In this episode, we’ll be visiting The Devil’s Bridge, St Gotthard Pass by Joseph Mallord William Turner at the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford. Welcome to Art, Culture & Books with me, Anthony King.
The Devil’s Bridge, St Gotthard oil on canvas was painted around 1803-1804 and is a striking piece of Art! I assure you, this is a special painting. The museum tell us:
“Turner took advantage of the Peace of Amiens in 1802 to make a tour of the Continent, travelling as far as Switzerland and making numerous sketches and watercolours. This painting and its pendant, The Pass of St Gotthard (Birmingham City Art Gallery), were probably executed in 1803-4. They epitomise Turner’s interpretation of the sublime. Here, the tiny figures and narrow bridge are dwarfed by the immensity of the rocks and almost unfathomable depth of the chasm”
By Anthony King (c)