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The Great British Art Tour: Turner brings to life an apocalypse – from the safety of his studio

With public art collections closed we are bringing the art to you, exploring highlights from across the country in partnership with Art UK. Today’s pick: Liverpool’s Eruption of the Soufrière Mountains by JMW Turner

At time of writing, scientists are monitoring increased seismic activity at La Soufrière volcano on the Caribbean island of St Vincent, which could erupt at any time. The last major eruption of St Vincent was in 1979, the eruption before that, in 1902 , killed more than 1,500 people. And before that there was the eruption of 1812. Of course, there are no photos of this earlier scene of destruction but we have a painting of it by JMW Turner.

Turner presents us with spectacular pyrotechnics of flames and molten lava shooting upwards, lighting up the night sky and the billowing clouds of sooty smoke. Scorching missiles fired from the crater flare then fall. The foreground is silhouetted against dazzling light and we see a small boat ferrying a few vulnerable souls away from the deadly assault. It is a scene that is both sublime and terrible.

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from Culture | The Guardian https://ift.tt/2Ym3EZM
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