The Things I´ve Been Thinking about...

Joseph Mallord William Turner.
(1775 - 1851)

One of my favourite painters. And the observing his paintings in National Gallery was one of the highlights being in London for me. As well as St. Paul´s Cathedral where he is buried among many other special people. The great majority of his work is now at Tate Britain Gallery. I haven´t been there yet. But next time I go to London, it will be my first stop.

---

Something about J. M. W. Turner from the London National Gallery Site(http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/rg.uk/) :

Turner is perhaps the best-loved English Romantic artist. He became known as 'the painter of light', because of his increasing interest in briliant colours as the main constituent in his land- and seascapes. His works include water colours, oils and engravings.

Turner was born near Covent Garden in London and entered the Royal Academy Schools in 1789. His earliest works form part of the 18th-century topoghraphical tradition. He was soon inspired by 17th-century Dutch artists such as Willem van der Velde, and by the Italianate landscapes of Claude and Wilson.

He exhibited watercolours at the Royal Academy from 1790, and oils from 1796. In 1840 he met the critic John Ruskin, who became the great champion of his work.

Turner became interested in contemporary technology, as can be seen from "The Fighting Temeraire" and "Rain, Steam and Speed" (the picture above). At the time his free, expressive treatment of these subjects was criticised, but it is now widely appreciated.

---

If you are interested for more information (and pictures of paintings) you can visit these sites:

1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J.M.W._Turner

2. http://83.138.168.41/ixbin/hixclient.exe?submit-button=search&search-form=artist_record.html&_IXARTIST_=5944

---

James Thomson

(1834 - 1882)

James Thomson was a Scottish Victorian-era poet. He published under the pseudonym Bysshe Vanolis which was derived from the names of the poets Percy Bysshe Shelley and Novalis. He is often distinguished from the earlier Scottish poet James Thomson (1700–1748), by the letters B.V. after the name.

Other information about James Thomson and his work can be found here:

1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Thomson_%28B.V.%29

2. http://www.gutenberg.org/browse/authors/t#a569

---

THE VINE

by James Thomson

The wine of Love is music,
And the feast of Love is song:
And when Love sits down to the banquet,
Love sits long:

Sits long and arises drunken,
But not with the feast and the wine;
He reeleth with his own heart,
That great, rich Vine.

---