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William Turner Was A Manchester Master Painter

There have been a few skilled painters in Britain named William Turner. The most recent is William Turner of Manchester, who lived from 1920 to 2013. He is thought to be a master of the Northern Contemporary Art School for which Britain has received many accolades. Many consider this form to be similar to modern or impressionism, but with a big emphasis on industry. Many of his original painters were done when he lived in Cheadle Hulme. In the 1970s, he joined the Manchester Academy.

A British Master of Colour

Turner made many works in his career such as “Mosley Street Bus Station, M’cr” which captured simple moments in the lives of typical Britons. This painting captured the day when the Lower Mosley Street Omnibus Station was still a thriving part of life in Manchester. The station was demolished in 1972, but the art lives on. Turner was not one to paint while looking at the scene. He preferred to paint from memory later. Turner was a relatively prolific painter. One deal sold over 3,000 of his original paintings in the 2000s. Now original artwork by William Turner is a bit harder to come by. As more and more of his paintings were sold, interest from buyers continued to increase and the price of many of his works rose. His paintings are simple compositions that use everyday themes.

Purchasing Art for Speculation

In the past twenty years, many people have invested in art in order to speculate on rising prices. Many people believe that art rises in price when an artist dies. Of course, there are cases when that does happen. But death is not a guarantee of price increase. Artists are like anybody. They tend to grow old and work less. When they age their work production declines. In the case of Turner, he could no longer paint after he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. When a large amount of William Turner original paintings sold in the early 2000s, speculators probably realised that his output had waned. That might explain the rising prices his art experience while he was still alive. It’s reasonable to assume that the price of his art will likely increase. One thing is certain when an artist dies: The prices for his or her paintings usually go up. The price in Turner’s work seemed to reflect the fact that while he was still alive, collectors knew his days of producing art had ended. Artists of the Northern Contemporary Art tradition have been seeing increases in their work lately, as collectors from beyond England have started snapping up pieces.

A Slice of Life

Turner’s paintings all captured a slice of life. Works of his like “Pritchard Street, Manchester” depict the street in Manchester as he remembered it. There are two figures walking down the street, and the smokestacks from industry are visible in the painting. This work from 1952 gives a glimpse into how life really was back then. Turner liked to catch people in his paintings who seemed to be hustling somewhere. One example is his work, called “Mersey Square.” There are two figures in that work who clearly are in a hurry to get somewhere. It makes sense. Manchester was always a city where people had to make a living. Since Turner focused his art on their lives, he couldn’t help but notice that the residents of that city were always doing something or going somewhere. Many of his Manchester works include the active smokestacks. Industry was ongoing and those polluting stacks were a clear sign of that the industrial revolution was in full swing.

A Treasure Trove Was Discovered

When Turner died in 2013, eventually his studio was cleared out by his daughter. Twenty-three original paintings that he did from 1949-1961 were found in a cardboard box. The works were considered to be important because they actually came from the beginning of Turner’s working career. The idea that this work resurfaced after so many decades was interesting to everyone who heard the story.

Art You Can Appreciate

William Turner’s art is unpretentious. You don’t have to be a hard-core art collector to appreciate his paintings. Emotions shine through the canvas. Manchester was a common subject of his, and it’s clear he was moved by the city and its people. Viewing these images decades later, you can imagine yourself there. That’s what great art is all about. Paintings that create an emotional bond with their subjects are never going to go out of style. That’s what makes certain pieces of art so worthwhile. Long after the artist and the people and even buildings in the painting are gone, viewers can feel what the scene was all about. That’s the main reason for someone to paint. It’s so they can maintain an emotional record of something that was important to them. A “school” of art is made up of many artists who practised roughly the same type of art. Those of the Northern school loved industrial scenes because it was such a part of their lives. Britain in the twentieth century was largely characterised by industry. Factories were omnipresent in many cities, and Manchester was certainly no exception. That’s why it’s not surprising that smokestacks show up in many works from this time period.

Real life can be a drag. People turn to art to help them escape from regular life. The monotony they experience can be relieved through artwork. The great master painters of any discipline all learned to see things is a very specific way so they could convey meaning in their paintings. Technical proficiency makes little difference. It’s the ability to let emotion shine through that really matters. British artists have been trying to do that since the beginning. Northern artists have done a great job of capturing a time and a place in their works. These paintings by William Turner and his contemporaries are likely to stand the test of time because they really tapped into the vein of humanity that makes up Britain. Make sure to check out these works for yourself.

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