An engaging look at one of the central motifs in the work of the great 19th-century painter

Widely considered Britain's greatest painter, Joseph Mallord William Turner (1775-1851) is best known for his light-filled landscapes and seascapes. A relentless traveler, Turner often turned his artistic attention to the theme of modern and ancient ports. In the mid-1820s, Turner exhibited two monumental, and controversial, paintings of ports: Cologne and Dieppe. Shocking for their intense luminosity and yellow tonality, as well as for Turner's unorthodox handling of paint, these...