JMW Turner, Rain, Steam and Speed, 1844

Mini intro

Date: 1844

Medium: oil on canvas

Size: 91×121.8cm

Style: Romanticism

Key facts (3)

Trains invented in early 1800s which led to mass transportation

Socio-political homage to Industrial Revolution and industrial progress

Scene set in London

Subject matter (11)

Depicts two bridges on either side of Thames between Taplow and Maidenhead

Right side - Maidenhead Railway Bridge - Iron bridge by Brunel in 1838

Left side - Brick Bridge by Taylor in 1772

Oranges, yellows and browns dominate painting

Diagonal lines of rain

Train is focal point with fiery furnace of train

Orthogonal lies of train draw back to horizon line - creates sense of speed

Hazy horizon line emphasises violence of the weather and power of the rain

The dissolved forms of the train and bridge appear almost abstract suggesting force of rain - makes one feel for those in open carriages

Earthy tones of blue of river and sky merge into one another - confusion

Train is compared with small boat on Thames (bottom left) and horse and cart (right) showing predecessors to train

Painting style (5)

Violence of paint application is thick, non blended and replicates violence of elements - top right - thick impasto and scratches of fingernails

Use of white ground reflects through layers of paint, creating a vibrant effect of colours

Blurring technique used to dissolve the back of the train into the background

Loose brushwork, impasto and scumbling to show movement of train

Diagonal dragging of brush shows effect and direction of train across canvas