Turner and Leeds: Image of Industry

Of all the cities of Britain, Leeds was one of the most important to Turner. He had important friends and patrons in the area and Leeds served as a base for his explorations of Yorkshire and the north. Over a period of nearly thirty years he made hundreds of sketches in the city and its environs, and from these made some of his most important pictures. In 1816 he painted a panoramic view of the city, which was the first industrial cityscape of any nationally recognised artist, literally the prototype image of industry. 

David Hill explores Turner's associations with Leeds, from Kirkstall Abbey to the great estates of Harewood and Farnley; through the scenery of Airedale and Wharfedale, to the developing city of Leeds itself. The book retraces Turner's footsteps at all of his sites, and reproduces the all the most important paintings and sketches in the area. Turner and Leeds offers the most comprehensive treatment of his work in the area from its beginnings to its maturity, and charts Turner's developing understanding of the world changing as the agrarian past made room for an industrial future. 

Hardback, 200 pages.