J.M.W. Turner (1775-1851) named his painting as "The Fighting Temeraire tugged to her last berth to be broken up." But when it was displayed at a museum, the title was shortened. Turner painted this oil painting in 1838. The ship was made in 1798 and was dismantled in 1838. The art was complimented as "the most wonderful of all the works of the greatest master of the age," "a nobly-composed poem, very poetical conception."
Turner didn't witness this 2,110-ton ship being tugged to be dismantled. He painted the ship from imagination; however, he did paint four other works based on the Temeraire. The motif of picture came from a steam boat tugged on the Seine. The paint is 90.7x112.6cm, rather a large painting, but smaller compared to other landscapes during 18th century.
The Temeraire was in the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805, which brought the glorious victory to the Britain. When the ship was tugged, some of the equipment on the ship had been already taken out; only three bare masts without sail remain. Absolutely vacant space on the ship symbolizes the fact that the ship has completed its role. The ship looks almost ghostly. The original colours used for the ship were yellow and black, but there are no such colors left on the ship in the painting. The glorious looking sunset also symbolizes the destiny of the Temeraire; at the same time it relates to a death of human.
By the way, Turner is the first person to use "tug" as a verb according to the OED. "Towed" was used before Turner.
My comment: left side of the painting depicts the Temeraire tugged by a dark tug boat. The tug boat looks like a fate because of its dark color. Behind the tug boat are two ships with sails, which symbolized they are still active, but eventually they are going to follow the step of the Temeraire. Ont he right side of the painting is this beautiful sunset. It it stands alone, I don't associate it with a death of the ship/human. But, with two images together, however the beautiful the sky (ship) is, it has a straightforward message that the glory is going to end.
Egerton, Judy. "Making and Meaning: Turner-The Fighting Temerarire. London: National Gallery Publications. 1995.
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