Rik Thistle Posted July 13, 2020 Share #1 Posted July 13, 2020 In June I watched Channel 5's (UK TV channel) programme on JMW Turner's masterpiece painting, The Fighting Temeraire. It's available on My5 catch-up till 2024.... https://www.my5.tv/great-paintings-of-the-world-with-andrew-marr/season-1/episode-3-fb5b7964-3461-4c0d-92f6-37738312b665 Turner has always been one of my favourite artists but I didn't appreciate the poignancy of the scene depicted in this particular painting. For a noobie model shipbuilder like me it brought home the significance of each and every ship build and their finite lives. Wiki summarises the gist of the programme ... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Fighting_Temeraire The Fighting Temeraire, tugged to her last berth to be broken up, 1838 is an oil painting by the English artist Joseph Mallord William Turner, painted in 1838 and exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1839.[1] The painting depicts the 98-gun HMS Temeraire, one of the last second-rate ships of the line to have played a role in the Battle of Trafalgar, being towed up the Thames by a paddle-wheel steam tug in 1838, towards its final berth in Rotherhithe to be broken up for scrap. The painting hangs in the National Gallery, London, having been bequeathed to the nation by the artist in 1851. In a poll organised by BBC Radio 4's Today programme in 2005, it was voted the nation's favourite painting.[2] In 2020 it was included on the new 20-pound note. It really is a great TV episode. Regards, Richard. PS: Has anyone ever build a model of the scene depicted in the painting? mtaylor, Gregory, Canute and 1 other 4 Quote Current build: U.S. Army K51 Radio Truck with K52 Trailer - 1944 - MiniArt - 1:35 Next build: PM Research Crank Shaper - late 1800s - 1:12 Part finished: HMS Flirt (MSE) - 1782 Vanguard Models - 1:64 Finished: Archer anti-tank gun Diorama - 1944 -Tamiya 1:35 : Churchill MkVII tank Diorama - Tamiya - 1:35 - 1944 : Sherman Firefly Tank Diorama - Revell - 1/76 - WWII : Humber MkII Scout Car Diorama - - Revell - 1:76 - WWII : PM Research Drill Press - 1895 - 1:12 : PM Research Milling Machine - late 1800s - 1:12 (est) : Stuart Engineering Lathe - late 1800s - 1:12 (est) : Stuart Beam model steam engine - 1770s onwards - 1:12 (est) : Stuart 10V model steam engine circa 1920s - 1:12 (est) : Lady Eleanor Fifie Circa 1900 - Vanguard Models - 1:64 : Dallas Cutter 1815 - Artesania Latina - 1:50 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Louie da fly Posted July 14, 2020 Share #2 Posted July 14, 2020 I have a reproduction of this painting waiting for a frame so I can put it up on the wall of my "shipyard". I agree, a very poignant scene. She was called the Fighting Temeraire (which means "Courageous", or perhaps even "Reckless") because of her exploits at Trafalgar - from Wikipedia "At the Battle of Trafalgar on 21 October, the ship went into action immediately astern of Nelson's flagship, HMS Victory. During the battle Temeraire came to the rescue of the beleaguered Victory, and fought and captured two French ships, winning public renown in Britain." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Temeraire_(1798) Canute, Edwardkenway and mtaylor 3 Quote It's not really a ship model unless you've bled on it. CURRENT BUILDS Venetian merchant Ship from Basilica of San Marco Golden City - Ballarat paddlewheeler FINISHED Australian couta boat RMS Titanic HMVS Cerberus 11th century Byzantine dromon Winchelsea Nef - Late 13th century Mediaeval ship Henry Grace a Dieu - Rebuild of 1:200 model I started in 1967 https://modelshipworld.com/topic/36379-mistydeefer-by-louie-da-fly-finished-restoration-decor-yacht/#comment-1040663 Mistydeefer - restoration of decor model yacht Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Talos Posted July 14, 2020 Share #3 Posted July 14, 2020 I love the painting and my family has heard me wax on about it before. As a result, when a few of them were in London early this year right before the travel lock-downs, they surprised me with a print from the museum the original is in. Got it framed, but have yet to hang it up. I also enjoyed Sam Willis' book on the ship and painting as well. mtaylor, Canute and Louie da fly 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rik Thistle Posted July 14, 2020 Author Share #4 Posted July 14, 2020 Louie, Talos, You've got me thinking now. I've had 3x Turner prints (IIRC, bought from Edinburgh galleries) hanging in my living room for donkey's years. But now I realise I need another one in my new 'shipyard' (former study). The National Gallery has a good description of the painting's story .... https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/joseph-mallord-william-turner-the-fighting-temeraire ...and also sells prints. I believe the original painting was 48" x 36". OK, now to decide on the size of Temeraire print, a suitable frame and where in the shipyard I can hang it. I find it a very relaxing painting, if a bit sad. regards, Richard Canute, Louie da fly and mtaylor 3 Quote Current build: U.S. Army K51 Radio Truck with K52 Trailer - 1944 - MiniArt - 1:35 Next build: PM Research Crank Shaper - late 1800s - 1:12 Part finished: HMS Flirt (MSE) - 1782 Vanguard Models - 1:64 Finished: Archer anti-tank gun Diorama - 1944 -Tamiya 1:35 : Churchill MkVII tank Diorama - Tamiya - 1:35 - 1944 : Sherman Firefly Tank Diorama - Revell - 1/76 - WWII : Humber MkII Scout Car Diorama - - Revell - 1:76 - WWII : PM Research Drill Press - 1895 - 1:12 : PM Research Milling Machine - late 1800s - 1:12 (est) : Stuart Engineering Lathe - late 1800s - 1:12 (est) : Stuart Beam model steam engine - 1770s onwards - 1:12 (est) : Stuart 10V model steam engine circa 1920s - 1:12 (est) : Lady Eleanor Fifie Circa 1900 - Vanguard Models - 1:64 : Dallas Cutter 1815 - Artesania Latina - 1:50 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Talos Posted July 14, 2020 Share #5 Posted July 14, 2020 Rik, I have one of the National Gallery prints and it looks great. Yeah, the painting is beautiful and relaxing to look at. The colors are gorgeous, as is the sense of motion that draws you into it. It is sad too, in a nostalgic way that really encapsulates the Japanese ideal of "mono no aware", which you can define as "the pathos of things" or "an awareness of impermanence." MEDDO, Louie da fly, Canute and 1 other 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Pellett Posted July 15, 2020 Share #6 Posted July 15, 2020 Over here “across the pond” Mystic Seaport Museum hosted a large exhibition of Turner’s work in it’s new art gallery. It was the only American institution selected for this exhibition. My wife and I stopped to see it on our way to the NRG Conference. Temerarie not included but lots of other works demonstrating Turner’s amazing abilities. Roger mtaylor and Canute 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Louie da fly Posted July 16, 2020 Share #7 Posted July 16, 2020 I was lucky enough to see an exhibition of Turner watercolours many years ago. One of the paintings was "First Rate Taking in Stores" https://www.william-turner.org/A-First-Rate-Taking-In-Stores.html which I've always loved, particularly for its sense of the enormous size of the ship. There's a contemporary description by a witness who watched him painting it - apparently it took him about an hour; he worked at a furious rate. I was amazed how small the painting itself was - 39.7 x 28.6 cm (15.6" x 11.25")! Roger Pellett and mtaylor 2 Quote It's not really a ship model unless you've bled on it. CURRENT BUILDS Venetian merchant Ship from Basilica of San Marco Golden City - Ballarat paddlewheeler FINISHED Australian couta boat RMS Titanic HMVS Cerberus 11th century Byzantine dromon Winchelsea Nef - Late 13th century Mediaeval ship Henry Grace a Dieu - Rebuild of 1:200 model I started in 1967 https://modelshipworld.com/topic/36379-mistydeefer-by-louie-da-fly-finished-restoration-decor-yacht/#comment-1040663 Mistydeefer - restoration of decor model yacht Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Louie da fly Posted July 19, 2020 Share #8 Posted July 19, 2020 On 7/14/2020 at 2:18 AM, Rik Thistle said: Has anyone ever build a model of the scene depicted in the painting? I did consider it once. It would make a good diorama. mtaylor and Canute 2 Quote It's not really a ship model unless you've bled on it. CURRENT BUILDS Venetian merchant Ship from Basilica of San Marco Golden City - Ballarat paddlewheeler FINISHED Australian couta boat RMS Titanic HMVS Cerberus 11th century Byzantine dromon Winchelsea Nef - Late 13th century Mediaeval ship Henry Grace a Dieu - Rebuild of 1:200 model I started in 1967 https://modelshipworld.com/topic/36379-mistydeefer-by-louie-da-fly-finished-restoration-decor-yacht/#comment-1040663 Mistydeefer - restoration of decor model yacht Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rik Thistle Posted July 19, 2020 Author Share #9 Posted July 19, 2020 Talos, Good to hear the National Gallery has faithful colours in their prints.....I guess I shouldn't expect anything else from them. I'm still pondering what size to order 😉 Roger, I'm glad you got the chance to view some of Turner's works. They can be quite mystical and some, at first glance, seem to be a mushy wash of pastel colours, but on closer inspection the story and the skill emerge. Steven, I don't recall ever having seen 'First rate taking in stores'... what a painting! Hmm...should I be ordering a print of that also? And 'yes', the The Fighting Temeraire would make a wonderful diorama, especially if it mimicked Turner's lighting. Have a good weekend, Richard mtaylor and Canute 2 Quote Current build: U.S. Army K51 Radio Truck with K52 Trailer - 1944 - MiniArt - 1:35 Next build: PM Research Crank Shaper - late 1800s - 1:12 Part finished: HMS Flirt (MSE) - 1782 Vanguard Models - 1:64 Finished: Archer anti-tank gun Diorama - 1944 -Tamiya 1:35 : Churchill MkVII tank Diorama - Tamiya - 1:35 - 1944 : Sherman Firefly Tank Diorama - Revell - 1/76 - WWII : Humber MkII Scout Car Diorama - - Revell - 1:76 - WWII : PM Research Drill Press - 1895 - 1:12 : PM Research Milling Machine - late 1800s - 1:12 (est) : Stuart Engineering Lathe - late 1800s - 1:12 (est) : Stuart Beam model steam engine - 1770s onwards - 1:12 (est) : Stuart 10V model steam engine circa 1920s - 1:12 (est) : Lady Eleanor Fifie Circa 1900 - Vanguard Models - 1:64 : Dallas Cutter 1815 - Artesania Latina - 1:50 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Talos Posted July 19, 2020 Share #10 Posted July 19, 2020 5 hours ago, Rik Thistle said: Talos, Good to hear the National Gallery has faithful colours in their prints.....I guess I shouldn't expect anything else from them. I'm still pondering what size to order 😉 Roger, I'm glad you got the chance to view some of Turner's works. They can be quite mystical and some, at first glance, seem to be a mushy wash of pastel colours, but on closer inspection the story and the skill emerge. Steven, I don't recall ever having seen 'First rate taking in stores'... what a painting! Hmm...should I be ordering a print of that also? And 'yes', the The Fighting Temeraire would make a wonderful diorama, especially if it mimicked Turner's lighting. Have a good weekend, Richard Mine isn't massive, fitting in an 11 x 14 frame with some matting. I had eyed prints online for years but never got one because of dodgy colors. I was pleased with the color on this one straight from the National Gallery though. Canute, mtaylor and Rik Thistle 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rik Thistle Posted August 10, 2020 Author Share #11 Posted August 10, 2020 My National Gallery framed, 'medium' sized print (420mm x 325mm) arrived this morning. I went for the matt, no mount options. Total cost £70. Took 16 working days to arrive, which is perfectly fine considering it would have to go to the framers and the CV situation. The packaging was possibly the best I had ever seen. The print looks very good. One of the most colourful Turner prints I have. Very pleased. Now I need to make some space for it on my shack/shipyard/hobby room walls. Richard National Gallery link ... https://www.nationalgallery.co.uk/products/the-fighting-temeraire-print/p_NG524 Canute and mtaylor 2 Quote Current build: U.S. Army K51 Radio Truck with K52 Trailer - 1944 - MiniArt - 1:35 Next build: PM Research Crank Shaper - late 1800s - 1:12 Part finished: HMS Flirt (MSE) - 1782 Vanguard Models - 1:64 Finished: Archer anti-tank gun Diorama - 1944 -Tamiya 1:35 : Churchill MkVII tank Diorama - Tamiya - 1:35 - 1944 : Sherman Firefly Tank Diorama - Revell - 1/76 - WWII : Humber MkII Scout Car Diorama - - Revell - 1:76 - WWII : PM Research Drill Press - 1895 - 1:12 : PM Research Milling Machine - late 1800s - 1:12 (est) : Stuart Engineering Lathe - late 1800s - 1:12 (est) : Stuart Beam model steam engine - 1770s onwards - 1:12 (est) : Stuart 10V model steam engine circa 1920s - 1:12 (est) : Lady Eleanor Fifie Circa 1900 - Vanguard Models - 1:64 : Dallas Cutter 1815 - Artesania Latina - 1:50 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Talos Posted August 10, 2020 Share #12 Posted August 10, 2020 Excellent! That's how my experience with the National Gallery print was as well. Rik Thistle, Canute and mtaylor 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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