Alnwick Castle, Northumberland Watercolour JMW Turner
I've tended to shy away from watercolour painting as I believe watercolours lack the illusionistic qualities of oils. But this work by Turner which I saw some years ago at the Art Gallery of South Australia has me reconsidering. It is my favourite Turner watercolour, far more convincing to me than his Venice watercolours, due to its dark, mysterious, ethereal qualities.
Painted around 1829, it was part of a large series of watercolours produced by Turner for Charles Heath's "Picturesque Views In England & Wales" which comprised 96 engravings after the artist's work. The engravings were poorly received by the public, resulting in Heath's bankruptcy.