‘…the skies over Thanet are the loveliest in all Europe.’
JMW Turner (1775-1851)
JMW Turner
The unique quality of light in this part of Kent drew Turner back time and again. Mrs Booth was Turner’s landlady renting rooms on the seafront of Margate, her first husband had drowned at sea and when Turner came to Margate to paint, it was with Mrs Booth he chose to stay. They began a love affair in 1833 and lived as Mr and Mrs Booth, with Mrs Booth supporting Turner financially until his death in 1851
A response to JMW Turner’s watercolour sketches of Margate
During the Winter of 2013 I made frequent journeys to Margate in Kent, I had Just finished my Brighter Later series and the salt water had (and still hasn’t) not yet left my bloodstream
A visit to the Tate gallery had allowed me to study Turner’s sketch books from the Thanet coast, I did not wish to copy the work, the appeal of trying to find his viewpoints and stand in the the same locations was enough. The light across this coastline is special, and in the winter a quietness also descends, not unlike a sea fog, muffling all sound, making you look, and look harder
This is my response
The Looking for Mr Booth series
About Brian David Stevens
Brian (b.1970) is a photographer based in London, UK. He has been published and exhibited worldwide
You can contact and view more of Brian’s work through his website: briandavidstevens.com
A big thank you from ITO to Brian!
Unless otherwise stated, all images in this article are © Brian David Stevens
