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How did J.M.W. Turner use sketchbooks during his travels?
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J.M.W. Turner
The Fighting Temeraire Tugged to Her Last Berth to Be Broken Up, 1838, oil on canvas by J.M.W. Turner, 1839; in the National Gallery, London.
J.M.W. Turner utilized sketchbooks as a fundamental tool throughout his career, traveling extensively across Britain and the European continent to gather inspiration and document landscapes.123
His process typically involved the following:
- Field Documentation: During his travels, Turner worked with untiring energy, filling numerous sketchbooks with drawings that captured the places he visited. For instance, he produced over 400 drawings during his 1802 tour of France and Switzerland and approximately 1,500 drawings during his 1819 trip to Italy.132
- Preparation for Finished Works: These sketches served as essential source material. Turner would later "work up" these drawings into finished watercolors or oil paintings in his studio.14
- Stylistic Evolution: His sketching practice allowed him to explore effects of light, color, and atmosphere. Over time, his approach shifted from the accurate, topographical depiction of scenes to more fluid, abstract notations of color and light.413
The vast scale of this labor is evidenced by the approximately 19,000 drawings included in the Turner Bequest, which remain a vital record of his artistic development.3