Near the Mouth of the Avon c. 1791 - 1792

Editor: Here we have Turner's watercolor, "Near the Mouth of the Avon." The delicate washes create such a dreamy atmosphere. What do you notice about the way Turner uses his materials here? Curator: I'm drawn to the relationship between the paper, pigment, and the depicted scene. Consider how Turner's use of thin washes, almost stains, replicates the very transient nature of light and atmosphere he's portraying. It isn't just about representing a landscape; it's about the materials *becoming* the landscape. Editor: That’s fascinating. I hadn’t thought about the materials performing the scene itself. Curator: Indeed. It pushes us to consider how artistic labor, expressed through material manipulation, shapes our experience and understanding of the natural world. Editor: Thanks, I’ll look at watercolors differently now.