See ‘J.M.W. Turner: Watercolor Horizons’ at Cincinnati’s Taft Museum of Art

The unmoving glacier fills the entirety of the valley, the magnitude of its icy blues demonstrated by the way it dwarfs a tiny bird flying by. A shepherd and his mountain goats graze in the rocky foreground beneath the pines. The painting, titled “Valley of Chamouni,” is watercolor work by renowned English painter Joshua Mallord William Turner (better known as J.M.W. Turner) and, like his other works, was inspired by his travels.

“Valley of Chamouni” is one of 12 watercolors on display in the in the exhibit “J.M.W. Turner: Watercolor Horizons,” which opens March 1 at the Taft Museum of Art. The exhibition coincides with 250 years since the birth of this artist, who was a pioneer of watercolor painting as a fine art.

“The [exhibit] title kind of has dual meaning,” exhibit curator Tamera Muente says. “Horizon of course is a literal horizon in a landscape, but also horizons as being sort of like new achievements. Turner really sought new horizons in the field of watercolor painting.” 

Watercolor was once considered the artistic medium of aristocratic women, who would use their skill to attract a husband and show suitors that they were well-rounded. Turner, who showed his first watercolor at age 15, developed the art form into something more, creating great detail by manipulating the amount of water used on the paper — like in his piece “The Whale on Shore” — or using his thumbnail to scratch details into the paint.

“The Whale on Shore,” about 1837, watercolor on paper; Taft Museum of Art, Bequest of Charles Phelps Taft and Anna Sinton Taft

Detailed watercolors such as these took advance thought, as the transparency of the paint created a need to work from a light palette to a dark one. In addition, the white space in works like “Valley of Chamouni” had to be reserved on the page, so the white of the paper could serve as the white of the glacier.

“Turner created [some] watercolors that were intended to be illustrated in books about travel and picturesque scenery and as illustrations for works of literature,” Muente says. “Those are two of the kinds of watercolors people will see in the show, and those are highly detailed. We are providing magnifying glasses so people can get a closer look at these works.”

In addition to the watercolors on view, two oil paintings are also on display. Both oil paintings and two of the watercolors are on loan from the Cincinnati Art Museum, while the remaining 10 are in the Taft’s permanent collection. This exhibition is the first time these works from the Taft have been on display since 2019, and it marks the first showing of all the Turner works owned by both Cincinnati museums in one place.

Art lovers will want to make the trip to see these works (the exhibition runs through June 15), as they are not on display very often. Because watercolors are sensitive to light and fading, they are placed in storage for about five to seven years between exhibitions.

“We wanted to bring them out this year because it’s the 250th anniversary of Turner’s birthday,” Muente says. “It’s a big anniversary that’s being celebrated in England as well as at other museums around the world.”

Two early 1800s-era watercolor boxes are also on display, including one that was possibly used by Turner during his life. These decorative boxes hold supplies that watercolor artists would use, such as watercolor brushes, cakes and other implements to help create these images.

“Jedburgh Abbey,” about 1832, watercolor on paper; Taft Museum of Art, Bequest of Charles Phelps Taft and Anna Sinton Taft

“[Turner] himself said he couldn’t describe his techniques,” Muente says. “He only pushed the paint around until he achieved the effects that he wanted. … It wasn’t something that he could have learned from someone, he was developing these techniques as he went along.”

The exhibit is housed in the collection galleries, which are located within the historic home part of the museum, where Charles and Anna Taft once lived. As visitors walk through, they will see how Turner’s travels in Scotland, Wales, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, France and other regions shaped his work, and may even be inspired to embark on their own great adventure.

“I hope [viewers] have a really tranquil and calming experience when they visit the show and maybe relate the works to their own life in some way,” Muente says. “Maybe they love the sunset, maybe they’ve hiked in the mountains before, and they can relate to that. Maybe these are the kinds of places they would love to visit someday.”

For more information about the Taft Museum of Art and this exhibition, visit taftmuseum.org

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