Gouache, graphite and watercolour on paper
St Gothard and Mont Blanc Sketchbook
St Gothard and Mont Blanc Sketchbook
Switzerland 1802
Switzerland 1802
Switzerland
Tate Collection
Works with images
Works on loan
Joseph Mallord William Turner
Turner Bequest
St Gothard and Mont Blanc Sketchbook
Collection
Turner owned by Tate
Catalogued Turner works on paper
<a href="https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/joseph-mallord-william-turner-558" aria-label="More by Joseph Mallord William Turner" data-gtm-name="header_link_artist" data-gtm-destination="page--artist">Joseph Mallord William Turner</a>
A Ravine in Pass St Gotthard
Accepted by the nation as part of the Turner Bequest 1856
Alps
countries and continents
gorge
landscape
mountain
natural features (non-UK)
natural phenomena
pine
places
shadow
St Gotthard Pass
sunshine
Switzerland
weather
wooded
<p>Turner made many dozens of sketches  of the dramatic and sometimes hostile Alpine scenery during his 1802 tour of Switzerland. This view of a deep gorge, one side drenched in sunlight and the other plunged into darkness, was made on grey tinted paper.</p><p>The initial pencil work, visible underneath the layers of paint, is vigorous, almost violent. Vivid layers of gouache have been used to convey the density and wildness of the mountainous landscape. Turner  has created highlights by physically scratching through the pigment to  the white paper below.</p><p><em>Gallery label, September 2004</em></p>
paper unique gouache graphite watercolour
12 August 2002 – 11 May 2003
2003-05-11
12 August 2002 – 11 May 2003
2003-05-11
2002-08-12
Tate Britain (London, UK)
http://www.tate.org.uk/britain/
2002-08-12
Turner Watercolours
Collection based display
4 June 2007 – 3 February 2008
2008-02-03
4 June 2007 – 3 February 2008
2008-02-03
2007-06-04
Tate Britain (London, UK)
http://www.tate.org.uk/britain/
2007-06-04
From Architecture to Landscape; Early Work
Collection based display
16 January 2015 – 3 July 2016
2016-07-03
16 January 2015
2015-01-16
Tate Britain (London, UK)
http://www.tate.org.uk/britain/
2015-01-16
Among the Mountains
Collection based display
6 July 2019 – 2 May 2021
2021-05-02
6 July 2019 – 13 October 2019
2019-10-13
2019-07-06
Kunstmuseum (Luzern, Switzerland)
http://www.kunstmuseumluzern.ch
8 November 2019 – 26 January 2020
2020-01-26
2019-11-08
LWL-Landesmuseum für Kunst und Kulturgeschichte Westfälisches (Munster, Germany)
http://landesmuseum.lwl.org
20 February 2020 – 7 September 2020
2020-09-07
2020-02-20
Frist Center for the Visual Arts (Nashville, USA)
15 October 2020 – 2 May 2021
2021-05-02
2020-10-15
Musée National des Beaux-Arts du Québec (Québec, Canada)
http://www.mnba.qc.ca
2019-07-06
The Sea and the Alps: Turner's Quest for the Sublime
Tate partnerships & programmes
16 October 2021 – 14 July 2023
2023-07-14
8 October 2022 – 5 February 2023
2023-02-05
2022-10-08
National Gallery of Ireland (Dublin, Ireland)
http://www.nationalgallery.ie
2021-10-16
Turner Watercolours: Sun is God
Tate partnerships & programmes
6 July 2024 – 15 January 2028
2028-01-15
6 July 2024 – 1 September 2024
2024-09-01
2024-07-06
Grimaldi Forum (Monaco, Monaco)
30 September 2024 – 7 May 2025
2025-05-07
2024-09-30
Museum of Art Pudong (Shanghai, China)
21 June 2025 – 5 October 2025
2025-10-05
2025-06-21
Queensland Art Gallery of Modern Art (Brisbane, Australia)
2024-07-06
Turner's Sublime Legacy
Tate partnerships & programmes
A Ravine in the Pass of St Gotthard
support: 317 × 475 mm
Accepted by the nation as part of the <a href="/search?gid=999999781" data-gtm-name="tombstone_link_bequest" data-gtm-destination="list-page--search-results">Turner Bequest</a> 1856
<p>
Turner made many dozens of sketches <br/>
of the dramatic and sometimes hostile Alpine scenery during his 1802 tour of Switzerland. This view of a deep gorge, one side drenched in sunlight and the other plunged into darkness, was made on grey tinted <a class="glossarylinktopopup" data-gtm-destination="article-page" data-gtm-name="body_text_link" href="http://www.tate.org.uk/learn/online-resources/glossary/p/paper" title="Glossary definition for 'Paper'"><span>paper</span></a>.</p>
<p>
 </p>
<p>
The initial <a class="glossarylinktopopup" data-gtm-destination="article-page" data-gtm-name="body_text_link" href="http://www.tate.org.uk/learn/online-resources/glossary/g/graphite" title="Glossary definition for 'Graphite'"><span>pencil</span></a> work, visible underneath the layers of paint, is vigorous, almost violent. Vivid layers of <a class="glossarylinktopopup" data-gtm-destination="article-page" data-gtm-name="body_text_link" href="http://www.tate.org.uk/learn/online-resources/glossary/g/gouache" title="Glossary definition for 'Gouache'"><span>gouache</span></a> have been used to convey the density and wildness of the mountainous <a class="glossarylinktopopup" data-gtm-destination="article-page" data-gtm-name="body_text_link" href="http://www.tate.org.uk/learn/online-resources/glossary/l/landscape" title="Glossary definition for 'Landscape'"><span>landscape</span></a>. Turner <br/>
has created highlights by physically scratching through the pigment to <br/>
the white paper below.</p>
<p>
 </p>
Display caption
2004-09-08T00:00:00
display-caption
DISPLAY_CAPTION
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Catalogue entry
2014-08-24T00:00:00
catalogue-entry-xml
TURNER_CATALOGUE_TEXT_WORK
Alps countries and continents gorge landscape mountain natural features (non-UK) natural phenomena pine places shadow St Gotthard Pass sunshine Switzerland weather wooded
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