Joseph Mallord William Turner
This sequence of bright, expressive watercolors depicts progressive stages of a terrible fire that broke out at the Tower of London on the night of 30 October 1841, shortly after Turner’s return from Switzerland. News of the fire reached him quickly, and he was able to witness its devastating effects first-hand. The fire, which burned fiercely at the Tower for several days, destroyed the Grand Storehouse and the Small Armory. It is thought that some sixty thousand objects were lost; mercifully, no gunpowder had been stored within the Tower's walls, and the Crown Jewels housed nearby could be saved. Nevertheless, it was regarded as a national calamity.
The works belong to a larger group of nine closely related images that were once part of the same sketchbook, before later being separated into individual sheets. Turner folds dramatically contrasting hues of warm and cold colors into each other, sky and water competing with flame and smoke. Given the situation, and the amount of light that would have been available to him, it is assumed that he made the studies soon afterwards in the more tranquil setting of his London studio.
This painting, originally from the Tate collection, is in Vienna until 24 January 2021, in the Beethoven Moves exhibition at the Kunsthistorisches Museum. The exhibition gathers amazing pieces of art and much more, all of which are brought into dialogue with the music and persona of Beethoven.
P.S. We would like to take you for some painterly armchair travel; sit back, relax, and enjoy London landmarks in paintings! <3
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