The Dogano and San Giorgio from Europa (1842) : When a critic saw this beautiful painting at the Royal Academy in 1842, he said, �Venice was surely built to be painted by Turner�. Turner was attracted to how water, light, sky and grand architecture interacted in the city. Here he captures the reflections of the churches of San Giorgio Maggiore and Santa Maria della Presentazione, known as the �Zitelle� (or Citella). He painted this scene from his hotel, The Europa, at the mouth of the Grand Canal. Unlike his paintings of Rome, Turner's impression of the city was not dominated by ancient ruins and the historical past. Instead he explored Venice's unique combination of water, light and grand Renaissance architecture, all of which seem to blend together. *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!'