Turner The great watercolours

London's Royal Academy of Arts recently exhibited a large selection of Turner's "Great Watercolours," described in this catalog of the show as "finished"--works that were exhibited, purchased by collectors, or were models for engraving. The watercolors chosen (many from private collections) cover the range of Turner's long career and represent an exceptional display of some of the very finest works in English art. Concise and instructive essays by Shanes, Evelyn Joll, Ian Warrell, and Andrew Wilton, all experienced and respected Turner scholars, explore the art of the finished watercolor, the art market, period reactions to the completed product, and the influence of these paintings on some later artists. Shanes supplies the catalog entries, compiled with his customary interpretive zeal. Illustrations are abundant and almost exclusively in good, although somewhat muted, color; a number of the images should have been enlarged for greater effect. The annotated list for further readi ng is up-to-date and useful as is the chronology and glossary of technical terms. Endnote documentation. A fine overview of this key aspect of Turner's watercolor art. Recommended. General readers; undergraduates through faculty. W. S. Rodner Tidewater Community College

This lovely exhibition catalog, which accompanies a show at the Royal Academy of Arts in London on the finished watercolors of J.M.W. Turner, clearly demonstrates their importance to his oeuvre. Turner developed a loyal following of collectors through exhibitions of his watercolors at the Royal Academy around 1800 and the circulation of over 800 prints based on his paintings and watercolors. The legacy of his watercolors continued through the adamant support of critic John Ruskin and in their influence on the Pre-Raphaelites and others. Essays by Shanes, the founding editor of Turner Studies, and other Turner scholars explore many facets of his art. For example, Turner's working technique for his watercolors involved saturating the sheets of strong, rag paper with a single color and then scratching the paper for textured effects. A chronological catalog of all of the pictures in the exhibition is illustrated in color. This well-rounded examination of a great artist is highly recommended for all libraries with art collections. Sandra Rothenberg, Framingham State Coll. Lib., MA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.