Kilchern Castle with the Cruchan Ben Mountains Scotland Noon William Turner Buy Art Prints Now
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Tom Gurney BSc (Hons) is an art history expert with over 20 years experience
Published on June 19, 2020 / Updated on October 14, 2023
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This painting from Turner captures the beauty of the Cruchan Ben Mountains in Scotland, but unfortunately not an awful lot is known specifically about this artwork.

A rainbow arcs across the scene in the most memorable element of the composition, whilst we see mountain ranges from both sides creeping into the painting. In the nearest foreground are several people relaxing and enjoying this stunning view. Turner would use animals and humans from time to time in order to add a level of perspective against the expanses of nature. He would also use this comparison to remind us all of the ultimate boss in the world, which he was as the power of nature, and not humanity. The nearest elements of the foreground feature rough crags of rock which would make for an uncomfortable walk for those veering of the standard routes. There is also heathland that can cope with the harsh conditions of this region, but also can be beautiful at different times of the year.

Turner's landscape paintings took years of study and practice in order to achieve this extraordinary level of detail and emotion. He would often sit in locations such as this and work tirelessly from sketchbooks, creating drawings which centered on overall compositions sometimes, but on other occasions they would simply select a single element from which Turner would practice his technical depictions. He loved to travel around the UK and visited most of the respected landscapes, taking in the Isle of Wight, Wales, Scotland and many more beautiful regions of this diverse and unique part of Europe. He would travel abroad, including Venice, but he happily spent most of his time within the UK, constantly exploring both his artistic techniques, but also the country itself.