Rain, Steam and Speed - The Great Western Railway
Encyclopedia
Rain, Steam, and Speed – The Great Western Railway is an oil painting by the 19th century British painter J. M. W. Turner
.
This painting was first exhibited at the Royal Academy
in 1844
, though it may have been painted earlier.
The Great Western Railway
(GWR) was one of a number of private British railway companies
created to develop the new means of transport. GWR’s aim was initially to connect Bristol
with London
; its chief engineer was Isambard Kingdom Brunel
.
The location of the painting is widely accepted as Maidenhead Railway Bridge
, across the River Thames
between Taplow
and Maidenhead
. The view is looking east towards London
. The bridge was designed by Brunel and completed in 1838. The line from London Paddington
to Taplow
opened in 1838.
The title follows the Turner pattern of 'nature first' in his titles. A tiny hare appears in the bottom right corner of the painting. Some have interpreted the hare running ahead of the train as a suggestion to the limits of technology. Others believe the rabbit is running in fear of the new machinery and Turner meant to hint at the danger of man's new technology destroying the inherent sublime elements of nature .
The painting is now in the collection of the National Gallery
, London
, England
.
J. M. W. Turner
Joseph Mallord William Turner RA was an English Romantic landscape painter, watercolourist and printmaker. Turner was considered a controversial figure in his day, but is now regarded as the artist who elevated landscape painting to an eminence rivalling history painting...
.
This painting was first exhibited at the Royal Academy
Royal Academy
The Royal Academy of Arts is an art institution based in Burlington House on Piccadilly, London. The Royal Academy of Arts has a unique position in being an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects whose purpose is to promote the creation, enjoyment and...
in 1844
1844 in art
-Events:*July 31 – Opening of the Wadsworth Atheneum, the oldest art museum in the United States.*H. Fox Talbot begins publication of The Pencil of Nature, the first photographically illustrated book to be commercially published .-Works:...
, though it may have been painted earlier.
The Great Western Railway
Great Western Railway
The Great Western Railway was a British railway company that linked London with the south-west and west of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament in 1835 and ran its first trains in 1838...
(GWR) was one of a number of private British railway companies
History of rail transport in Great Britain
The railway system of Great Britain, the principal territory of the United Kingdom, is the oldest in the world. The system was originally built as a patchwork of local rail links operated by small private railway companies. These isolated links developed during the railway boom of the 1840s into a...
created to develop the new means of transport. GWR’s aim was initially to connect Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
with London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
; its chief engineer was Isambard Kingdom Brunel
Isambard Kingdom Brunel
Isambard Kingdom Brunel, FRS , was a British civil engineer who built bridges and dockyards including the construction of the first major British railway, the Great Western Railway; a series of steamships, including the first propeller-driven transatlantic steamship; and numerous important bridges...
.
The location of the painting is widely accepted as Maidenhead Railway Bridge
Maidenhead Railway Bridge
Maidenhead Railway Bridge is a railway bridge carrying the main line of the Great Western Railway over the River Thames between Maidenhead, Berkshire and Taplow, Buckinghamshire, England...
, across the River Thames
River Thames
The River Thames flows through southern England. It is the longest river entirely in England and the second longest in the United Kingdom. While it is best known because its lower reaches flow through central London, the river flows alongside several other towns and cities, including Oxford,...
between Taplow
Taplow
Taplow is a village and civil parish within South Bucks district in Buckinghamshire, England. It sits on the east bank of the River Thames facing Maidenhead on the opposite bank. Taplow railway station is situated near the A4 south of the village....
and Maidenhead
Maidenhead
Maidenhead is a town and unparished area within the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead, in Berkshire, England. It lies on the River Thames and is situated west of Charing Cross in London.-History:...
. The view is looking east towards London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. The bridge was designed by Brunel and completed in 1838. The line from London Paddington
Paddington
Paddington is a district within the City of Westminster, in central London, England. Formerly a metropolitan borough, it was integrated with Westminster and Greater London in 1965...
to Taplow
Taplow
Taplow is a village and civil parish within South Bucks district in Buckinghamshire, England. It sits on the east bank of the River Thames facing Maidenhead on the opposite bank. Taplow railway station is situated near the A4 south of the village....
opened in 1838.
The title follows the Turner pattern of 'nature first' in his titles. A tiny hare appears in the bottom right corner of the painting. Some have interpreted the hare running ahead of the train as a suggestion to the limits of technology. Others believe the rabbit is running in fear of the new machinery and Turner meant to hint at the danger of man's new technology destroying the inherent sublime elements of nature .
The painting is now in the collection of the National Gallery
National Gallery, London
The National Gallery is an art museum on Trafalgar Square, London, United Kingdom. Founded in 1824, it houses a collection of over 2,300 paintings dating from the mid-13th century to 1900. The gallery is an exempt charity, and a non-departmental public body of the Department for Culture, Media...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
External links
- National Gallery page on the painting.
- Turner's Rain, Steam, and Speed – The Great Western Railway @ Smarthistory Short video presentation on the painting by Dr. Beth Harris, Dr. Steven Zucker