Benjamin Godfrey Windus

British, mid 19th century

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Butter-yellow clouds and water, a periwinkle-blue sky, and pale plum-purple buildings blend in hazy, indistinct bands across this horizontal landscape painting. The paint is thickly applied in some areas, especially along the top of the sky, and the scene is loosely painted with visible brushstrokes throughout. The blurry horizon comes about a third of the way up the composition and the small, round, white sun shines low in the sky to our left. The sky or clouds around the sun are painted with shades of pale sapphire-blue with touches of lavender, which give way to a lemon-yellow clouds or haze in the right two-thirds of the sky. Buildings along the horizon, deep in the distance across the right three-quarters of the canvas, are loosely painted with vertical swipes of heather pink and cream white. The water, closest to us, reflects the yellow of the sky with additional touches of celery green. Brown boats spaced along the harbor carry people and objects away from us, toward the town.
Joseph Mallord William Turner, Approach to Venice, 1844, oil on canvas, Andrew W. Mellon Collection, 1937.1.110

Approach to Venice

Joseph Mallord William Turner · 1844 · oil on canvas ·  Accession ID  1937.1.110

We look down onto a grass-topped promontory that gives way to a vast, hazy river valley in this horizontal watercolor. A dozen men, women, children, and babies rest in small groups or work near grapevines to our right on the promontory. They all have pale, peachy skin and wear garments in off white, royal blue, pink, beige, or gray. Rakes, barrels, cloth, and other equipment are piled to our left. The land dips steeply down beyond the pile to a slender, tall white tower. Opposite it, to our right, a grove of tall, spindly trees partially hides a brown stone, crenelated tower. The land drops steeply down from there to a deep, wide river valley. Flanking the waterway, mounded hills mottled with harvest yellow, laurel green, and pinkish-beige lighten to icy blue in the distance. Buildings tucked among the hills and ships on the river are suggested with indistinct strokes or scratches on the paper, and a few tufts of smoke rising from chimneys or smokestacks. The horizon comes two thirds of the way up the composition. A white glow across the center of the sky deepens to lapis blue at the edges. The artist signed and dated the lower right corner, “JMWT 1840.”
Joseph Mallord William Turner, Oberwesel, 1840, watercolor and gouache over graphite with scratching-out, Paul Mellon Fund, 2007.77.1

Oberwesel

Joseph Mallord William Turner · 1840 · watercolor and gouache over graphite with scratching-out ·  Accession ID  2007.77.1

Bibliography

1853

  • Christie, Manson & Woods. [Windus sale]. London, 20 June 1853: lot 5.