Turner

In his landscape painting, The Fighting Temeraire tugged to her last Berth to be broken, J. M. W. Turner uses color, texture, and contrast to depict the last moor of a historical British naval ship. While earlier European landscape paintings were justified by the depiction of historical or mythological figures, Turner was able to capture the beauty of the ocean sunset and ships without having to justify it by portraying any unfitting human figures.

Turner creates a nice contrast between warm and cool colors on the canvas. The sky surrounding the two ships is described with subdued purples and blues while the sunset sky on the right is filled with bright, vibrant reds, oranges, yellows, and pinks. This contrast of colors seems to evoke the sense of loss and the passing of an era. The two ships are framed by the cool colors of the sky and of the water, creating that feeling of defeat. Turner also uses color to give the two ships contrasting feels. The old warship is large and white, giving it a pristine, majestic light. The new, steam-powered boat in front, however, is dark and small and seems to corrupt the beauty and the prestige of the veteran warship. This may be a reference to the Industrial Revolution and how factories and new technologies dominated the simple routines of everyday life that people were once used to.

At the same time however, the visual warmth of the sunset gives a sense of hope to this feeling of loss. Perhaps Turner is also trying to capture the decline of the power that the British had over of the sea and the ability to look to the future for prosperity in some other aspect of life.

            The grand scale of the painting also affects the emotional impact on the viewer. The enormity of the canvas is almost overwhelming for the viewer and really brings the image to life. It allows Turner to use larger, thicker brushstrokes that capture the dynamic rays of light and the immensity of the clouds and the sky. Turner also uses thick amounts of paint, especially in the sunset, that create a buildup of paint around the sun. This creates a palpable, visible consistency, giving the sky a more organic, life-like feel.

            Turner uses pleasing, aesthetic qualities to capture a spectacular landscape image but also communicate larger philosophical ideas such as the loss of a strong past and the hope of a bright future.