William Turner (artist)
Encyclopedia
William Turner was an English
painter who specialised in watercolour landscapes. He was a contemporary of the more famous artist J. M. W. Turner
and his style was not dissimilar. He is often known as William Turner of Oxford or just Turner of Oxford to distinguish him from his better known namesake. Many of Turner's paintings depicted the countryside around Oxford. One of his best known pictures is a view of the city of Oxford from Hinksey Hill
.
In 1895 the Ashmolean Museum
in Oxford held a retrospective exhibition of his work. Some of his paintings are still on permanent display at the museum. In 1984 the Oxfordshire County Council
presented his work in an exhibition at the Oxfordshire County Museum in Woodstock
. His paintings are also held in national and international collections, for example at the Tate Gallery
(London
, UK
), the Metropolitan Museum of Art
(New York City
, U.S.
) and the Dunedin Public Art Gallery
(New Zealand
).
, Oxfordshire
. He was the eldest of three children, and had two younger sisters. His father died in 1791, and was raised during this early part of his life by his mother. In 1803 he went to live with his uncle, also called Willam Turner. Initially they lived in Burford
but in 1804 moved to the manor house at Shipton-on-Cherwell
.
Because of his interest in drawing, Turner joined John Varley
in London. In 1807 he had his first exhibition at the Royal Academy
. He was elected as a full member of the Watercolour Society in 1808 and for the rest of his life participated in their yearly exhibitions.
In 1810 Turner returned to Oxfordshire. He lived in Woodstock
until 1811. After that he lived in and around oxford. In 1824 Turner married Elizabeth Ilott at Shipton-on-Cherwell and lived at London Road, St Clement's
. From 1853 onwards he lived at 16 St John Street
in central Oxford.
In 1831 the parish church at Shipton-on-Cherwell was demolished and a Georgian
Gothic Revival
church designed in a Decorated Gothic style by William Turner was built in its place.
Turner died at his home in St John Street, Oxford in 1862. A blue plaque
marks the house where he lived. William and his wife are buried in Holy Cross parish churchyard at Shipton-on-Cherwell. In 1896 a memorial chancel screen was installed in the church, with a brass plaque reading "Erected in memory of William Turner of Oxford, Water Colour Painter and architect of this church."
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...
painter who specialised in watercolour landscapes. He was a contemporary of the more famous artist J. M. W. Turner
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...
and his style was not dissimilar. He is often known as William Turner of Oxford or just Turner of Oxford to distinguish him from his better known namesake. Many of Turner's paintings depicted the countryside around Oxford. One of his best known pictures is a view of the city of Oxford from Hinksey Hill
Hinksey Hill
Hinksey Hill is a hill and residential area south of the centre of Oxford. It is in South Hinksey civil parish, about south of the village. Hinksey Hill was part of Berkshire until the 1974 boundary changes transferred it to Oxfordshire....
.
In 1895 the Ashmolean Museum
Ashmolean Museum
The Ashmolean Museum on Beaumont Street, Oxford, England, is the world's first university museum...
in Oxford held a retrospective exhibition of his work. Some of his paintings are still on permanent display at the museum. In 1984 the Oxfordshire County Council
Oxfordshire County Council
Oxfordshire County Council, established in 1889, is the county council, or upper-tier local authority, for the non-metropolitan county of Oxfordshire, in the South East of England, an elected body responsible for the most strategic local government services in the county.-History:County Councils...
presented his work in an exhibition at the Oxfordshire County Museum in Woodstock
Woodstock, Oxfordshire
Woodstock is a small town northwest of Oxford in Oxfordshire, England. It is the location of Blenheim Palace, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.Winston Churchill was born in Blenheim Palace in 1874 and is buried in the nearby village of Bladon....
. His paintings are also held in national and international collections, for example at the Tate Gallery
Tate Gallery
The Tate is an institution that houses the United Kingdom's national collection of British Art, and International Modern and Contemporary Art...
(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...
, UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
), the Metropolitan Museum of Art
Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Metropolitan Museum of Art is a renowned art museum in New York City. Its permanent collection contains more than two million works, divided into nineteen curatorial departments. The main building, located on the eastern edge of Central Park along Manhattan's Museum Mile, is one of the...
(New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
) and the Dunedin Public Art Gallery
Dunedin Public Art Gallery
The Dunedin Public Art Gallery holds the main public art collection of the city of Dunedin, New Zealand. Located in The Octagon in the heart of the city, it is close to the city's public library, municipal chambers, and other facilities such as the Regent Theatre.-History:The gallery was founded by...
(New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
).
Life
Turner was born at Black BourtonBlack Bourton
Black Bourton is a village and civil parish about south of Carterton, Oxfordshire. The village is on Black Bourton Brook, a tributary of the River Thames.-Churches:...
, Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....
. He was the eldest of three children, and had two younger sisters. His father died in 1791, and was raised during this early part of his life by his mother. In 1803 he went to live with his uncle, also called Willam Turner. Initially they lived in Burford
Burford
Burford is a small town on the River Windrush in the Cotswold hills in west Oxfordshire, England, about west of Oxford, southeast of Cheltenham and only from the Gloucestershire boundary...
but in 1804 moved to the manor house at Shipton-on-Cherwell
Shipton-on-Cherwell
Shipton-on-Cherwell is a village on the River Cherwell north of Kidlington in Oxfordshire, England. The village is part of the civil parish of Shipton-on-Cherwell and Thrupp.-Manor:...
.
Because of his interest in drawing, Turner joined John Varley
John Varley (painter)
John Varley was an English watercolour painter and astrologer, and a close friend of William Blake. They collaborated in 1819–1820 on the book Visionary Heads, written by Varley and illustrated by Blake...
in London. In 1807 he had his first exhibition 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...
. He was elected as a full member of the Watercolour Society in 1808 and for the rest of his life participated in their yearly exhibitions.
In 1810 Turner returned to Oxfordshire. He lived in Woodstock
Woodstock, Oxfordshire
Woodstock is a small town northwest of Oxford in Oxfordshire, England. It is the location of Blenheim Palace, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.Winston Churchill was born in Blenheim Palace in 1874 and is buried in the nearby village of Bladon....
until 1811. After that he lived in and around oxford. In 1824 Turner married Elizabeth Ilott at Shipton-on-Cherwell and lived at London Road, St Clement's
St Clement's, Oxford
St Clement's is a district in Oxford, England, on the east bank of the River Cherwell. Its main road, St Clement's Street , links The Plain near Magdalen Bridge with London Place at the foot of Headington Hill at the junction with Marston Road to the north...
. From 1853 onwards he lived at 16 St John Street
St John Street, Oxford
St John Street is a street in central Oxford, England. The street mainly consists of stone-faced Georgian-style terraced houses. It was built as a speculative development by St John's College starting in the 1820s and finishing in the 1840s at the start of the Victorian era.At the northern end is...
in central Oxford.
In 1831 the parish church at Shipton-on-Cherwell was demolished and a Georgian
Georgian architecture
Georgian architecture is the name given in most English-speaking countries to the set of architectural styles current between 1720 and 1840. It is eponymous for the first four British monarchs of the House of Hanover—George I of Great Britain, George II of Great Britain, George III of the United...
Gothic Revival
Gothic Revival architecture
The Gothic Revival is an architectural movement that began in the 1740s in England...
church designed in a Decorated Gothic style by William Turner was built in its place.
Turner died at his home in St John Street, Oxford in 1862. A blue plaque
Oxfordshire Blue Plaques Board
The Oxfordshire Blue Plaques Board, established in 1999, is administered by the Oxford Civic Society. It oversees the installation of blue plaques on historic buildings in the county of Oxfordshire, England to commemorate famous residents and events...
marks the house where he lived. William and his wife are buried in Holy Cross parish churchyard at Shipton-on-Cherwell. In 1896 a memorial chancel screen was installed in the church, with a brass plaque reading "Erected in memory of William Turner of Oxford, Water Colour Painter and architect of this church."
External links
- Information from the Oxfordshire Blue Plaques BoardOxfordshire Blue Plaques BoardThe Oxfordshire Blue Plaques Board, established in 1999, is administered by the Oxford Civic Society. It oversees the installation of blue plaques on historic buildings in the county of Oxfordshire, England to commemorate famous residents and events...
- Paintings in the Tate GalleryTate GalleryThe Tate is an institution that houses the United Kingdom's national collection of British Art, and International Modern and Contemporary Art...
- Artist search information
- Oxford from Hinksey Hill by William Turner
- View of University Park Looking Towards New College, Oxford by William Turner in the Metropolitan Museum of ArtMetropolitan Museum of ArtThe Metropolitan Museum of Art is a renowned art museum in New York City. Its permanent collection contains more than two million works, divided into nineteen curatorial departments. The main building, located on the eastern edge of Central Park along Manhattan's Museum Mile, is one of the...
, New York CityNew York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...