Joseph Turner Shipwreck Analysis

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Rossely Heredia
Professor Ryan Tullis
English 1101
01 June 2016
A Journey with an Uncertain Fate
Migrating far from home could be a very dangerous journey. In The Shipwreck painting by Joseph Mallord William Turner there is a clear exhibition of this statement. As it is known from history, back in the 1800s, a lot of people would travel overseas. In various occasions an ocean would prove unforgiving to the travelers. Such events are still happening these days since the elements still hold the power of nature, even though disasters like that are not as frequent as they used to be. As a result of such travels, some immigrants ended up stranded on islands with some of them not making it through to another day. The Shipwreck by Joseph Mallord …show more content…

The painting is an example of Turner's passion for the beauty of the sea through his entire life (Cory, Adams and Mackay). The dark tones of the painting act as a display of raging force of elements, the storm and a fury of the wind, - a true nightmare and a disaster for those that travel through the distant seas and leave their homes. It is not entirely clear if a painting has been inspired by an actual disaster and a shipwreck since this theme was so frequent in the time period of the painting's creation …show more content…

It shows that no one is safe and no one is immune to the dangers. A painting shows how fragile human life can be and tells of the woes always faced by immigrants and those who sail overseas in search of a better life and a change. The colors and the shadows form a complex constituent of emotions - anger, fear, loss, apprehension, hope, faith and a hand of fate that waves above it all. The brushstrokes are extremely accurate in their portrayal of a man against the rage of the elements. Using the light brush strokes, Turner could achieve the effect of lighting, as well as the movement and the realism of the action. There is a certain sense of movement both in the background, foreground and the centre of the painting, which allows a good focus upon the last efforts of the ship's crew. It also shows how men unite in times of trouble and how men are able to work together and cooperate through the most dreadful and shocking

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