Joseph Mallord William Turner - St-Denis c. 1833

 

Joseph Mallord William Turner - St-Denis c. 1833
Gouache and watercolour on paper
14 x 19,2 cm
Tate

In this watercolour, Turner presents a moonlit view of Saint-Denis, in the northern suburbs of Paris, France. Turner’s delicate contrasts give depth to this tranquil scene. Across the River Seine, he depicts the Basilica of Saint-Denis rising pale, gleaming, delicate and ghost-like in the left background, in contrast to the dark, dense, solidly silhouetted building on the right. In the right foreground, figures and boats are silhouetted against the still waters, whereas at left, moonlight picks out the edges of people, barrels and cartwheels, and casts long blue shadows, particularly below the figure in the central foreground and his cart. The warm tones in the left corner contrast with the cool blues at right. Above the glowing moon, the dark sky is dotted with delicate stars. Within the deeply black-blue building, a single orange light stands out, burning in a lower storey and within the dark reflection in the water below.