is a pity to print the paintings in such a small format. Turner was a very talented artist and he was very modern for his time, finding his own style similar to the later impressionism. The text in written in a very small type size, so that it is very tiring to read it.

Most of the small, inexpensive Taschen art books are delightful -- well printed and well written -- but this one fails on both counts. I'm not really surprised that the paintings and water colors of J.M.W Turner don't comes across in this small format; the luminous transparency of his colors and the textures of his pigments simply defy photography and lithography. The most I hoped for was that the reproductions would stir my memories of Turner's works that I've seen in London, Berlin, and Philadelphia. But I wanted more from the text. Turner is an amazing phenomenon if you consider his dates: born in 1775, most of his best work done before 1840, died in 1851. For a comparison, Monet was born in 1840, Renoir in 1841. Turner's range of affect was astonishing, from paintings as dire as Goya's to impressionism to incipient abstraction, and all breathtakingly polished in technique. I wanted to know something of his life, of his mode of living and painting, of his mind. The text by Michael Bockemühl may have some of that information in it, but it's insufferably over-written and impenetrably disorganized. Even supposing that it's a translation from German done by a native Tibetan speaker with a degree in the philosophy of Schopenhauer from a University in Albania, I couldn't keep my eyes focused on the phrases long enough to extract anything meaningful from this pompous rambling.

I say that I love this book, and I do but not many of Turner's works would I want on my walls. Most of his seascapes are too restrained and mystical for my taste, having spent some years at sea. The book is informative and inviting to deeper thought. My favourite reproduction by far is "The Passage of the St Gotthard" 1804. There is life and movement and human endeavour in it.W.J. Walter

Excellent all around. Just one thing: Although I have excellent eyesight I find all the printed text to be ridiculously small. It makes unusual/uncomfortable reading.

Not the best examples of one of my favorite artists. Size a little small and is soft cover...more like an auction house printing.

Beaufiful, colorful depictions of this artist's work. It has been very useful to me as a painter. The text really helps to give an understanding of the way Turner composed his art, and the ways in which he inspired Monet.

On the surface a a great introduction to Turner;'s art but it manages to spend aq lot of time talking about what differentia tes great Turner, Altogether a deceptively rewarding book.

Alas returned as undeliverable.

Having just plonked a huge great print of "The Fighting `Téméraire' tugged to her last berth to be broken up" on my living room wall, I thought that I would find out a bit more about Turner and his art. This seemed like an inexpensive place to start.I'm not quite sure who the intended audience is for this publication. The colour reproductions tend to be small, exacerbated by the relatively small dimensions of the book. The very small number of larger reproductions have a two page spread across the centrefold, always an annoyance. It doesn't therefore provide a particularly attractive volume for flicking through and admiring a selection of Turner's work.The text seems rather more aimed at those with a certain level of appreciation of form, composition and colour, say art students, discussing as it does the reproductions very much in these terms. It is however somewhat desultory, and you have to constantly flick backwards and forwards between the two.I was hoping for something a little more coffee-table-ish in form (if not in size) and briefer, more accessible text than this present volume.

I wanted a book on Turner to give to my husband as a present and saw the Taschen edition but it was Paperback. I clicked on the Hardback option thinking it was only a different cover, but this is just a very poor copy of another book - small, poor quality, blurry photocopies of paintings, lots of blank pages and it even has a photocopy of the library ticket from the original. My husband quite likes it for its novelty value, but I'll be ordering him a better version in time for Christmas.

This is one of many beautifully illustrated books in the Basic Art series. Turner was a master of light and it shows in the details provided by this book. It covers both early works and the development of his style to later famous works such as "The Fighting Temeraire". It provides an intelligent but clear text and is profusely illustrated with colour paintings and detail. Excellent value. I recommend any book in the series.

Excellent value and an authoritative read. Quite well illustrated, but could have had bigger pictures, particularly as its all about Turner's pictures and his art.

Good.