About this artwork

Turner began to use blue paper in the mid-1820s. The cool tone and dense texture provided the basis for experiments with colour relationships. He often used intense colours and employed bodycolour – watercolour mixed with white pigment to make it opaque – to create dramatic highlights. This harbour view may depict Margate on the Kent coast in south-east England, one of Turner’s favourite places. A group of fishermen have gathered in the foreground and are unloading their catch. The earth tones of their clothing contrast with the shifting colours of the sea and sky.

Updated December 2022

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Joseph Mallord William Turner

Joseph Mallord William Turner