Rain Steam and Speed the Great Western Railway - Essay Example

? Art and Its Context: Rain, Steam and Speed – the Great Western Railway by J. M. W. Turner Introduction The painting Rain, Steamand Speed – The Great Western Railway is an artwork by J.M.W. Turner, which was first exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1844, and is currently found among the collections preserved in London’s National Gallery (The National Gallery, 2013, n.p.). The painting is made on an oil canvas, with its dimensions being 91 ? 121.8 cm, and is currently located in Room 34 of the National Gallery in London (The National Gallery, 2013, n.p.). The painting depicts some form of a messy landscape, with a train approaching on a bridge placed on the right hand side of the painting, while the left hand side consists of another seemingly foot bridge for pedestrians, with seemingly a row boat and some little people on it (Murray, 1974, p.79). The painting has a complete difference between its right and left hand side, with the right hand side displaying a countryside, while the left side depict a smoky industrialised and fast-paced scene, with a train carrying either people or goods, passing through in speed (Meslay, 2005, p.133). It is a painting of an early morning train from London that is headed westward across the Thames River, right on the new bridge, while there is seemingly heavy storm that are sweeping down the valley, where the railway is cutting diagonally through the canvas, from the center to the bottom right corner (Meslay, 2005, p.133). Between the new bridge on the left and the old bridge on the right is the bank of the Thames River, from where some people on a row boat are seemingly cheering on the train as it passes over the bridge, a welcoming move of the new technology, a seemingly new phenomenon for the little crowd (Murray, 1974, p.79). On the right side of the railway, the painting depicts a team of men who are steadily making their way across the field, while a hare is seen racing ahead of the train in a dashing speed, within a combination of swirling golden, white and blue lights, amongst which the dark shape of the train emerges in a phenomenal and unstoppable move (Meslay, 2005, p.133). Rain, Steam and Speed - The Great Western Railway by J.M.W. Turner Source: nationalgallery.org.uk Analysis of the Interpretations, Approaches, Debates and Issues in Texts by Two Historians Meslay Olivier, in his work, JMW Turner: The Man Who Set Painting On Fire, and Michael Murray, in his work; Technology, and the Holy: Reflections on the Work of J. M. W. Turner, are two historians who have delved deeply into analyzing the artwork “Rain, Steam and Speed” by J.M.W. Turner. Both of the historians have congruence in the interpretation of the artwork by turner, in relationship to its meaning and relevance, but differ slightly in the aspect of interpreting the implications of the technology advanced by turner to the overall future of the earth’s cradle (Meslay, 2005, p.133). Therefore, while Meslay perceives the artwork by Turner as a combination of the benefits and warning of the effects of the technological advancement on the earth’s cradle, Murray does not have such a view, and only elicits the view of the artwork from the point of view of the benefits of the technology advanced by Turner. Nevertheless, the main point of congruence between the two historians is in relation to the factors that influenced Turners development of the artwork, where the two historians agrees that; considering that Turner was a widely travelled man, who was highly fascinated by the developments during the industrial revolution, as well as light and movements, the idea of the painting must have emanated from this fascination (Meslay, 2005, p.133; Murray, 1974, p.79). Therefore, the two historians concur that the painting, “Rain, Steam and Speed” by J.M.W. Turner, was a dramatic representation of the atmospheric effects to canvas, pitching both bad weather and positive element of overcoming the odds and continuing journey to civilization and modernity (Meslay, 2005, p.137). Meslay’s interpretation is that, Turner’s painting is a phenomenal combination of warm colors, to depict the welcoming change that the industrial revolution brought about, with the intention of taking the audience through the journey of technological inventions of the transport sector, in the early 19th century (Meslay, 2005, p.133). The essence of the year that the exhibition of the painting was done, and the exact region that the painting depicts, according to Meslay, is to capture the real sense of the advent of the revolutionizing technological advancement that has come to completely change the world. The painting displays a railroad that is connecting Maidenhead to Tuplow on the west of the London city, which were the very first establishments inspired by the industrial revolution (Meslay, 2005, p.135). The painting has captured the essence of distributing the artificial invention of the railroad and the bridges that were constructed by man, through the virgin natural setting, from the core of the advancement and revolutionizing technological change in the heart of London, through the escarpments, valleys and jungles, to tell a story of how the industrial revolution and technological advancement in the transport sector, most especially the railway, spread through the globe, to continents far away from where the revolution first occurred (Meslay, 2005, p.133). Murray’s interpretation is similarly concurring, with an observation that the painting clearly depicts that speed changes the man’s relationship to the earth, with the intention of Turner’s painting being to show that man no longer needs to trudge across the field or even to row the boat down the river in order to effectively arrive at his destination (Murray, 1974, p.79). It is Murray’s view, that the painting is an authoritative gesture, telling man that the freedom to move has now come, where man can now choose his own place in the world, since the possibility of cutting across the globe through jungles, rivers and mountains, to the very bit of the uncharted lands in the world has now been made possible (Murray, 1974, p.82). Therefore, according to Murray, man can now conquer the world, with the help of the freedom brought about by the improved tempo of movement, and the ability to alter the time consumed in transport, to arrive at whichever destination man feels necessary. Thus, Murray interprets Turners painting as a delightful mark of the beginning of the freedom of man to improve life, through venturing and adventuring the world, courtesy of the freedom that has now been brought about by the technological advancement, allowing man to move at a higher speed, and to distances that were previously unimaginable and impractical through any other means of transport (Murray, 1974, p.80). Simply put, Murray is hailing the painting as the sure capture of the moment that industrial revolution brought about change that made man realize the dreams, which remained for centuries just that; dreams (Murray, 1974, p.79). It is a painting announcing the breakthrough in the human revolution that allows man to integrate the world through speed and movement, and to realize the potential that was previously locked by the lack of any possible means for man to traverse the world (Murray, 1974, p.83). According to Murray, Turner was able to capture the essence of the technological advancement in transport through the painting, in a way that cannot be matched by any other painter. In simple words, Turner’s painting, is meant to tell the world that real change has come, and there is no longer any place on earth that man cannot possibly reach, since the ability to traverse the world, continents and regions has been realized starting from the core of the industrial revolution in Maidenhead and Tuplow, the very first phenomenal establishments of industrial revolution, to continents far away (Meslay, 2005, p.134). Therefore, despite the fact that the rails are not evidently conspicuous in the painting, the barely visible steel ribbons have been applied to show the victory of overcoming the limitations of movement by man, and thus according to Murray, and in his own words, “time, distance and delay are abolished” (Murray, 1974 p80). Meslay applies his mind to further assess the essence of the different component of the painting by Turner, with the first element that he is looking at, being the essence of the bridges displayed in the painting. Meslay observes that the application of the two bridges in the painting, the new bridge in the left through which the train is crossing the Thames River, and the small olden bridge on the right through which people pass through, is a contrast of the smoothing nature of the technological advancement in the transport industry, to portray that in the new era that has been opened up by the industrial revolution, man has been granted tools for the conquest of space and time, and thus his life is now defined by unrestricted scope (Meslay, 2005, p.135). Further, Meslay interprets the presence of the bridge in the painting to mean that from whichever point of view of modernity that man perceives, it is apparent that any gap, distance or the geographical expanse of the jungle or water can now be easily abridged, with the new power that man has been granted to traverse the world and make the most out of it, through the elimination of the previous hindrances of time and space that restricted man’s abilities (Meslay, 2005, p.136). Similarly, Murray concurs with the interpretation by Masley, through further applying his mind to elaborate on the essence of the different components of the painting, with a major focus on the arrangement of the components. Murray observes that in the whole of the painting, there is not apparent appearance of the earth, and it only appear by suggestion, considering that even the railway bars, which are fixed on the earth are barely visible (Murray, 1974, p.80). This, according to Murray, is the mere depiction of the elevated state of human life, courtesy of the technological advancement in the transport industry. Murray backs this interpretation, through observing that more than half of the painting is a depiction of the upper part, which belongs to the sky, a symbolism that man has advanced from the earth-stricken limitations, and now his capabilities, courtesy of the railway, are limitless and allows man to reach the highest point of capacity, represented by the sky (Murray, 1974, p.80). Differences in the two historian’s approaches However, there is an approach in the interpretation that is applied by Meslay, which evidently is missing in Murray’s approach to interpreting Turner’s painting. While Murray looks at the positive meaning of the painting, Meslay goes ahead to focus on the other side of the interpretation of the message relayed by the painting, in specific, the adverse effects of the technological advancements of man to the earth’s cradle (Meslay, 2005, p.138). According to Meslay, the presence of a dashing hare in front of the train, as well as the contrasting nature of the foggy and smoky left side of the painting from the clearer right side, represents the adverse effects of technological advancement on the earth’s purest form. The dashing hare that is closer to be clashed by the fast-paced train, is the representation of the conflict that technological advancement has created on the Mother Nature, which will amount to the destruction of the earth’s cradle (Meslay, 2005, p.138). Additionally, Meslay perceives the presence of a foggy and smoky left side, which sharply contrasts with the more clear right side, as an indication that industrialization is a component of environmental pollution and harm, which will eventually cause the destruction of nature, from its intended natural form depicted on the right side of the painting, which represents a countryside that is barely polluted (Meslay, 2005, p.137). Suggested alternative interpretation While making a case for the interpretations presented by the two historians in relation to the painting by Turner, it is important to agree that the interpretations by the two historians are accurate and insightful, thus creates no room for alternative interpretation, since both historians analyses the painting based on its holistic form, as well as in relation to its broken down components. However, the interpretation by Meslay is far more agreeable, since it also focuses on the negative message relayed by the Turner’s painting. Conclusion The painting, “Rain, Steam and Speed – The Great Western Railway” is an insightful capture of the relevance of the technological advancement brought about by the industrial revolution, focusing on the benefits and the adverse effects of such advancement. Turner’s painting has been able to capture the advent of the industrial revolution and advancement in the transport sector right from the core of the advancement in Maidenhead and Tuplow in London, to how it traverses valleys, jungles and countryside, to create a moment of celebrating the freedom to break the time, space and geographical limitations through the help of the freedom of speed and movement, created by the advancement in railway transport. Thus, Turner’s painting has combined the aspects of warm colors, landscapes, nature and artificial components to capture the moment of freedom, for man to break the limitations of realizing the dreams of venturing and adventuring into the world. References Meslay, O. 2005, JMW Turner: The Man Who Set Painting On Fire. London: Thames & Hudson Ltd. 133-140. Murray, M. 1974, Technology, and the Holy: Reflections on the Work of J. M. W. Turner. Journal of Aesthetic Education 8(2) pp. 79-90. The National Gallery. 2013, Rain, Steam, and Speed - The Great Western Railway: 1844, Joseph Mallord William Turner. Retrieved: December 6, 2013 from http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/joseph-mallord-william-turner-rain-steam-and-speed-the-great-western-railway Read More