Alnwick Castle c. 1829

Joseph Mallord William Turner created this watercolour of Alnwick Castle. Turner was a Romantic painter, who lived during the late 18th and early 19th centuries, a time when the Industrial Revolution was transforming British society. The image is suffused with moonlight that gives the castle a fairy-tale, dreamlike quality. Turner was interested in evoking a sense of atmosphere and emotion, more than in topographical accuracy. A couple of deer stand to the left of the bridge. The deer introduce a notion of class, as they had been hunted on the vast lands held by the British aristocracy for centuries. Turner was known for his innovative techniques, such as using loose brushstrokes and layering washes of colour to create a sense of light and atmosphere. He was celebrated and criticised during his lifetime, but he is now recognised as one of the greatest British artists of all time. "I did not paint it to be understood," Turner once said, "but I wished to show what such a scene was like." Turner invites us to contemplate the legacy of British history and social hierarchy.