It is a matter of contention stating exactly where the first industrial revolution in the world took place, but as it outlined in the Land of Oak and Iron, there is a good case to be made that North East England was the main crucible of the world-changing events that took place in the 18th and 19th centuries. It is therefore all the more appropriate then that the Laing Art Gallery in Newcastle currently has an exhibition about the work of JMW Turner (1775-1851), within the framework of the industrial revolution, which Turner was surrounded by and which he addressed in his work.
At the beginning of the exhibition, we see a painting called Pembury Mill, which Turner painted around 1796 as a very young man. This is an interesting starting point as it shows that Turner as a young man was interested in the power of water, giving a continuous theme to his work as he would go on to explore this theme and the changes in this form of power over his lifetime.
The exhibition also has a continuous theme, that of linking Turner’s work with the North East and we see paintings of Warkworth and Dunstanburgh Castles created when Turner visited Northumberland in 1797. Indeed he was aid to have painted Bamburgh, Warkworth and Dunstanburgh Castles as well as Lindisfarne.
Altogether there are twenty Turner pieces on display and his response to the industrialisation of the world around him is well represented. Turner was greatly interested in this changing world around him. As the Tate puts it:
“As a young man, Turner made tours across Britain with his sketchbooks. He visited sites in Wales and northern England where he saw firsthand the impact of new manufacturing processes on the landscape and the people who lived and worked there. A handful of early drawings and watercolours show his fascination with industry.”
The Fighting Temeraire
The centrepiece of the exhibition, however, is Turner’s magnificent The Fighting Temeraire (1839), which is on loan from the National Gallery. One of Turner’s best known works, it is a wonderfully atmospheric tribute to HMS Temeraire, which is said to have played a distinguished role in The Battle of Trafalgar in 1805, won by the Royal Navy, led by Newcastle-born Admiral Collingwood. That is not the only North East link with the painting; the two steam tugboats that actually pulled the Temeraire, the Samson and the London, were manufactured in shipyards on Tyneside.
Other works in the exhibition
The exhibition is not only concerned with the work of Turner as it also contains excellent works by Bill Brandt, Chris Killip, L.S. Lowry, and James McNeill Whistler among others. There is a fascinating piece by Newcastle marine artist John Wilson Carmichael, named Newcastle from St Anne’s, showing the view of the east Quayside in 1835 and there is a watercolour by William Bell Scott, relating to the famous paintings Iron and Coal, commissioned for Wallington Hall. There is also a piece by Tom McGuiness, a member of the group of great County Durham artists miners, whose work documents the coal industry in a similar way to that of the work by Norman Cornish.
Britain’s heavy industry and the role of the North East
The exhibition brings us very much up to date, by demonstrating that not only did Britain’s heavy industry grow rapidly during Turner’s time, but also that this industry has subsequently declined and that the decline is still felt today, along with the consequences of the industry for the climate and wider environment. Indeed, it is noted in the exhibition that, “while coal defined the North East’s identity in Turner’s time, the new energy sector will grow, along with other areas of the economy” and that “whatever happens next, heavy industry remains an important part of the region’s heritage. It is ironic that Turner’s once cutting edge industrial landscapes and depictions of steamboats are perhaps now as likely evoke nostalgia for the days of heavy industry as his depiction of the Temeraire is for the age of sail”.
The exhibition is a reminder that the first industrial revolution was indeed a world-changing event and the siting of it in Newcastle acts as a commemoration of the huge role North East England played in that change. It can also be an inspiration for us to ensure that we play a similarly pivotal role in the new, green industrial revolution that is coming. Furthermore, the exhibition highlights Turner’s fascination with steam and smoke, the same smoke that we can now see has done so much to change our climate, heralding in the green industrial revolution. We are living through another era of great change, just as Turner was.
The exhibition is on at the Laing Art Gallery, until Saturday 7 September.
For more information about the exhibition please see here.
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