Winslow Homer
Winslow Homer was an American painter and illustrator whose scenes of the sea, rural life, and people in demanding settings span oil and watercolor.
Painter
J. M. W. Turner
J. M. W. Turner was a British Romantic artist known for landscapes and marine subjects, using expressive light and color to convey weather and atmosphere.
J. M. W. Turner quick facts
Turner transformed British landscape painting through changing studies of light, weather, and atmosphere in both oil paintings and watercolors.
| Full name | Joseph Mallord William Turner |
|---|---|
| Born | April 23, 1775 · London, England |
| Died | December 19, 1851 · Chelsea, London, England |
| Nationality | British |
| Movements | Romanticism |
| Paint types | Watercolor · Gouache · Oil paint |
| Other media | — |
| Other materials | — |
| Painting surfaces | Paper · Canvas |
| Painting methods | Layered watercolor washes and freely brushed oil paint for atmospheric light and weather effects |
| Common subjects | Landscapes, seascapes, storms, fires, architecture, ships, mountains, and atmospheric light |
| Notable works | The Fighting Temeraire, Rain, Steam and Speed, Snow Storm: Steam-Boat off a Harbour's Mouth, and Light and Colour (Goethe's Theory) |
Sources: Tate: Venice: The Rio di San Luca, Tate: The Burning of the Houses of Parliament, Tate: Snow Storm, and Tate: Moonlight, a Study at Millbank.
Paint types used by J. M. W. Turner
Collection records identify oil, watercolor, and gouache in J. M. W. Turner's work, with examples below linking each medium to named paintings and studies.
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Oil paint
Turner used oil for major harbor, landscape, and historical paintings. The National Gallery of Art records Keelmen Heaving in Coals by Moonlight as oil on canvas; its glowing lights and smoky atmosphere show how he used the medium to build a dramatic nocturnal scene. His watercolors on paper represent a separate, extensively documented practice.
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Watercolor
Watercolor was central to Turner’s studies and finished works on paper. In the Met’s The Lake of Zug, he laid transparent washes over graphite and used scraping to recover light. Tate’s Lake Como likewise documents watercolor on paper, showing the medium across both travel studies and carefully worked views.
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Gouache
Turner combined watercolor with bodycolor, or gouache, in works such as the Met’s The Lake of Zug. Opaque passages sit alongside transparent washes and graphite, while scraping and reserves help intensify reflected light. This layered use of gouache is distinct from watercolor alone.
Sources: National Gallery of Art: Keelmen Heaving in Coals by Moonlight, oil on canvas, The Met: The Lake of Zug, watercolor and bodycolor (gouache) over graphite, National Gallery of Art: Turner and Oberwesel, watercolor and gouache.
Painting surfaces used by J. M. W. Turner
Turner used paper for watercolors and studies and canvas for oil paintings, adapting scale and brushwork to each support for different effects.
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Paper
Paper was central to Turner’s watercolour practice, from compact travel studies to carefully worked views. Tate records Lake Como (1819) as watercolour on paper, while the Met catalogs The Lake of Zug as watercolor and bodycolor over graphite on paper. Together they show paper supporting both transparent washes and more layered mixed-media passages.
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Canvas
Canvas supports Turner’s oil paintings, including harbor and historical scenes. The National Gallery of Art identifies Keelmen Heaving in Coals by Moonlight as oil on canvas, and Tate records Chichester Canal on the same support. These differ from his watercolors on paper.
Sources: The Met: The Lake of Zug, Tate: Lake Como, National Gallery of Art: Keelmen Heaving in Coals by Moonlight, and Tate: Chichester Canal.
Painters similar to J. M. W. Turner
Explore painters linked to Turner through atmospheric landscapes, dramatic light, marine subjects, watercolor, and expressive treatments of nature.
Claude Monet
Claude Monet was a French Impressionist painter known for landscapes and repeated studies of changing light, color, and atmosphere across the seasons.