It is said that ‘The beauty of Yorkshire’s landscape moved the great British painter JMW Turner to tears’. No surprise there then for Yorkshire folk who are lucky enough to live and travel in the county.
“Turner loved Yorkshire and visited around 70 places across the county, sketching and painting – a great example of dramatic and inspiring Yorkshire’s landscapes” Garry Verity Welcome to Yorkshire.
Considering just one location we can see JWM Turners abiding interest in Yorkshire. Hackfall Woods was famous as one of the finest and largest wild gardens in Britain where Turner’s many sketches resulted in two finished watercolours. Today it is much-loved hidden gem. In the car park, you could see a copy of Turner’s painting displayed alongside that of local artist, Ian Scott Massie who was commissioned to capture the same landscape three centuries later. More of Turner’s work is on display in the nearby Masham Gallery.
Turner has been the inspiration of numerous artists. His large body of work is a resource for both authors and painters much of which is controlled by the Tate Gallery. Jane Sellers talks of the painter William Cowen, who she tells us, “was born in Rotherham and became a drawing teacher in Sheffield.”