About the Author

Eric Shanes is a professional painter, independent art historian, and lecturer. He is a leading expert on Turner, a vice president of the Turner Society, and the author of many books on the artist, including Turner's England (1990) and Turner's Watercolour Explorations (1997).

Reviews

"Eric Shane's remarkable book about the first half of J. M. W. Turner career is the summation of thirty years of research into the painter's work... I have never seen a more thoroughly presented book about an English artist."-Tim Hilton, Literary Review -- Tim Hilton * Literary Review *
"May well be the definitive biography on the great British landscape and maritime artist."-Jack Watkins, Mayfair -- Jack Watkins * Mayfair *
"Mesmerizing across all its 552 pages . . . engaging and convincing . . . the fine-grained chapters, some devoted to spans of only a few months, offer novelistic depth . . . The great attraction of the book is Shanes's penetration of Turner's artistic thought."-Christopher Lyon, Bookforum -- Christopher Lyon * Bookforum *
"This dazzling, sumptuously illustrated book brings fresh insight into Turner's early career, and is bound to become the definitive biography of our greatest painter."-Rebecca Wallensteiner, The Lady -- Rebecca Wallensteiner * The Lady *
'Yale University Press has spared no expense in producing, for Shanes, a lushly illustrated volume, gleaming and glossy, so boastful a block of a book that it is almost too heavy to hold.' - Frances Wilson, New Statesman -- Frances Wilson * New Statesman *
'A dazzling account of the artist's first 40 years puts all previous biographies in the shade' - John Carey, The Sunday Times -- John Carey * The Sunday Times *
"Eric Shanes has been working on Turner for almost forty years... he has now published the first volume of a spectacular biography. The glory of this study lies in its 450 illustrations, mostly in colour. The diversity and beauty of these pictures is startling. This is a story that emerges most compellingly through a series of images rather than words."-Dinah Birch, TLS -- Dinah Birch * TLS *
"Young Mr. Turner is an impressively scholarly and beautifully illustrated overview of the painter's early career... the fruit of thirty years study, and it shows."-Michael Prodger, Sunday Times -- Michael Prodger * Sunday Times *

"A forty-year artistic journey which excellently tracks and records the many small steps along the way... This is an affectionate, clear and well-written account of the first half of Turner's career, beautifully illustrated. If the second volume is as good as this one, these two books will be the benchmark for Turner studies for many years to come."- Mark Jones, Albion, March 2017