The author provides a portrait of the artist and his art, placing the man and his achievements in the broad and cultural context of the period he dominated, using this as a basis for a detailed assessment of his influence and artistic legacy. He analysises the artist's relationship with fellow artists and patrons and his influence on subsequent generations of painters. Turner was undoubtedly one of the most influential artists with a visual legacy of watercolours, oils, engravings and over 20,000 sketches. This lavishly illustrated volume provides a wide ranging selection of his work, and a portrait of the man and his life, placing the man and his achievements firmly in the broad social and cultural context of the period he dominated. A masterpiece of art reproduction, criticism from original research by a leading Turner scholar and provides a complete overview. Over 100 full-colour reproductions of Turner's paintings.