mheu, Historical Museum of the Urban Environment

The work

On October 16, 1834, a gigantic fire destroyed the Parliament building in London. Living in the capital at the time, Turner rushed to the scene and made a number of sketches that he eventually used to paint two large canvases. The subject of fire gave the painter a chance to render the play of fire and light with his typical virtuosity.

The artist

Joseph Mallord William Turner (1775-1851), the son of a London barber, received classical training as a painter. Enrolling as a student in the Royal Academy in 1789, he later made the usual pilgrimage to Europe. Turner soon won popularity with the public and, supported by a number of art lovers and collectors, exhibited regularly at the Royal Academy, to which he was elected in 1802. Unmatched in his ability to paint mist, light and fog, he worked in a studio from a number of sketches and watercolors produced during his travels in England and in mainland Europe, notably in France and Italy. In 1861, the National Gallery devoted an entire wing to his work.