Arcadópolis
Snowstorm, Mont Cenis
J. M. W. Turner, 1820
What you see
A mountain road runs across the lower part of the scene. At lower right, a yellow coach struggles forward as its horses rear; on the left, a cart pulled by more horses battles through the snow. Behind them a stone house stands on a rise, and above, the clouds curve over like a tunnel.
The color is light and see-through: bluish and greenish grays in the storm, ochres in the coach, and whites where the paper is left almost bare. That bright center makes everything around it look darker and wilder. Don’t miss the white and brown horses, caught in just a few touches, and the second small house at the far left.
About J. M. W. Turner
Joseph Mallord William Turner was called “the painter of light”. He painted storms, raging seas, fog and colourful sunsets, and it is said he once had himself tied to a ship’s mast to watch a storm. He left thousands of works to his country, most of them kept today at the Tate in London.
More by J. M. W. Turner
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