Rebellion & Romance: Art in the Age of Revolution

J.M.W. Turner: Storms, Sun & the Edge of Abstraction

If Constable’s achievements were quietly profound, Turner’s were loudly epic. Obsessed with storms, fire, energy and above all the sun, Turner pushed painting to the brink of abstraction.…

Wednesday 8 April 2026
11:00 AM
90 mins
J.M.W. Turner: Storms, Sun & the Edge of Abstraction

About This Talk

If Constable’s achievements were quietly profound, Turner’s were loudly epic. Obsessed with storms, fire, energy and above all the sun, Turner pushed painting to the brink of abstraction. His critics mocked him; Ruskin hailed him as “the father of modern art.”

This is the wild story of an artist who spat on his canvases, worshipped light, shocked the Royal Academy, and turned landscape painting into an electric, emotional force.

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