Artwork
Liber Studiorum: Ships in a Breeze
Liber Studiorum: Ships in a Breeze is a print by the Romanticist artist Joseph Mallord William Turner. It dates from 1808 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art. Ships in a Breeze, a 1808 print by J.
- Accession no.
- 1917.364
- Credit line
- Gift of Henry Payne McIntosh
About this work
Overview
Ships in a Breeze, a 1808 print by J.M.W. Turner, is a maritime scene featuring three large sailing vessels navigating turbulent waves near a rocky coastline, with a dramatic, dark sky above.
Subject & Meaning
The print captures the dynamic interplay between sturdy ships, fierce wind, and rugged natural elements, conveying the power of nature and human presence within it through the figures of two observers on the shore.
Technique & Style
Turner employed expressive shading to animate the waves and clouds, emphasizing dramatic movement and atmospheric effects, characteristic of his evolving Romantic style, which would later influence Impressionist and Abstract Art.
History & Provenance
Created as part of Turner's Liber Studiorum series, the work is now part of The Cleveland Museum of Art's collection.
Own this work as a print
Artist & collection
Artist
Joseph Mallord William Turner was born in 1775 at Maiden Lane, Covent Garden, where his father kept a barber and wig-making shop.
