A Twenty-first-century case for ‘Early Turner’ – Lecture by Professor Leo Costello
While great attention has been paid to Turner’s later career, much less has been given to his early work. This lecture will consider both definitions of and stakes in the concept of ‘Early Turner’. It will begin by addressing the challenges to even creating such a category: where, for instance, to begin and end it and on what basis – the work or Turner’s biography? Next, I will consider the role his earlier works have played in the minds of his critics during and after his lifetime, up to the present day. Lastly, I will argue a more particular case for the modern relevance of ‘Early Turner’, not just for a fuller understanding of his overall work, but in the light of pressing contemporary concerns including climate change, disability and social justice.
Leo Costello is Associate Professor and Chair of the Art History Department at Rice University, Houston, Texas. He has published on British art from the eighteenth to the twenty-first century. His first book, J.M.W. Turner and the Subject of History, was issued by Ashgate in 2012: his second, Early Turner in London, 1795–1819, is now under contract with Routledge.
The 2025 Pantzer Lecture is supported by the Paul Mellon Centre.
Turner Society members who wish to attend in person have priority booking until Tuesday 18 March 2025, using a link that will be sent to them by email. Fifty places are available. After that date any remaining places will be open to the public who must book via the PMC website (www.paul-mellon-centre.ac.uk).
Both links provide the alternative of registering for livestream remote attendance.