Of all British painters, probably the greatest is Turner (1775-1851). His greatness lies neither in his variety, remarkable though that was, nor in the skill with which he depicted every aspect of nature, but in the power of his imagination.
He made of light something akin to a religious vision. Turner belonged to the Romantic Movement and shared its passionate interest in the natural scene; he worked in Italy, France and Switzerland, as well as in Britain, and painted both inland subjects and seascapes.
His early works were relatively conventional, but he developed an almost abstract feeling for the properties of light and colour that makes many of his later paintings not only masterpieces in their own right, but also prefigurements of modern art. The text is by William Gaunt, an acknowledged authority on British painting.