Rome, from Mount Aventine
Joseph Mallord William Turner
Scroll to let the light rise ↓
I · The light
An Awakening City
Turner revolutionised landscape painting with this panoramic view of a sunrise over Rome. The expansive view, luminous colour and light, and dazzling technique are all typical of Turner's celebrated late works. It was probably first started during his visit to the city in 1828 and exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1836.
II · Commissioned with an eye for detail
A Special Commission
This landscape, looking North over the city from the Aventine Hill, was painted for Turner’s close friend and renowned patron, Hugh Andrew Johnstone Munro of Novar, who requested a view of the Rome with the Tiber and some of its most important landmarks. Turner paid great attention to ancient, Renaissance and modern sites in the city, including...
III · Landmarks of the Eternal City
The bustling riverside of Trastevere. Behind, Turner includes the immense facade of the Ospizio di San Michele a Ripa Grande. In Turner's day the Porto di Ripa Grande was the busiest port in the city.
IV · Landmarks of the Eternal City
Behind the Janiculum hill, the Vatican with the dome of St Peter's Basilica rises majestically above the horizon line.
V · Landmarks of the Eternal City
The Ponte Rotto bridges the Tiber, transporting us to the ancient sites of the city, including the Roman Forum, Temple of Vesta and Circus Maximus.
VI · Untouched by Time
Exceptionally Preserved
Instead of exactly describing everything he saw, Turner suggested the atmosphere of the sunrise using his masterful depiction of light.
The extraordinary condition of this painting allows us to appreciate the brilliance and immediacy of Turner's technique.
VII · Mastery in Every Layer
To create the misty effects of sunrise, Turner built up areas of colour using many thin layers of oil paint. Here, he blurs the boundaries between the river, its banks and the buildings beyond.
VIII · Mastery in Every Layer
He then refined the architectural details using a variety of lively, spontaneous brushstrokes.
IX · Mastery in Every Layer
Turner used a palette knife for thick strokes of paint to areas including the clouds, adding bold colour and texture.
X · A Lasting Impression
Turner's Legacy
Turner influenced major artists of the 20th century, like Monet and Rothko, by transforming painting from an exact record of the world into an exploration of light, colour and atmosphere, paving the way for Impressionism and Abstraction.