William Turner - Snow Storm Tissue Paper

Snow Storm - Steam-Boat off a Harbour's Mouth, painted by Joseph Mallord William Turner in 1842 in oil on canvas, places a small steam-boat at the heart of a vast vortex of snow, waves, wind and smoke. The vessel is almost swallowed by the storm as sea and sky dissolve into sweeping arcs of grey, white and brown, making movement itself the subject. Turner repeatedly explored elemental vortices in his late work; here modern steam power appears fragile against the overwhelming force of nature. The almost abstract turbulence and radical handling of paint make the scene one of the clearest examples of Turner's late, visionary style.