1819
ink
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
Isleworth is a 1819 ink by Joseph Mallord William Turner, a Romanticism work, held at National Gallery of Art.
This drawing shows a quiet scene of a small temple-like building with columns sitting by a pond. Tall trees with twisting branches frame the water, and their reflections ripple on the surface. The background has faint outlines of more trees and a distant fence or wall. The artist used a scratchy, layered technique to build up dark lines and textures, especially in the trees and water. The light areas stay mostly blank, letting the shadows pop. Want to see how this style works? Look up etching.
Joseph Mallord William Turner was born in 1775 at Maiden Lane, Covent Garden, where his father kept a barber and wig-making shop.
See the richer artist page
