Joseph Mallord William Turner
piece 1
The painting depicts the violent water of the English Channel which often is bombarded with strong winds pushed in both from the North Sea and the Atlantic Ocean.
The waves roll and the sky above shows daunting clouds.
However, it appears that the storm may be beginning to pass; in the centre of the clouds is a cut of blue sky beyond the grey clouds.
about the artist
Joseph Mallord William Turner RA, known contemporarily as William Turner, was an English Romantic painter, printmaker and watercolourist. He is known for his expressive colourisations, imaginative landscapes and turbulent, often violent marine paintings.
piece 2
This village presides over the Bay of Uri, the southern-most arm of the lake, which is celebrated for its calm, deep blue waters, as well as its associations with William Tell and his role in establishing the country’s independence. In Turner’s watercolor, in the far distance on the left, he applied an extra touch of blue to indicate the location of the chapel to which Tell leapt when escaping his Austrian captors. Just as significant is the pasture above the cliffs, just off center, known as the Rutli meadows, where the oath of the old Swiss confederacy is believed to have been declared.