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Morning amongst the Coniston Fells, Cumberland
J. M. W. Turner·1798
Historical Context
Turner's Morning amongst the Coniston Fells, Cumberland from 1798, in the National Gallery, is one of his early Lake District landscapes that established his reputation as the most talented young landscape painter in Britain. The painting's ambitious scale and atmospheric complexity demonstrate Turner's determination to rival the grand-manner landscape painting of Claude Lorrain and Poussin while grounding his work in the direct observation of British scenery. The Lake District would remain one of his most important subjects throughout his career.
Technical Analysis
Turner captures the morning mist clearing from the mountain fells with atmospheric sensitivity that already transcends mere topographical recording. The warm palette and the carefully observed gradations of light through mountain haze demonstrate his precocious mastery of atmospheric landscape painting.
Look Closer
- ◆Notice the morning mist clearing from the fells: Turner captures a specific meteorological phenomenon — the daily clearing of overnight mist from mountain valleys — with the accuracy of close observation.
- ◆Look at the warm light breaking through: the first direct sunlight of morning creates the warm-over-cool color effect Turner loved, the orange warmth of the sun above the cool blue shadows of the mist.
- ◆Observe how the fell forms emerge through the clearing atmosphere: solid mountainous forms appear and disappear as the mist thins, making the landscape's revelation as much about time as about place.
- ◆Find the still lake in the valley: the mirror surface of the fell-side tarn reflects the clearing sky above, creating the vertical symmetry between earth and sky that Turner used throughout his landscapes.
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