Joseph Turner – The Angel Standing in the Sun

The Angel Standing in the Sun
This painting, from late in Turner’s career, shows scenes from the Old Testament, the first section of the Bible. In the centre, Archangel Michael appears with his flaming sword. In the foreground are scenes of murder and betrayal. Adam and Eve cry over the body of their son Abel (left), murdered by his brother, and Judith stands over the headless body of Holofernes (right), who she has decapitated.
Turner’s pessimistic picture seems to show death is everywhere. It has been suggested this reflects his concern about how his own life and art would be judged. In a message to his critics, he exhibited the picture with the words, ‘the feast of vultures when the day is done.’

Lil’Stones has a license to print these three Turners across three x 75mm or on single 75mm Lil’Stones during the ACMI exhibition, Light: Works from Tate’s Collection, running from the 16th of June to the 19th of November 2022.