ebooks J.M.W. Turner: Ackroyd's Brief Lives by Peter Ackroyd in Arts-Photography

Description

In this second volume in the Ackroydrsquo;s Brief Lives series; bestselling author Peter Ackroyd brings us a man of humble beginnings; crude manners; and prodigious talents; the nineteenth-century painter J. M. W. Turner.Joseph Mallord William Turner was born in London in 1775. His father was a barber; and his mother came from a family of London butchers. ldquo;His speech was recognizably that of a Cockney; and his language was the language of the streets.rdquo; As his finest paintings show; his language was also the language of light. Turnerrsquo;s landscapesmdash;extraordinary studies in light; colour; and texturemdash;caused an uproar during his lifetime and earned him a place as one of the greatest artists in history.Displaying his artistic abilities as a young child; Turner entered the Royal Academy of Arts when he was just fourteen years old. A year later his paintings appeared in an important public exhibition; and he rapidly achieved prominence; becoming a Royal Academician in 1802 and Professor of Perspective at the Academy from 1807ndash;1837. His private life; however; was less orderly. Never married; he spent much time living in taverns; where he was well known for his truculence and his stinginess with money. Peter Ackroyd deftly follows Turnerrsquo;s first loves of architecture; engraving; and watercolours; and the country houses; cathedrals; and landscapes of England. While his passion for Italy led him to oil painting; Turnerrsquo;s love for London remained central to his heart and soul; and it was within sight of his beloved Thames that he died in 1851. His dying words were: ldquo;The sun is God.rdquo;Also available in ACKROYDrsquo;S BRIEF LIVESChaucer