Norham Castle, Sunrise

Norham Castle, Sunrise is an oil-on-canvas painting by English painter J. M. W. Turner, created around 1845. The painting depicts Norham Castle, overlooking the River Tweed, the border between England and Scotland. The painting was bequeathed to the National Gallery of British Art (now Tate Britain) as part of the Turner Bequest in 1856. It remains in the collection to this day.[1] It was one of the artist's last paintings, and falls within his "Modernist" period. This piece is well known for Turner's attentiveness to dawn light, and the softened silhouette it brings.[2]

Norham Castle, Sunrise
ArtistJ. M. W. Turner
Yearc. 1845
MediumOil on canvas
Dimensions90.8 cm × 121.9 cm (35.7 in × 48.0 in)
LocationTate Britain, London
AccessionN01981

Background

Norham is a village in Northumberland, England in the border country between England and Scotland. The castle was a key stronghold overlooking the River Tweed and was frequently attacked by the Scots.[3] Turner visited the castle and the surrounding country in 1797. Following his journey, Turner created the watercolor Norham Castle: Sunrise, which was exhibited at the Royal Academy of Arts in 1798 to critical acclaim.[4] Turner revisted the ruins in 1801. In 1806, Turner began work on his Liber Studiorum, a collection of monochrome landscape prints. Norham Castle, Sunrise was among a series of unfinished colored reworkings of these prints. The source for this painting in particular was the Tate Collection's Liber catalogue's plate no. 57, Norham Castle on the Tweed, published in 1816.[1][5]

Previous depictions
  • Norham Castle: Sunrise, c. 1798
    Norham Castle: Sunrise, c. 1798
  • Norham Castle on the Tweed, c. 1816
    Norham Castle on the Tweed, c. 1816

By the end of his career, Turner had created six different versions of this painting and returned to Norham Castle multiple times to reflect on his work and life.[2]

See also

References
  1. "Norham Castle, Sunrise". Tate. Retrieved 19 October 2019.
  2. Warrell, Ian (2007). J.M.W. Turner. London: Tate Publishing. p. 228.
  3. "Norham Castle". English Heritage. Retrieved 19 October 2019.
  4. "The castle that liberated Turner". Christie's. 30 June 2017. Retrieved 19 October 2019.
  5. Liber Studiorum: Drawings and Related Works c.1806–24. Tate. December 2012. ISBN 9781849763868. Retrieved 19 October 2019.
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