The Burning of the Houses of Lords and Commons, 16 October 1834

Turner's Burning of the Houses of Lords and Commons (1835) at the Cleveland Museum of Art records the catastrophic fire of October 16, 1834, that destroyed the medieval Palace of Westminster in a conflagration visible across London. Turner witnessed the fire from the south bank of the Thames, sketching it in watercolor on the spot, and quickly produced two oil paintings for exhibition. The subject was ideal for his mature style: the combination of destructive fire, reflections in the Thames, the London crowd watching, and the dissolution of familiar architecture into pure light and color gave him every element he needed. The Cleveland version is one of the most complete expressions of his late style, the burning buildings barely distinguishable from the luminous sky that surrounds them.

The fire's orange and yellow flames are reflected in the Thames, creating Turner's characteristic interplay of light on water. The buildings dissolve into flame and smoke, with the brushwork becoming increasingly free as forms merge with the conflagration's atmospheric effects.