1808
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
Dominant colour
Liber Studiorum: Ships in a Breeze is a 1808 by Joseph Mallord William Turner, a Romanticism work, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.
This print shows three big sailing ships riding rough waves near a rocky shore. The water is choppy, with white foam crests, while the sky above is dark with swirling clouds. Two men stand on a small platform at the edge of the rocks, watching the ships. The ships’ sails are full, but the wind looks strong—maybe even dangerous. The artist used shading to make the waves and clouds look dramatic, almost like they’re alive. Next, check out Romanticism to see how artists used emotion and nature in their work.
Joseph Mallord William Turner was born in 1775 at Maiden Lane, Covent Garden, where his father kept a barber and wig-making shop.
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