Shop art print and framed art Fort Vimieux by Joseph Mallord William Turner

Fort Vimieux is a painting by William Turner, produced in 1831, depicting an English ship on its side, lit by the setting sun. William Turner painted this canvas in 1831 following a visit to France, where he had gone for a project on the great rivers. He had sketched the coastline and the fort in his sketchbook in 1829. The historical episode depicted by Turner dates from 1805, when Napoleon had assembled a large fleet on the French coast to invade England. An English reconnaissance squadron approached the fort at Vimereux (in fact Wimereux), to encourage the French ships to leave their shelters"; the English ship shown was hit by the French batteries and ran aground, waiting for the tide to go out again". In this painting, Turner shows his lifelong love of the sea, his taste for seascapes and his mastery of light. The painting remained Turner's until around 1845, when it was bought by Charles Meigh of Grove House in Shelton, Staffordshire. He sold it in 1850 to Colonel James Lenox, who then donated his collection to the company that ran his library. It became the property of the New York Public Library, which sold it in 1956 to the father of the person who put it up for sale at Sotheby's in 2004. It is now back in a private collection. This painting, considered admirable, received an enthusiastic critical reception from its first exhibition, at the Royal Academy in London in 1831. The light, the ensemble and the bright red of the sunset were particularly [...]

 

This artwork is a painting from the classical period. It belongs to the romanticism style.

 

« Fort Vimieux » is kept at Private Collection.

 

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