GREGOIRE
JEANMONOD
Art and its stories as an inspiration
Joseph Mallord William Turner
Helvoetsluys; the city of Utrecht, 64, setting sail
1832
Surprise to awaken
In the 19th century, the prestigious British Royal Academy of Arts organized an annual exhibition in London during which each
artist hoped to seduce the public, the critics
cs and potential sponsors. The
main difficulty being to achieve
distinguish his work in the middle of walls
saturated with paintings.
In 1832, on the day of the opening (eve of
opening to the public, last opportunity
for painters to retouch their works), William Turner finds that his painting, depicting ships off a Dutch port, was hung next to
of another navy, almost twice as large, of his rival John Constable. With its moderate dimensions
yours, its diffused light and cold hues, its
Helvoetsluys has every chance of
go unnoticed next to the spec-
spectacular of his compa triote , with
shimmering colors and contrasts
strong. Far from resigning himself, Turner takes
his brush and brushes a red buoy
vivid in the foreground of his canvas. This detail
makes all the difference: the next day visitors, whose gaze will be caught by this little vermilion stain, will only see his painting.
John Constable
the Opening of Waterloo Bridge , 1832
What we can take away:
​
Human beings quickly become insensitive to recurring patterns: as a continuous noise is forgotten after a few minutes, a project presented in an agreed manner has little chance of generating enthusiasm. On the contrary, what clashes arouses the interest of our interlocutors by giving relief to our remarks.