Turner's Wessex: Architecture and Ambition

The works featured in this book will illustrate how the precocious young Turner succeeded in winning the admiration of two of the most influential collectors in Britain, as well as the crucial role his depictions of Salisbury played in his campaign to establish himself as the pre-eminent artist of his generation. 'Turner's Wessex' focuses attention on three aspects of Turner's many depictions of the Salisbury area. The first explores his responses to the Cathedral and town as a distinctive subject, particularly in connection with the commission he received from local antiquarian, Sir Richard Colt Hoare. The second addresses the series of views he painted of Fonthill for 'England's wealthiest son', the fascinating and eccentric William Beckford, which uniquely document the construction of this legendary neo-gothic Abbey. Finally, the book examines his work recording the central, southern counties of England, extending over a period of thirty years. AUTHOR: Ian Warrell is an independent curator, specialising in British art of the nineteenth century. He is the author of many books on the art of J.M.W. Turner, and most recently 'Turner's Sketchbooks'. SELLING POINTS: ? A beautifully illustrated exploration of Turner's fascination with the landscape of Wessex ? A lavishly illustrated book written to accompany a major exhibition at the Salisbury Museum in 2015; the exhibition will reunite works that have not been seen together since the nineteenth century ? Including for the first time all the views Turner made at Stonehenge 180 colour