J.M.W. Turner: Romantic Painter of the Industrial Revolution [Hardcover]

William S. Rodner (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0520204794 | ISBN-13: 978-0520204799 | Publication Date: February 6, 1998 | Edition: 1

The English romantic painter J.M.W. Turner (1775-1851) is known and admired for portraying the transcendent power and turbulence of nature in his paintings of landscapes and storms at sea. But, as William S. Rodner's beautifully illustrated book makes clear, Turner also drew inspiration from the sweeping new forces of the Industrial Revolution that were to transform Britain and the world during his lifetime.
Rodner considers Turner's paintings of machine subjects as invaluable visual sources for understanding the impact of the Industrial Revolution. He assesses the full range of Turner's industrial art and the context of its creation, examining particular facets of Turner's concern with industrialism. Such paintings as Rain, Steam, and Speed and Snow Storm: Steamboat off a Harbour's Mouth reveal the confidence and the anxiety associated with the period's wrenching social and economic transformations. Machines and workshops became sophisticated metaphors for human aspiration and weakness.
Turner's industrial paintings were consistent with the larger themes that influenced his art, and in depicting the contest between steam power and environmental forces, he is unerring in his belief that nature always emerges triumphant.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

The Industrial Revolution was as much a revolution of ideas as it was of practical endeavors. To the concept of the forces of nature were added the human-made energies that transformed landscapes and lives. Rodner (history, Old Dominion Univ., Virginia) here reviews Turner's industrial art in the context of the changes in both the artistic community and the world in general. The impact upon the visual and the vision?the depiction of the haze of the factories, of the shadowy bulk of ocean steamers, and of newly found power and human weakness?are discussed in this study of a small but very important segment of the artist's oeuvre. A combination of social history and aesthetic commentary, the work is an interesting addition and offers a wider vision of this compelling artist. Recommended for academic and art collections.?Paula Frosch, Metropolitan Museum of Art Lib., New York
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About the Author

William S. Rodner is a historian and the editor of Scotia: Interdisciplinary Journal of Scottish Studies at Old Dominion University, Norfolk, Virginia.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 250 pages
• Publisher: University of California Press; 1 edition (February 6, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0520204794
• ISBN-13: 978-0520204799
• Product Dimensions: 10.3 x 7.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,021,044 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely a Must Book on Turner and 19th Century Art, September 22, 2006

By 

Doug - Haydn Fan (California) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

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This review is from: J.M.W. Turner: Romantic Painter of the Industrial Revolution (Hardcover)

Rodner's book was one of several top books from many thousands I went through in a long hegira through a college library with immense holdings in Art History. His immaculate chronology pulls back the curtain on what Turner experienced as the steam engine began its historical ascendancy in the first half of the 19th century. Even if you are very familiar with the works of Turner, this book will bring you far closer to the distinction and sensitivity of Turner's complex understanding of modernism. Many of Turner's paintings can be seen in the context of not only his travels, but how remarkably astute he was to the constantly changing pictorial impact of the industrial revolution. Further, as Rodner shows in a model of balanced intellectual enquiry, Turner recreates himself as artist as he engages History itself.
An all around great book and an outstanding eye-opener for students as well as Turner specialists.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Have yet to read the book but have much to say of the author, September 15, 2008

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T. Garcia "FoxBoiPoet" (In my Den somewhere comfy.) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: J.M.W. Turner: Romantic Painter of the Industrial Revolution (Hardcover)

I know William Rodner personally as he was my World History professor my first year of college and he is now my history guru god! This man is articulate, intelligent and well read on many historical subjects however his love of Turner comes through often in his lectures. I have every intention of owning and reading this book one day but the thing that surprised me the most was that I didn't find out about the book from Dr. Rodner himself but from a posting on the wall outside his office. If I had not seen that article, I would NEVER have known how famous and influential in the larger world one of my beloved professors is. I recommend you read the book strictly on my word that it will be worth your while because I KNOW the man as teacher and historian and you WILL find this book accurate, passionate and fulfilling.

T. Garcia

5.0 out of 5 stars a nice but brief view of J.M.W. Turner's artwork, October 15, 2011

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appreciator of art - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Tate British Artists: J.M.W. Turner (Paperback)

I enjoy reading this book and looking at the photos of Turner's work. I am not familiar with many of Turner's paintings but I think that this book contains a good smattering of them. Turner painted many works, and this book has photos of a few of them.