Description
An approaching storm disturbs the Lake of Thun, a distant lightning strike sending foreground figures toward cover. J. M. W. Turner gives the Swiss water a dramatic atmosphere, connecting the lake’s broad surface with the people near its edge. The bright flash and its reflection bring changing weather into the landscape’s structure, making the scene an encounter with conditions rather than a still topographical view.
Issued in 1808 for Liber Studiorum, the print combines etching, drypoint and mezzotint. J. M. W. Turner designed and etched the composition, with Charles Turner engraving and publishing it. The tonal technique gives the storm’s light a particular force against darker areas, allowing water, sky and figures to share one charged setting. The small people make the surrounding scale tangible without reducing the landscape’s power.
Read our guide to giclée prints or browse the J. M. W. Turner collection.
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