The BBC documentary 'Turner: The Secret Sketchbooks' has drawn attention for its unusual choice of contributors, including Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood. Wood offers a critique of Turner's 1806 painting 'Fall of the Rhine at Schaffhausen', describing it as 'the epitome of drama' and 'very dramatic'. His comments have been met with mixed reactions, with some viewing them as unenlightening.
The documentary explores the 37,000 sketches left by JMW Turner, many rarely seen. It features art historians and present-day artists, alongside celebrities like Timothy Spall and Chris Packham. Packham, who is autistic, suggests Turner may have been neurodiverse, noting his 'hyperfocused' early sketches of buildings.
Turner's early life is examined, including the death of his sister and his mother's mental illness. Clinical psychologist Orna Guralnik speculates that Turner's painting 'Dolbadarn Castle' may reflect his trauma, with the distant castle representing the asylum housing his mother.
The sketchbooks reveal Turner's working-class roots, showing his financial planning to reduce prices of unsold paintings. However, the biggest revelation comes from explicit drawings of sexual acts, which evolve from crude depictions to more tender eroticism later in life, inspired by his relationship with Margate landlady Sophia Booth.
