Upper Fall of the Reichenbach: Rainbow 1810

Curator: Take a look at J.M.W. Turner's "Upper Fall of the Reichenbach: Rainbow," created around 1810. It's a watercolor capturing the majesty of the Swiss Alps. Editor: It feels overwhelmingly… ethereal. The waterfall almost dissolves into mist, and the rainbow is a ghostly presence. Curator: Turner was fascinated with depicting natural forces, particularly how water transforms landscapes. It’s interesting to consider the pigments available at the time, how he built up those washes to create such atmosphere with rudimentary tools. And how the burgeoning tourist trade shaped his travels, with wealthy patrons eager for dramatic alpine scenes. Editor: Agreed. But the composition is also brilliant, with the rock face dominating the left and drawing the eye upwards toward an indistinct, almost apocalyptic sky. The strategic placement of the tiny figures and the grazing animals along the bottom highlights our human insignificance relative to this natural spectacle. Note the textures, how he handles the surface of the rock. Curator: Absolutely. It also speaks to Romanticism’s idealization of nature as both a source of awe and terror, marketable at the time with increased consumerism. Turner carefully chose his vantage points, shaping the viewer's experience and feeding the art market. Consider also how paper making at that time impacted the accessibility of the medium. Editor: See how light permeates everything; how color saturation creates depth and dynamism! It conveys so perfectly this feeling of the Sublime. Curator: Exactly. This landscape speaks volumes about emerging class structures, industrial advancements, and new forms of travel as well as how art helped codify them. Editor: It seems his brilliant, sweeping compositions conceal so much intentional technical and philosophical work underneath. Curator: Right; seeing it this way allows us a broader understanding about both the creation and the reception of Turner’s landscape at that historical moment.