CHAPTER L
1844: AGED SIXTY-NINE
HE EXHIBITS 'RAIN, STEAM AND SPEED,' AND TWICE TRIES TO CROSS THE ALPS ON FOOT
The Sketch-Books of 1844 tell the happy story of continental rambles, with flashes of humour, such as this written in pencil against a water-colour of 'Rockets': 'Coming events cast their lights before them.'
He is at Lucerne, Thun, Interlaken, Lauterbrunnen, Grindelwald, Meiringen, Rheinfelden and Heidelberg and each book has its numerous sketches.
To show how unwearyingly this veteran pursued beauty, I quote in full the titles of the drawings in the short 'Lucerne' Sketch-Book, which has not been broken up:--
Page 1. Lake and sky. Water-colour.
„ 2. do. do.
„ 3. do. do.
„ 4-9. Blank
„ 10. Lake and sky. Water-colour.
„ 11. do. Stormy weather. Water-colour.
„ 12. The Righi: storm clearing off. Water-colour.
„ 13. A Stormy sunset. Water-colour.
„ 14. The Rockets. Water-colour. Written in pencil in margin--'Coming events cast their lights before them.'
„ 15. The blue Righi. Water-colour.
„ 16. The red Righi.
„ 17. The rain, with rainbow. Water-colour.
„ 18. The rainbow. Water-colour.
„ 19. Clearing up a little. Water-colour.
„ 20. Still raining. Water-colour.
„ 21. The rainbow. Water-colour.
„ 22. A gleam of sunshine. Water-colour.
„ 23. Sunset. Water-colour.
„ 24. The Righi. Water-colour. (18 leaves drawn on.)
The exhibited pictures included that masterpiece in impressionism, 'Rain, Steam, and Speed.' Turner's whole life may be said to have been a preparation for this _tour de force_; all the knowledge that he had acquired, all the facts that he had accumulated, are used in this brilliant synthesis of the effect upon the eye of rushing movement through atmosphere. Has Claude Monet, who acknowledged the impulse he received from studying Turner in 1870, ever visualised movement, light and atmosphere in one impression, as did this wonderful Turner in his seventieth year? But though his power to express a fleeting vision was at its height in this picture, his ability to express his thoughts was as stumbling as ever, shown by the following--printed with other letters by Sir Walter Armstrong in his volume on Turner:--
'47 Queen Anne Street, _Dec. 28th,_ 1844.
'Dear Hawkesworth,--First let me say I am very glad to hear Mrs. Fawkes has recovered in health so as to make Torquay air no longer absolute, and that the Isle of Wight will, I do trust, completely establish her health and yours (confound the gout which you work under), tho' thanks to your perseverance in penning what you did, and likewise for the praises of a gossiping letter, thanks to Charlotte Fawkes, who said you thought of Shanklin, but you left me to conjecture solely by the postmark Shanklin--Ryde--so now I scribble this to the first place in the hope of _thanking_ your kindness in the remembrance of me by the Yorkshire Pie equal good to the olden time of Hannah's culinary exploits.
'Now for myself, the rigours of winter begin to tell upon me, rough and cold, and more acted upon by changes of weather than when we used to trot about at Farnley, but it must be borne with all the thanks due for such a lengthened period.
'I went, however, to Lucerne and Switzerland, little thinking of supposing such a cauldron of squabbling, political or religious, I was walking over. The rains came on early so I could not cross the Alps, twice I tried, was sent back with a wet jacket and worn-out boots, and after getting them heel-tapped, I marched up some of the small valleys of the Rhine and found them more interesting than I expected.
'Now do you keep your promise and so recollect that London is not so much out of nearest route to Farnley now ... Shanklin, and (I) do feel confoundedly mortified in not knowing your location when I was once so near you, for I saw Louis Philippe land at Portsmouth.--Believe me, dear Hawkesworth, Yours most sincerely,
'J. M. W. Turner.'
Another blow fell upon Turner this year. The Mr. Hammersley aforementioned visited him again in Queen Anne Street, and gives the following account:--
'Our proceedings resembled our proceedings on the former visit, distinguished from it, however, by the exceeding taciturnity, yet restlessness of my great companion, who walked about and occasionally clutched a letter which he held in his hand. I feared to break the dead silence, varied only by the slippered scrape of Turner's feet, as he paced from end to end of the dim and dusty apartment. At last he stood abruptly, and turning to me, said, "Mr. Hammersley, you _must_ excuse me, I cannot stay another moment; the letter I hold in my hand has just been given to me, and it announces the death of my friend Callcott." He said no more; I saw his fine gray eyes fill as he vanished, and I left at once.'
The loss of friends set his mind dwelling upon the past, and it was no doubt in gratitude to all he owed to Ruysdael that he painted and exhibited this year the vivacious sea-piece now in the National Gallery, which he called 'Fishing-Boats Bringing a Disabled Ship into Port Ruysdael.' Needless to say, there is no such port anywhere. He also exhibited the beautiful Approach to Venice' in the possession of Sir Charles Tennant; and--the old man twice tried to cross the Alps on foot, referred to in the above letter, which is almost as wonderful as painting a picture. It would seem that he really succeeded in the enterprise if 'passed' means 'crossed,' as in the 'Grindelwald' Sketch-Book, against a drawing of mountains, is the following scrawl:--
'No matter what bef [? befell] Hannibel--W.B. and J.M.W.T. passed the Alps from [? near] Fombey [?] Sep. 3, 1844.'