Oil paint on canvas
Isle of Wight
Tate Collection
Works with images
Works on loan
Joseph Mallord William Turner
Turner Bequest
Oil paintings
Collection
Turner owned by Tate
<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>
Sea and Sky Isle Wight
Accepted by the nation as part of the Turner Bequest 1856
cloud
England
England, South East
England, Southern
Isle of Wight
places
sea
seascapes and coasts
UK counties
UK countries and regions
wave
weather
painting oil paint canvas
4 September 2004 – 9 January 2005
2005-01-09
4 September 2004 – 9 January 2005
2005-01-09
2004-09-04
Statens Museum for Kunst (Copenhagen, Denmark)
2004-09-04
Turner and Constable and their European Contemporaries
Loan-out
10 April 2006 – 12 March 2007
2007-03-12
Tate Britain (London, UK)
http://www.tate.org.uk/britain/
2006-04-10
Impressions and Ideas Turner's Oil Sketches and Studies
Collection based display
5 August 2010 – 17 April 2012
2012-04-17
5 August 2010 – 17 April 2012
2012-04-17
2010-08-05
Tate Britain (London, UK)
http://www.tate.org.uk/britain/
2010-08-05
Constable: Sketching from Nature
Collection based display
14 April 2012 – 27 March 2013
2013-03-27
14 April 2012 – 27 March 2013
2013-03-27
2012-04-14
Tate Britain (London, UK)
http://www.tate.org.uk/britain/
2012-04-14
Constable / Turner
Collection based display
16 April 2013 – 30 June 2013
2013-06-30
16 April 2013
2013-04-16
Tate Britain (London, UK)
http://www.tate.org.uk/britain/
2013-04-16
Elements of Nature
Collection based display
28 October 2023 – 10 March 2024
2024-03-10
28 October 2023 – 10 March 2024
2024-03-10
2023-10-28
Stadtische Galerie im Lenbachhaus (Munich, Germany)
2023-10-28
Turner at Lenbachhaus Munich
Loan-out
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)
1 June 2026 – 1 October 2026
2026-10-01
2026-06-01
External
15 November 2026 – 15 March 2027
2027-03-15
2026-11-15
External
1 May 2027 – 1 September 2027
2027-09-01
2027-05-01
External
15 October 2027 – 15 January 2028
2028-01-15
2027-10-15
External
2024-07-06
Turner's Sublime Legacy
Tate partnerships & programmes
Study of Sea and Sky, Isle of Wight
support: 321 × 502 × 10 mm
frame: 514 × 694 × 98 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>
The linen canvas is generally in good condition although its turn-over edges are no longer extant. The oil paint is generally thinly painted onto a creamy white, oil based ground which is also thinly applied, thereby allowing the canvas weave texture to show. There are, however, localised areas of impasted paint in which the brushmarks are clearly visible. Turner has also scratched vigorously into the paint possibly with the end of his brush or a palette knife. There is a small patch of paint in the bottom with a canvas imprint. It is likely that this occurred in Turner's studio as he stacked wet paintings against one another.
</p>
<p>
The craquelure pattern in the paint and ground is not general but rather seems to have occurred as a result of mechanical impact from the reverse and the canvas moving against the cross member.
</p>
<p>
This painting may have lost glazes as a result of over cleaning in the past. Some of the impasto has also been flattened in the lining process. Otherwise losses to the paint and ground are very small and few and its condition is good. The painting does, however, have a somewhat dull appearance. This can be attributed in part to a dulling and darkening of the varnish. Fairly extensive mould staining as well as ingrained varnish/dirt residues in the interstices of the impasted paint certainly contributes to this effect.
</p>
<p>
Elisabeth Reissner<br/>
April 2000
</p>
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Technique and condition
2001-08-10T00:00:00
technique-and-condition
TECHNIQUE_AND_CONDITION_TEXT
<p>[from]<b> Nos. 260–8: Cowes Sketches, 1827 </b>[<a class="acno-pop" data-gtm-destination="page--artwork" data-gtm-name="body_text_link" href="https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/turner-sketch-for-east-cowes-castle-the-regatta-starting-for-their-moorings-no-1-n01998" title="View the details of this artwork"><span>N01998</span></a>-<a class="acno-pop" data-gtm-destination="page--artwork" data-gtm-name="body_text_link" href="https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/turner-study-of-sea-and-sky-isle-of-wight-n02001" title="View the details of this artwork"><span>N02001</span></a>]</p>
<p>TURNER revisited the Isle of Wight in late July and August 1827, staying with the architect John Nash at East Cowes Castle. In an undated letter he asked his father to send one or if possible two pieces of unstretched <a class="glossarylinktopopup" data-gtm-destination="article-page" data-gtm-name="body_text_link" href="http://www.tate.org.uk/learn/online-resources/glossary/c/canvas" title="Glossary definition for 'Canvas'"><span>canvas</span></a>, either a piece measuring 6 ft by 4 ft or a ‘whole length’, and it was on a 6 ft by 4 ft canvas, cut into two, that he painted these nine sketches. The 1854 Schedule of the Turner Bequest listed, under nos. 203 to 206, 207 to 210, 211 to 214, and 215 to 218, four ‘Roll[s] containing 4 subjects’. Despite the fact that one of the Cowes canvases contained five sketches the two rolls were probably among these four. They were rediscovered at the National Gallery in 1905 and divided into separate pieces. One roll contained Nos. 260 [<a class="acno-pop" data-gtm-destination="page--artwork" data-gtm-name="body_text_link" href="https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/turner-sketch-for-east-cowes-castle-the-regatta-beating-to-windward-no-1-n01995" title="View the details of this artwork"><span>N01995</span></a>], 262 [<a class="acno-pop" data-gtm-destination="page--artwork" data-gtm-name="body_text_link" href="https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/turner-sketch-for-east-cowes-castle-the-regatta-beating-to-windward-no-3-n01993" title="View the details of this artwork"><span>N01993</span></a>], 264 [<a class="acno-pop" data-gtm-destination="page--artwork" data-gtm-name="body_text_link" href="https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/turner-sketch-for-east-cowes-castle-the-regatta-starting-for-their-moorings-no-2-n02000" title="View the details of this artwork"><span>N02000</span></a>], 266 [<a class="acno-pop" data-gtm-destination="page--artwork" data-gtm-name="body_text_link" href="https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/turner-between-decks-n01996" title="View the details of this artwork"><span>N01996</span></a>] and 268 [<span>N02001</span>] and the other Nos. 261 [<a class="acno-pop" data-gtm-destination="page--artwork" data-gtm-name="body_text_link" href="https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/turner-sketch-for-east-cowes-castle-the-regatta-beating-to-windward-no-2-n01994" title="View the details of this artwork"><span>N01994</span></a>], 263 [<span>N01998</span>], 265 [<a class="acno-pop" data-gtm-destination="page--artwork" data-gtm-name="body_text_link" href="https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/turner-sketch-for-east-cowes-castle-the-regatta-starting-for-their-moorings-no-3-n01997" title="View the details of this artwork"><span>N01997</span></a>] and 267 [<a class="acno-pop" data-gtm-destination="page--artwork" data-gtm-name="body_text_link" href="https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/turner-shipping-off-east-cowes-headland-n01999" title="View the details of this artwork"><span>N01999</span></a>].</p>
<p>No record was made of the placing of the sketches on the two rolls on canvas, but to a certain extent this can be reconstructed. On the first roll the two largest sketches, Nos. 264 [<span>N02000</span>] and 262 [<span>N01993</span>], were one above the other, flanked on the left by Nos. 266 [<span>N01996</span>], 260 [<span>N01995</span>] (both upside down) and 268 [<span>N02001</span>]. On the other Nos. 267 [<span>N01999</span>] and 263 [<span>N01998</span>] were at the top, Nos. 265 [<span>N01997</span>] and 261 [<span>N01994</span>] below; No. 261 [<span>N01994</span>] was definitely to the right of No. 265 [<span>N01997</span>], and No. 267 [<span>N01999</span>] seems to have been above No. 265 [<span>N01997</span>].</p>
<p>It has been suggested by Graham Reynolds that at least some of these sketches were painted on the spot, though the practical difficulties, especially when the artist was out at sea, would have been considerable. As Evelyn Joll has suggested, a clue as to where Turner may have done the sketches is given by the sketch <i>Between Decks</i> (No. 266 [<span>N01996</span>]). This appears to have been painted a board a man-of-war and there seems no reason why Turner could not have painted the sketches of yachts racing from a ship anchored of Cowes Roads. If so, Turner's vantage point would seem to have been on a ship rather further offshore than the guardship that can be seen in Nos. 242, 261 [<span>N01994</span>] and 262 [<span>N01993</span>]. It is interesting that the three sketches for <i>The Regatta beating to Windward</i> would seem to have been painted alternately on each roll, No. 260 [<span>N01995</span>] on the first, No. 261 [<span>N01994</span>] on the second, and No. 262 [<span>N01993</span>] again on the first; this could have been to allow an assistant time to adjust the roll for a new sketch.</p>
<p>The ‘Windsor and Cowes’ sketchbook (CCXXVI) contains <a class="glossarylinktopopup" data-gtm-destination="article-page" data-gtm-name="body_text_link" href="http://www.tate.org.uk/learn/online-resources/glossary/d/drawing" title="Glossary definition for 'Drawing'"><span>drawings</span></a> of boats racing, boats at anchor, views of the coast and figure studies, though none directly related to the oil sketches, which to a certain extent supports the suggestion that they were done on the spot. It also contains a list of the boats with their names, the names of their owners, and their colours, showing just how detailed was Turner's interest in the Regatta (CCXXVI-80 <a class="glossarylinktopopup" data-gtm-destination="article-page" data-gtm-name="body_text_link" href="http://www.tate.org.uk/learn/online-resources/glossary/r/recto-verso" title="Glossary definition for 'Recto / Verso'"><span>verso</span></a>).</p>
<p>The two groups of sketches of the Regatta were used for the pictures commissioned by John Nash and exhibited the following year (see Nos. 242 and 243). The other three, including <i>Between Decks</i>, were not used for more finished pictures.</p>
<p><b>Lit.</b> MacColl 1920, pp. 31–3; Reynolds 1969<sup>2</sup>, pp. 67–72.</p>
<p><b>268. </b>[<span>N02001</span>]<b> Study of Sea and Sky, Isle of Wight</b> 1827</p>
<p>THE TATE GALLERY, LONDON (2001)</p>
<p>Canvas, 12 × 19 1/8 (30·5 × 48·5)</p>
<p><b>Coll.</b> Turner Bequest 1856 (? one of 203–18; see p. 159); transferred to the Tate Gallery 1919.</p>
<p><b>Exh.</b> New Zealand (5), Australia and South Africa (55) 1936—9; Rotterdam 1955 (54); R.A. 1974–5 (319).</p>
<p><b>Lit.</b> Rothenstein and Butlin 1964, p. 39; Reynolds 1969<sup>2</sup>, p. 72.</p>
<p>One of the five sketches on the first roll of canvas used at Cowes in 1827, this may well be Turner's first oil <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/painting" title="Glossary definition for 'Painting'"><span>painting</span></a> concentrating on the two elements, sea and sky. The coast can just be seen on the horizon.</p>
<p><b>Published in:</b>
<br/>Martin Butlin and Evelyn Joll, <i>The Paintings of J.M.W. Turner</i>, revised ed., New Haven and London 1984</p>
<p></p>
<p></p>

Catalogue entry
2004-09-23T00:00:00
catalogue-entry
CATALOGUE_ENTRY
cloud England England, South East England, Southern Isle of Wight places sea seascapes and coasts UK counties UK countries and regions wave weather