William Ralph Turner

William Ralph Turner (30 April 1920 – 10 July 2013) [1] was a painter from Manchester.

William Ralph Turner was born in Chorlton-on-Medlock, Manchester in 1920. A largely self taught painter and teacher,[2] he has become known as one of the last authentic Northern English industrial artists. Lowry was to visit Turner's exhibitions at the Tib Lane gallery in the 1950s and 1960s,[3] and the influence of L.S. Lowry can be seen in Turner's work.

For about 60 years Turner painted the North West and surrounding areas, often from memories and images obtained while indulging his passion for cycling long distances. A prolific painter, he painted thousands of pictures, including several hundred that featured the Stockport Viaduct. He was commissioned by Peter Burdett (of The Pitcairn Gallery) in the 1970s to paint Lyon in France and was represented by The Pitcairn until 1985 when the then owner, Wendy Levy, sold the gallery. In the 1980s he had exhibitions in Windsor and Eton and self organised shows in and around the Cheshire area including at Adlington Hall [4] and in 1989 he was featured in a major book about Northern Artists[5] by the artist and critic Peter Davies. Turner was "re-discovered" by David Gunning, an art dealer from Todmorden, in 2000, when Turner was 80.

Parkinson's disease eventually forced Turner to stop painting. In 2005, he was given a retrospective at Gallery Oldham with an accompanying book.[6] An exhibition of Turner's work took place at Clark Art in Hale, Cheshire, in 2010. A major book on his life and work was launched this exhibition.

References
  1. Paul Barker (14 July 2013). "William Turner: Painter who emerged from Lowry's shadow when he was in his eighties – Obituaries – News". London: The Independent. Retrieved 17 July 2013.
  2. The Northern School: A Reappraisal
  3. A Northern School, Peter Davies
  4. The Northern School: A Reappraisal
  5. A Northern School
  6. William Turner, An English Expressionist

Further reading
  • A Northern School, Lancashire Artists of the 20th Century 1989, Peter Davies, ISBN 978-0948265730
  • William Ralph Turner by Stuart Archer & Bill Clark
  • William Turner, An English Expressionist, 2005, Paul Barker and Stephen Whittle, ISBN 978-0955038501
  • William Ralph Turner in "The Northern School: A Reappraisal", 2015, Martin Regan, ISBN 978-1527203204
  • William Ralph Turner, Compelling Visions by Dr Paul Morgan
  • William Ralph Turner by Stuart Archer and Bill Clark. Clark Art Ltd 2010
  • A Northern School Revisited by Peter Davies. Published by Clark Art Ltd 2014
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