J.M.W. Turner, Destruction of Sodom,

 Joseph Mallord William Turner was an English painter notorious for his original stylings. He travelled widely in Europe, and his landscapes became increasingly Romantic as he aged. Turner loved the paintings of Nicolas Poussin.. Poussin, a classical French artist, painted clear works that continued to inspire contemporary artists, including David, Ingres and Cezanne. Turner was first introduced to Poussin’s work through French Salons, which exhibited the late master’s work for contemporary artists to admire. While traveling around Europe and Britain, Turner would record the effects of sea, sky, mountain, and plains in water color. He continued to produce a series of water color studies, which were used as engravings, throughout his life, exemplified through his works the Rivers of France and Rivers of England. He became professor of perspective at the Royal Academy from 1807 and deputy president in 1845.

The story of Turner’s painting is inspired by Book of Genesis. It shows Lot and his two daughters fleeing the city of Sodom as “the Lord rained brimstone and fire” (19:24) in retribution for his people’s sins. People deteriorate and visibly melt into the smoky and ashy background. Even the sky geometrically collapses onto the fallen citizens, further pushing perspective closer to the crumbling ground of Sodom.