Matthew Plampin

… ‘A plain, uninteresting youth’: the beginnings of JMW Turner

JMW Turner is one of our most renowned artists, and famously designed and built a house on the river in Richmond where he produced some of his finest work, away from the pressures of the London art world. Much is known of Turner’s success, but what of his humble origins? Art historian Matthew Plampin’s latest novel, Will & Tom, offers a profound glimpse into the early life of Turner, his modest upbringing, fervent work ethic and his rivalry with the now obscure artist Tom Girtin. This talk concerns the opening years of Turner’s career, up until he attained full membership of the Royal Academy in 1802.

Matthew Plampin will explore the character of Turner’s early work, and his first tours around the country; his testing, often desperate domestic circumstances; the friendships and alliances – and enmities – that helped to shape his painting, and bring about the emergence of this awkward, secretive, irritable young man as one of the great figures of British art.