Turner, Joseph Mallord William

One of Britain’s greatest and most innovative artists, Joseph Mallord William Turner (1775–1851) is best known for his luminous, atmospheric landscape paintings that helped usher in the Romantic era and laid groundwork for Impressionism. In addition to the paintings for which he was best known, he was also a skilled and prolific printmaker. Turner produced a significant body of engraved work over the course of his career, collaborating closely with leading engravers of the day. His most ambitious print project was the Liber Studiorum (1807–1819), a series of seventy-one mezzotint and etching plates that he designed to showcase different types of landscape compositions—historical, architectural, pastoral, and marine. He also contributed designs to several popular topographical and travel publications, including Picturesque Views in England and Wales, Rivers of France, and Southern Coast of England. Many of these engravings were based on his watercolours and reached a wide audience, greatly enhancing his reputation. Turner was deeply involved in the printmaking process, often supervising proofs and guiding the hands of engravers to ensure fidelity to his vision.