Figures and ship not immediately obvious: as if
engulfed by the storm. Could also signify the
disregard the slaves were treated with
Horizon is tilted; viewer
sways as if with
sea-sickness
LIGHT
The overall light is dark and red,
gives air of sombre violence
the light that shears
through the sky could
represent God and
his retribution
CONTEXT
Painted at the
end of his life and
seen as a joke in
comparison to the
Rococo style of
the time
Painted in
response to
the call for
slavery to be
banned in
1840
Paints a slave ship from the
1700s called the Zong: The
captain, faced with sickness
on board, threw over 130
African slaves overboard with
hands and feet tied so he
could claim the insurance for
"losses at sea"
Photography
recently invented
TECHNIQUE
Heavy emphasis
on facture: paints
with thick brushes,
pallet knife, rags
and even hands
Modern approach as
focus on the
expression: violent
technique reflects
violence of the scene
Turner intrigued by the
atmosphere of the painting
rather than the detail, emphasis
on the hectic cruelty of the
disaster
CONTENT
A Ship is
battered by a
powerful storm,
just off-centre
to the painting
The sky is raging
with the typhoon:
red clouds roll in
from the right and a
shear of light cuts
through the centre
of the painting
In the foreground,
bodies and fish alike
seem to be thrashing
for survival in the
frothing water
INTERPRETATION
More than just a
documented historical
event, Turner captures
the inhumanity of
man-kind
The monstrous sea creatures represent the
monsters and demons of our subconscious,
hinting at what we are capable of beneath the
surface
Turner illustrates the
unequivocal power of
nature: the sublime
the patch of blue sky,
tucked into the left hand
corner, could represent
the hope of a future
without slavery