The art world is abuzz with excitement as the BBC Two program “Turner: The Secret Sketchbooks” explores the life and work of renowned British painter JMW Turner. The exhibition goes behind the scenes into Turner’s personal archives. It transports you into the stunning world of 37,000 sketches—most of them never before seen and never before filmed. This unparalleled access provided a rare window into the complexities of his deeply complex character. It further sheds light on what inspired him to create his most celebrated works.
JMW Turner’s early, prolific period was happening during his personal tragedy and brilliance. He was dealt a tough hand at life’s start. As early as eight years old, he was burying his little sister and his mother battled mental illness, dying in an asylum herself. It was these experiences that colored Turner’s worldview and stoked what some art critics labeled a febrile genius. His surviving original sketches reveal his fastidious preoccupation with detail. He is particularly good at portraying the built environment of Georgian London, the city of his childhood.
Chris Packham, who starred in “Turner: The Secret Sketchbooks,” describes Turner as “hyperfocused,” suggesting a potential neurodiversity that may have contributed to his artistic vision. Packham explores Turner’s relationship with the natural world. As he goes on to explain, what enthralls Turner is the rawness, uncontrollability and supreme power of nature that it conveys, the reminder of our own insignificance. This defined the sublime for him. “Rocks and Water—Acadia National Park, Maine This bond with nature would shape Turner’s artistic vision.
Turner’s Alpine adventure proved a pivotal moment in his artistic development. The beauty of these stunning environments seemed to give him a greater awareness of—or appreciation for—the awesome power of nature. These experiences lit the fire of his curiosity with the unbridled, uncontrollable forces of nature. This thematic preoccupation came to a head in his later works, where he tried to “brutalise nature”, in the words of Packham.
Turner’s 1806 painting, “Fall of the Rhine at Schaffhausen,” is an exhilarating example. It’s one of the greatest examples of his dramatic style. Ronnie Wood, reflecting on Turner’s sketches, compares them to rock songs evolving from smaller musical ideas, emphasizing their foundational role in his broader artistic narrative.
The film not only captures Turner’s grand and terrible story through his stunning sketches, but gives audiences a sense of his complicated, hard-edged personality. It exposes how profoundly personal loss and environmental inspiration defined his artistic legacy. He frequently draws on this duality of beauty and brutality when examining nature’s world. This theme acts as a through line for his overall mission as an artist.
Timothy Spall gives an Oscar worthy performance as Turner in Mike Leigh’s biopic Mr. Turner. This poignant depiction further secures the artist’s immense importance in cultural history. Spall’s performance painted a vivid picture of the man behind the canvas—honoring Turner’s artistic genius, while deftly showcasing his turmoil.
As “Turner: The Secret Sketchbooks” unfolds, audiences are invited to reflect on how Turner’s tumultuous past informed his artistic vision. The sketches beautifully depict nature’s beauty in tandem with her fierceness. They provoke audiences to consider their own connection to the natural world.