The Burning of the Houses of Lords & Commons 2 (1835) : Set of 2 paintings depict the�fire that broke out�at the�Houses of Parliament�on the evening of 16 October 1834. Along with thousands of other spectators, Turner himself witnessed the�Burning of British Parliament�from the south bank of the�River Thames, opposite�Westminster. He made sketches using both pencil and watercolour in two sketchbooks from different vantage points, including from a rented boat. This particular painting shows the Houses of Parliament from the upstream side of Westminster Bridge. The buildings on the other side of the river are wreathed in golden flames. The fire is consuming the chamber of the House of Commons in St Stephen's Hall, and illuminating the towers of Westminster Abbey. The fire reflects dull red in the water, with a crowd of spectators in the foreground. To the right of the painting, Westminster Bridge looms like an iceberg, larger than life, but the perspective of the part of the bridge closest to the far bank is strongly distorted where it is lit up by the flames. *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!'