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Joseph Mallord William Turner (1775-1851)

Local mythology has it that Turner painted a number of his riverscapes from the vestry window of the church.  He lived in a small terrace house on the Chelsea side of the river, which is visible from the churchyard, as was rowed over (so it is said) by his servant, in order to paint. 

Turner was one of the most original artists of his day. He travelled widely in Europe, and his landscapes became increasingly Romantic, with the subject often transformed in scale and flooded with the brilliant, hazy light for which he is most famous.  Many of his most dramatic works are set in Europe or at sea.

In his old age he lived as a recluse in his Chelsea house under an assumed name. He died there, leaving to the nation more than 300 paintings, nearly 20,000 watercolours, and 19,000 drawings.  In 1987 the Clore Gallery extension to the Tate Gallery, London, was opened (following the terms of his will) to display the collection of the works he had left to the nation.

External Links

The American National Gallery of Art has a web page on Turner, Constable and English landscape painting in the early 1800s.
The Art Archive has a number of Turner's works and a brief essay on his art.
More paintings by Turner can be seen at the Tate Gallery's web site.