- William Turner (artist)
William Turner (12 November 1789 – 7 August 1862) was an English painter who specialised in
watercolour landscapes. He was a contemporary of the more famous artistJ. M. W. Turner and his style was not dissimilar. He is often known as William Turner of Oxford or just Turner of Oxford to distinguish him him from his better known namesake. Many of Turner's paintings depicted the countryside around Oxford. One of his best known pictures is a view of the city of Oxford fromHinksey Hill .In 1895, the
Ashmolean Museum in Oxford held a retrospective exhibition of his work. Some of his paintings are still on permanent display at the museum. In 1984, theOxfordshire County Council presented his work in an exhibition at theOxfordshire County Museum in Woodstock. His paintings are also held in national and international collections, for example at theTate Gallery (London , UK), theMetropolitan Museum of Art (New York City , U.S.) and theDunedin Public Art Gallery (New Zealand ).Life
Turner was born in
Black Bourton ,Oxfordshire . He was the eldest of three children, and had two younger sisters. His father died in 1791, and so was raised during this early part of his life by his mother. In 1803 he went to live with his uncle, also called Willam Turner. Initially they lived inBurford but in 1804 moved to the manor house atShipton-on-Cherwell .Because of his interest in drawing, Turner joined
John Varley in London. In 1807 he had his first exhibition at theRoyal Academy . He was elected as a full member of theWatercolour Society in 1808 and for the rest of his life participated in their yearly exhibitions.In 1810, Turner returned to Oxfordshire. He lived in Woodstock until 1811. After that he lived in and around oxford. In 1824 Turner married Elizabeth Ilott at Shipton and lived at London Road, St Clement's. From 1853 onwards, he lived at 16 St John Street in central Oxford.
Turner died at his home in St John Street, Oxford, in 1862. A
blue plaque marks the house where he lived. He is buried at Shipton-on-Cherwell in the churchyard with his wife. In 1896, a memorialchancel screen was installed in the church, which he designed, with a brass plaque reading "Erected in memory of William Turner of Oxford, Water Colour Painter and archiect of this church."References
* Nicola Lisle, A pastoral painter, "
Oxfordshire Limited Edition ", February 2007.External links
* [http://www.halarose.co.uk/blue/wturner.html Information] from the
Oxfordshire Blue Plaques Board
* [http://www.tate.org.uk/servlet/ArtistWorks?cgroupid=999999961&artistid=559&page=1 Paintings] in theTate Gallery
* [http://www.artistsearch.com/artists/TURNER_OF_OXFORD_WILLIAM.htm Artist search information]
* " [http://www.suffolkcards.co.uk/acatalog/HInkey_Hill.html Oxford from Hinksey Hill] " by William Turner
* " [http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/bwtr/ho_2000.242.htm View of University Park Looking Towards New College, Oxford] " by William Turner in theMetropolitan Museum of Art ,New York City
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