Yale Center for British Art - April 11, 2007

Dort Dort or Dordrecht: The Dort Packet-Boat from Rotterdam Becalmed 1817-18
Oil on canvas (62 x 92 in.157.5 x 233.7 cm)

Artwork by Joseph Mallord William Turner (J.M.W. Turner)
Deborah R. Pratt

Professor Jerome Nevins

April 11, 2007

AH251: The Museum Experience

On April 11th, I went to the Yale Center for British Art, 1080 Chapel Street, New Haven, CT. This was another beautiful museum with huge paintings. I was told there were some other paintings, but they were on loan and they are larger than the ones I saw. The museum was under renovation the same time as the Yale Art Museum. The founder of the Yale Center for British Arts was Paul Mellon (1907-1999), and the museum is spearheading a celebration of the centennial of the birth.

The Yale Center for British Art will have a special exhibition showcasing his extraordinary collection of British art. Paul Mellon's Legacy: A Passion for British Art features nearly 250 treasures from the Paul Mellon Collection. There are several works that are not often seen by the public and include drawings and watercolors by: William Hogarth, Thomas Rowlandson, William Blake, and J.M.W. Turner.

The Paul Mellon Collection is one of the most widespread representations of the visual arts of a single culture ever assembled. Paul Mellon's Legacy demonstrates Mr. Mellon's unparalleled collecting activity in the field of British art. His art is arranged chronologically from the 15th Century to the early 20th Century, and the collection features certain themes in British culture, such as early exploration, architecture, sport, travel, fashion, and the natural world. The most important aspect of his exhibition is it also celebrates Mr. Mellon’s remarkable vision in creating an organization in North America that would serve as a public museum for British art and as a research institute of international repute, which is located here at Yale University.

Note: “Following its premiere at the Center, a selection of nearly 150 masterpieces from Paul Mellon's Legacy, including some of the Centers greatest paintings, will travel to the Royal Academy of Arts, London, where it will be on view from October 20, 2007 to January 27, 2008. This will be the first and only time that certain important works such as Turner's Dort or Dordrecht: The Dort Packet-Boat from Rotterdam Becalmed (181718) will ever leave the Center”.

The painting below was by an artist named Joseph Mallord William Turner. He was born in London on April 23, 1775, and educated at the Royal Academy of Arts. At the age of 15 he displayed his paintings at the academy and continued to show his work there until 1850. In 1799, he was elected an associate of the academy in and a full member three years later. During his career he traveled and toured England, Scotland, France, Switzerland, and Italy. J.M.W Turner's early paintings were mainly watercolors and his subjects mostly landscapes. His first oily paintings were exhibited in 1790, used vibrant colors. Turner is also one of the greatest masters of British "watercolour" landscape painting. He is also known as "the painter of light."

J.M.W.T. was an English landscape painter who was known for is natural light effects in land and marine subjects. During 1800-20 he painted many mythological and historical scenes. The colors and details were subdued, but more emphasis were put on details. He was influenced by the French landscape painter Claude Lorrain. During 1820-35 he chose to do more brilliant coloring and by diffusion of light. On December 19, 1851, Turner died in London.

Of course there were numerous paintings, but the painting that captured my attention was Boat from Rotterdam. I noticed the picture had a lot of neutral colors, with the exception of the Flag (has a swan), and the gentleman in the small boat has a red scarf hanging out of his back pocket. It also looks like a dreary day, no sun and plenty of clouds. The clouds, the city and the other boats in the background are not bold colors like the big and small boats. It looks like the larger boat was in route from the big city, which is behind them, and was not able to sail because there was no wind. There are no ripples in the water. Back then, of course, there were no engines. So they solely depended upon the sail. If you look at the lady, who is in the back of the rowboat, her hand is in the water along with paddles trying to move the boat along. I'm sure it's being weighed down along with the food. There are birds in the water, and it also looks like trash, however, it is food. Not sure if the food fell off of the boat accidentally or if the people were eating and discarded the trash overboard.

The true story behind this picture is "The Swan," which sailed regularly between Dordrecht and Rotterdam; while awaiting a change in the wind or tide, the passengers are buying food and drink from enterprising local people in rowboats. This picture was purchased by Paul Mellon in 1966.

Below are other pictures that were taken while I was there. It was a fun time, and I really enjoyed what I saw.