The Blue Rigi at Sunrise (1842) : This masterpiece is one of the series of 3 paintings- The Blue Rigi, The Dark Rigi and The Red Rigi- a series of transcendent views of Swiss lakes and mountains. Turner depicts the Rigi, a Swiss mountain peak, rising above Lake Lucerne at sunrise and its defining dark tone reflects Turner's interest in the transforming effects of lighting and atmospheric effects. The Blue Rigi was Turner's first attempt at recording the moment before dawn when the sun just perceptibly begins to chase away the cool darkness of night. Using subtly modulated washes of blue, Turner recreates the stillness and wonder of this instant, anticipating by many years the unified tonal approach to image-making of the Aesthetic Movement. *JMW (Joseph Mallord William) TURNER (1775-1851) was one of the most important English Romantic Painters of the 19th century. He is known for his expressive colourisations, imaginative landscapes and turbulent, often violent marine paintings. Turner's imagination was sparked by shipwrecks, fires, and natural phenomena such as sunlight, storm, rain, and fog. He was fascinated by the violent power, turbulence and tidestorms of the sea. It's said that his last words before death were, 'The Sun is God!'