|
|
 
|
|
Joseph Mallord William Turner (English, 1775–1851)
Ulysses Deriding Polyphemus—Homer's Odyssey, exhibited 1829
Oil on canvas; 52 1/4 x 80 in. (132.5 x 203 cm)
National Gallery, London, Turner Bequest, 1856
|
|
|
John Ruskin, Turner's great champion, called this work "the central picture in Turner's career." Turner based this image on Alexander Pope's translation of Homer's Odyssey; his portrayal of the one-eyed Cyclops Polyphemus alludes to Pope's description of the giant as "the lone mountain's monstrous growth." Beyond its narrative content, the painting reveals Turner's preoccupation with light—from the smoking glow of the volcanic fire to the marine phosphorescence at the prow of Ulysses' ship and the celestial light of the sun, as symbolized by Apollo's chariot. Turner's critics, though, found his use of color excessive—"colouring run mad," complained one—though Ruskin thought the sky "beyond comparison the finest that exists in Turner's oil-paintings."
|
|
|
Back to main page for this exhibition
Back to images from this exhibition
