"The Deluge" is an example of a landscape painting that deals with the biblical theme of the great flood. Biblical stories are not only dramatic, but were considered consequential and lofty. In this painting, anguished figures huddle in the foreground while others are already being carried off by floodwater amidst the furry of the storm. The painting style, with its dark colors and high contrast, conveys a severity appropriate to the horror of the scene. Turner's painting is modeled after an earlier work by Nicolas Poussin painted around 1660.
"The Plym Estuary" is one of Turner's early plein-air, oil sketches. It was painted on location during the artist's visit to Devon, England. The style is in keeping with traditional English landscapes. The scene is pleasant, the colors are tempered, and the painting gives a sense of solid landforms and the illusion of depth.
This famous Turner landscape is linked to an historic event. It is very different from the previous example in that recognizable objects are almost lost in the energy of light and color. Fire, a force of nature, is depicted as violent and out of human control. It is consuming government buildings, which represent the pinnacle of human reason, leadership and power. The tiny figures are completely engulfed by nature's fury.
"Sunset over a Ruined Castle on a Cliff" is a watercolor painting that exemplifies Turner's unorthodox use of color. Watercolor was used in China since the third century but was popularized in Europe by Turner's generation of painters. Instead of mixing colors, making them muted, it is clear that Turner applied pure colors, layering them without loosing the essence of each color. This painting also embodies the Romantic sentiment of nature pervading over the accomplishments of civilization.
"The Fighting Temeraire..." was voted "Greatest Painting in Britain" in a 2005, BBC/National Gallery poll. It was painted in 1839, the year after the incident occurred. Turner painted an event that other contemporary artists did not find worthy of painting. A gallant warship, The Tempaire, had defended Britain in a decisive victory against the French, in the Battle of Trafalgar, but was made obsolete by technological advances. Here it is being towed to its final resting place, a ship-breaker's yard in Rotherhithe, South London.