Bellinzona from the Road to Locarno

Artist Joseph Mallord William Turner (London, England, 1775 - 1851)

Date1843

Mediumwatercolour with scraping out on paper

ClassificationsPaintings And Drawings

DimensionsSight Size: Height: 29.2 cm, Width: 45.6 cm
Frame Size: 49.9 x 65.4 x 1.9cm

AcquisitionPurchased in 1960 with assistance from the National Art Collections Fund (Ramsay-Dyce Bequest) and with income from the Edmond Bequest and the Webster Bequest.

CopyrightOut of copyright - CC0

LocationOn Display - Gallery 07

Object numberABDAG003697

Keywords

About MeSwitzerland was the country for which Turner had an enduring affinity and he found its attractions irresistible. Nowhere is Turner's romantic vision of Switzerland more clearly expressed than in this late watercolour of Bellinzona, the castellated town that lies on the border with Italy in the Swiss canton of Ticino.

Central to the composition, Bellinzona rises through vaporous mists. The long diagonal of the bridge that crosses the River Ticino at its wide mouth into Lake Maggiore, leads the eye into the narrow valley. Glowing highlights deftly reveal where the sun catches the city walls and the Italianate towers.

More About Me

Collections Wall

With its fleeting brushworks, the unclear space, and its sketchy figure, the painting might fool you into believe it is from the early 20th century!

Exhibitions

Gallery 07 - Exploring Art