Retell Lecture

Turner, not surprisingly painted one of the earliest pictures of London’s fog in the 1835 painting The Thames above Waterloo Bridge. Turner as a true born Londoner is advertising his familiarity with London’s air problem by putting smoke and atmospheric pollution at its centre. And as you can see in here, the bridges the central elements which is a theme that’s later taken up by Monet and it’s partly obscured by the steam and smoke which rises from both sides of the river. Here we see a short-tower I think you can just about see it, which was constructed in 1826. Do you know what Shakhtar’s are? They produce shot for guns ammunition and they were very smoky. One of the most smoking industries, but it’s barely visible as you can see as are the various industries on the Lambuth side of the river. There’s on this side, there’s a steamship about to dock or preparing to leave, it’s black smoke thrusting up to join the kind of swirling arc of smoke there. William Rodner sees this painting as a potent essay on the energy and complexity of modern polluted urbanism. Smoke, I think here represents a flourishing economy which brings employment and food on tables but also the dirt and pollution associated with it fumes. All seems to be tainted by sulphurous yellow, even the black plumes of smoke from the two funnels of the steam have yellow streaks in them to give them a greater sense of movement and vitality.