Sun Rising through Vapour

1798

The large watercolours of North Wales

The large watercolour views he made in North Wales in 1798, such as his depiction of Caernarvon Castle, are counted among the great landscapes of European art; by the age of 25, according to Wilson, he had developed watercolour into a new medium capable of much the same expressive power as oils.

4 November 1799

Elected an associate of the Royal Academy

On 4 November 1799 Turner, by then a popular artist, was elected an associate (corresponding) member of the Royal Academy.

1801

The triumph of the “Bridgewater Sea Piece” at the Academy

“Dutch Boats in a Gale” (the “Bridgewater Sea Piece”), commissioned for 250 guineas by the Duke of Bridgewater, one of the richest men in England, “took the Academy by storm” and was hung in the best location of the whole exhibition: in the Great Room, centred, opposite the entrance.

10 February 1802

Becomes a Royal Academician

On 10 February 1802 he was granted the title of Royal Academician, which gave him the right to exhibit without passing the selection committee that previewed all works.

1802–1803

Paris and the Swiss Alps in a year of peace

In the only year without war in Europe between 1793 and 1814 (the Peace of Amiens, 1802–1803) a consortium of noblemen sponsored a visit to Paris, where he saw old master paintings in the Louvre, and then he toured the Swiss Alps; his Alpine sketches later let him represent “the sublime” in paintings such as “Snow Storm: Hannibal and his Army Crossing the Alps” (1812).

1804

Opens his own gallery

Distrustful of dealers, he opened his own gallery so that he could sell directly and group the pictures he wanted seen together, something he could not control at the Royal Academy exhibitions; his father left his barbershop to help in the gallery and studio. For over a decade the gallery was a regular feature of the London exhibition season.