Publications
Turner's Picturesque Views in England and Wales 1825-1838, by Eric Shanes, published 19 July 1979 (160 pp., London: Chatto & Windus, ISBN-10: 0701124369 & ISBN-13: 9780701124366) accessible at: West Sussex Libraries & East Sussex Libraries
Turner's Rivers, Harbours and Coasts, by Eric Shanes, published 1981 (160 pp., London: Chatto & Windus, ISBN-10: 0701125691 & ISBN-13: 9780701125691) accessible at: West Sussex Libraries & East Sussex Libraries
Turner's England 1810-38, by Eric Shanes, published 6 September 1990 (288 pp., London: Cassell Illustrated, ISBN-10: 0304319538 & ISBN-13: 9780304319534) accessible at: West Sussex Libraries & East Sussex Libraries
Turner's Watercolour Explorations, 1810-42, by Eric Shanes, published 1 June 1997 (104 pp., Tate Publishing, ISBN-10: 185437222X & ISBN-13: 9781854372222) accessible at: West Sussex Libraries
Abstract:One of the largest sections of the Turner Bequest at the Tate Gallery is a group made up of watercolour sketches, early studios for finished works, and finished and unfinished drawings. Although many of the designs appear to be abstract, Turner was not creating non-representational images but was employing a rapid "visual shorthand". These pictures remain among Turner's most popular works. This volume explains the creative process that underlies these images and the interpretive techniques which have been used to analyze them. Many of their subjects are identified and the pictures are arranged according to their subject-matter and historical purpose.
Turner in 1066 Country, by Eric Shanes, published 1998 (exhibition catalogue, Hastings Museum & Art Gallery)
Turner, by Eric Shanes, published 1 April 2004 (80 pp., Hoo: Grange Books, ISBN-10: 1840136545 & ISBN-13: 9781840136548) accessible at: West Sussex Libraries & East Sussex Libraries
J. M. W. Turner: Young Mr. Turner - The First Forty Years 1775-1815, by Eric Shanes, published 5 April 2016 (560 pp., Yale University Press, ISBN-10: 0300140657 & ISBN-13: 9780300140651) accessible at: West Sussex Libraries
Abstract:A definitive new biography, deftly interweaving an account of Turner's early life with profound scholarly and aesthetic appreciation of his work A complex figure, and divisive during his lifetime, Joseph Mallord William Turner (1775-1851) has long been considered Britain's greatest painter. An artist of phenomenal invention, complexity, and industry, Turner is now one of the world's most popular painters. This comprehensive new account of his early life draws together recent scholarship, corrects errors in the existing literature, and presents a wealth of new findings. In doing so, it furnishes a more detailed understanding than ever before of the connections between Turner's life and art. Taking a strictly chronological approach, Eric Shanes addresses Turner's intellectual complexity and depth, his technical virtuosity, his personal contradictions, and his intricate social and cultural relations. Shanes draws on decades of familiarity with his subject, as well as newly discovered source material, such as the artist's principal bank records, which shed significant light on his patronage and sales. The result, written in a warm, engaging style, is a comprehensive and magnificently illustrated volume which will fundamentally shape the future of Turner studies.