Dr Selby Whittingham has shed new light on the circumstances of JMW Turner's mother, Mary. Responding to a recent letter in the Guardian, Whittingham argues that whatever mental illness Mary may have had was greatly exacerbated by the frustration of living in a mean Covent Garden lodging, a stark contrast to the comfortable Islington home of her youth and the prosperity of her relations. He has detailed these findings in various publications, including his latest for Turner 250: Happy Birthdays! JMW Turner and Prince George on Richmond Hill. A plaque now marks the site of Turner's uncle's house in Brentford, where the young Turner escaped the turmoil at home and, like Beethoven in Bonn, formed lifelong cultured friendships.
Paul Collins recalls a memorable encounter with artist Francis Bacon in 1969 at a Surrey health hydro, where Bacon was supposedly sent to dry out. Despite his awe, Collins found Bacon unaffectedly friendly. He drove Bacon to see the Turners at Petworth House, where a William Blake exhibition was also on display. Bacon dismissed Blake as an artist, preferring his poetry, but surprisingly showed little interest in the Petworth Turners, which he had not seen before. 'I prefer Constable,' Bacon said. The next day, he felt obliged to go to Guildford alone for a glass of burgundy.
Martin Argles notes that Constable's work is more than mere decoration, pointing to his Dedham Vale at the National Galleries of Scotland. The painting conceals a small, wretched hut and an old woman cradling a baby among rocks, highlighting countryside misery and poverty during the Enclosure Acts.
John Caperon praises Jonathan Jones's recent articles on Caravaggio and on Constable and Turner, following earlier concerns about Freudian interpretations of Millet.
