The Eruption of Mount Vesuvius
The painting “The Eruption of Mount Vesuvius” was painted by an English Romantic Landscape painter, J.M.W Turner in 1817. The painting recorded one of the world’s most catastrophic disasters and eruptions scenes, the Eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79AD (Destruction). The eruption wiped out the entire city of Pompeii, burying the entire city under ashes.Turner is one of the earliest impressionist painter and believed to have started this art movement (Eruption). One of the most significant styles of Turner’s paintings is that he combined two types of rivaling paintings, historical and landscape (Destruction).
The impression of the “Eruption of Mount Vesuvius” is fear, the “firestorm”and pyroclastic flow given off in to the sky. The use of bright grey from the mouth of the volcano slowly merging into a dark mellow color captured the fear and power of Vesuvius. Turner was also recognized to use watercolor with oil paints as a result of creating a fluid, lively and energetic scene, creating an excellent atmosphere. The mellow colors blended with grey blue suggested the world is coming to an end. A reflection of this dramatic scene can also be seen in the water. Citizens who were fleeing indicted the helplessness of men and showed nature overpowers humanity. Light was emphasized in Turner’s paintings as he believed it represented God (Destruction). Turner compared the power of nature to the power of God by using light given off by the volcano in his painting. The comparison showed that men have no power against nature as nature is similar to God.
In 79AD, the Eruption of Mount Vesuvius buried the entire city of Pompeii, taking both people’s homeland and life away. This major natural disaster reflected the power of nature once again, showing how men do not have a chance to go against it. Turner compared both the power of nature and God in the painting with the use of light on top of the mouth of the volcano. The power of Nature is indestructible and vicious.
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