J.M.W. TURNER

In the First Impressions series, a biography of Turner, whose revolutionary painting style preceded the artists he most influenced, Monet and other Impressionists, by almost a hundred years. In his first book, Kenner provides anecdotes of the artist as a young man; Turner's talent was obvious early on, and unlike many artists, he had the support of his father in pursuing an artistic career. The book follows Turner's growth as a painter and the development of his style, in which the atmosphere of his landscapes often dwarfed the human subjects. Kenner imparts to readers a sense of the importance of art in a world before photography, film, and television, and the artist's roles as documenter--Turner did hundreds of prints to illustrate a European travel guide--and talented celebrity. The text of this book is well-supported by many excellent full-color reproductions of Turner's work, but not of his contemporaries (conspicuously absent is John Constable, who's mentioned often) or the Impressionists.