Graphite, watercolour and gouache on paper
Fribourg, Lausanne and Geneva Sketchbook
Fribourg, Lausanne and Geneva Sketchbook
Switzerland
France
Tate Collection
Works with images
Joseph Mallord William Turner
Turner Bequest
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>
Geneva Fort lEcluse Seen in Distance Old Walls
Accepted by the nation as part of the Turner Bequest 1856
architecture
castle
cities, towns, villages (non-UK)
countries and continents
France
lake
Lake Geneva
landscape
Longeray, Fort l’Ecluse
military
natural features (non-UK)
places
rocky
Switzerland
water: inland
<p>Even though there are several watercolours of Geneva in the Turner Bequest, Ruskin's belief that recent developments had spoiled the city led him to exclude them from his 1857 catalogue. He did, however, make an exception of this view of Geneva from the old walls, which he considered, 'Entirely majestic and beautiful in conception.' Always keen to draw his reader's attention to Turner's technical prowess, he wrote, 'Observe how the bastion in the centre is drawn, owing its whole material existence to little more than the one gleam of light on its angle, obtained by a touch of the brush, through the wet colour, running a little of the tint to its edge, in a dark line which rounds the top of the wall.'</p><p><em>Gallery label, August 2004</em></p>
paper unique graphite watercolour gouache
Geneva: Fort l’Ecluse Seen in the Distance from the Old Walls
support: 229 × 292 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>Even though there are several <a class="glossarylinktopopup" data-gtm-destination="article-page" data-gtm-name="body_text_link" href="http://www.tate.org.uk/learn/online-resources/glossary/w/watercolour" title="Glossary definition for 'Watercolour'"><span>watercolours</span></a> of Geneva in the Turner Bequest, Ruskin's belief that recent developments had spoiled the city led him to exclude them from his 1857 catalogue. He did, however, make an exception of this view of Geneva from the old walls, which he considered, 'Entirely majestic and beautiful in conception.' Always keen to draw his reader's attention to Turner's technical prowess, he wrote, 'Observe how the bastion in the centre is drawn, owing its whole material existence to little more than the one gleam of light on its angle, obtained by a touch of the brush, through the wet colour, running a little of the tint to its edge, in a dark line which rounds the top of the wall.'</p>
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2004-08-18T00:00:00
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architecture castle cities, towns, villages (non-UK) countries and continents France lake Lake Geneva landscape Longeray, Fort l’Ecluse military natural features (non-UK) places rocky Switzerland water: inland
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