Angelica Maria Alvarez Barbosa 201921780

Visual Analysis of Linlithgow Palace, Scotland

Linlithgow Palace, Scotland is an artwork made by English painter Joseph Mallord

William Turner in 1801 and exhibited in the Indianapolis Museum of Art at Newfields, that

depicts an unfinished watercolor sketch of a landscape and a castle in the background. Measuring

10-1/4 x 16-3/16 in, this drawing can be better understood by analyzing its formal features such

as color, technique, form, perspective and its relation to the concept of travelling.

In terms of color, one of the first aspects the audience can notice is the use of a limited

palette as the sketch only features shades of green, yellow and grey. These are only present in the

middle portion of the drawing, as the rest is left in pencil. In greater detail, the different shades of

green are used to paint the trees in the foreground, while the pale yellow is used to color the

grass in the background and accentuate the roof of the grey castle. Additionally, Turner uses a

light blue to paint the lake and contours the top part with a darker tone to cast a shadow over the

body of water. Given that the colors get progressively lighter toward the background, it is as if

the sketch was painted from a shadow that doesn’t extend past the first set of leaves in the middle

ground. Likewise, seen as a whole, the colors seem to depict an afternoon setting.

Regarding the technique, Turner only used pencil and watercolors. On one hand, the

audience can observe that the soft pencil markings outline a very rough sketch of the landscape

with little attention to detail and incomplete strokes. This can be seen in the bottom foreground

where only sparse pencil markings are made to indicate grass, and to the right of the paper where

the shape of the trees is loosely drawn. However, while these lines seem rushed, they convey

enough information of the shape they are representing. For example, although it is not painted

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with watercolors, a bridge can be seen in the bottom part of the illustration, just below the

painted portion.

On the other hand, the brush strokes differ from the pencil strokes as these appear to have

been made with greater attention to detail. This can be seen in the way the artist takes great care

respecting the pencil lines he drew to clearly distinguish the castle from the trees, and the lake

from the grass. In both examples, the audience can observe gaps between the objects.

Furthermore, Turner also implements different types of brush strokes to achieve different

textures. For instance, to paint the dark green and olive tree leaves, the artist uses short, full

brush strokes in different directions to add movement to the painting, and dabs on watercolor

with a dry brush on the top part of the trees to emphasize the edges. Likewise, he implements a

smooth and continuous brush stroke to paint the pale-yellow grass, creating a flat and even

surface the contrasts with the neighboring leaves. Thus, these two techniques complement each

other because the pencil outlines the main features that are then brought to life by the watercolor.

Other important aspects to highlight are form and perspective. In this sketch, the organic

form of the leaves, grass and lake are created through the different shades of color that provide

volume to the objects. This is because, as previously explained, when the drawing is observed

from the foreground to the background, the colors get lighter, creating depth and the illusion of

form. Regarding the castle, this object has a geometric form that is also created through color,

particularly by the yellow that contours the top of the structure. It is important to note that form

only exists within the painted portion of the illustration, as the part that is drawn in pencil has no

shading and looks very flat, limiting elements such as the trees and the bridge to their shape.

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Furthermore, this illustration is drawn from a linear perspective that makes objects closer to the

audience look bigger, such as the trees and the bridge, and elements further away, like the lake

and the castle, look smaller, thereby creating depth and space.

This sketch relates to the concepts of travelling because, as we discussed in class, Turner

would frequently take sketchbooks with him on his trips to quickly draw his surroundings and

use these as a guide to create more elaborate artworks when he returned to his studio. Therefore,

given what was explained in the previous paragraphs about the contrast of techniques between

the two mediums, it is possible that the pencil sketch was first made during a trip to Scotland and

the watercolor was added later when he was back in his workshop. This could also explain why

the sketch is only partially painted, as Turner could only have wanted to get a general idea of the

colors that he would then extrapolate from to create the real artwork.

In conclusion, Linlithgow Palace is an unfinished pencil and watercolor sketch that

depicts a Scottish landscape and a castle. As described above, the drawing uses a limited palette

of green, yellow, grey and blue to color part of the paper, while the rest is left unpainted. Given

the shades incorporated, it seems as if the landscape was set in the afternoon. Moreover, in terms

of the technique, there is a contrast between the pencil lines and watercolor because while the

former outlines a very rough picture of the landscape with little detail, the latter seems to have

been made with more care and time, as the brush strokes and force applied varies between the

different elements of the landscape. The organic and geometric forms are achieved through color

that provide volume to the shapes, and depth is created using a linear perspective. Finally, this

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artwork relates to the concept of travelling because it is likely Turner made the sketch during a

trip to Scotland and began to add details in watercolor once he returned to his studio.

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Image:

Artist: Joseph Mallord William Turner

Title: Linlithgow Palace, Scotland
Date: 1801
Technique: Watercolor over Pencil on White Paper
Dimensions: 10-1/4 x 16-3/16 in
Exhibited at: Indianapolis Museum of Art at Newfields, Indianapolis United States