A Paddle-Steamer in a Storm on Lake Lucerne

A Paddle-Steamer in a Storm on Lake Lucerne

J. M. W. Turner, ca. 1841

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Artist: J. M. W. Turner (British, 1775–1851)
Medium: Watercolor, graphite, and scratching out on medium, slightly textured, cream wove paper
Size: Sheet: 9 1/8 x 11 3/8 inches (23.2 x 28.9 cm)
Museum: Yale Center for British Art
Rights: CC0 — no rights reserved

This iridescent, delicately toned watercolor’s setting is believed to be Lake Lucerne, where Turner spent many hours observing changing weather conditions. A band of blue-black rain clouds curves across the center of the image, while faint vertical brushstrokes evoke the downpour. A lightning flash — a figurative and literal gash in the surface of the paper — confirms the violence of the breaking storm. But the real focus of the image is the steamboat. A source of fascination to the artist, it is often interpreted as a symbol of modernity and human ingenuity. Here, however, it appears strangely vulnerable as it heads into the dark waters, the black smoke from its funnel drifting tentatively skyward.

Text: Yale Center for British Art.

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