Joseph Mallord William Turner was born on this day in 1775. 'Slave Ship' is a striking example of the artist's fascination with violence, both human and elemental. The painting was based on the true story of a typhoon and the slave ship Zong whose captain had thrown overboard sick and dying slaves so that he could collect insurance money available only for slaves "lost at sea." Turner captures the horror of the event and terrifying grandeur of nature through hot, churning color and light that merge sea and sky. #mfaboston A post shared by Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (@mfaboston) on Apr 23, 2014 at 12:32pm PDT
Joseph Mallord William Turner was born on this day in 1775. 'Slave Ship' is a striking example of the artist's fascination with violence, both human and elemental. The painting was based on the true story of a typhoon and the slave ship Zong whose captain had thrown overboard sick and dying slaves so that he could collect insurance money available only for slaves "lost at sea." Turner captures the horror of the event and terrifying grandeur of nature through hot, churning color and light that merge sea and sky. #mfaboston
A post shared by Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (@mfaboston) on Apr 23, 2014 at 12:32pm PDT