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CHOICE Review

Considering all the general surveys of J.M.W. Turner's work that have appeared over the years, it is good to see a book like this one-an impressive, scholarly analysis of solely the Italian influence in Turner's art from an author who has already published a number of important articles on this subject. Powell, concentrating on Turner's non-Venetian subjects, does a meticulous job of examining paintings and watercolors of Rome, Naples, Florence, and other locales the artist visited on his Italian tours. Her discussions of specific works are thorough, often provocative, and based on a wealth of primary sources-drawings in the Turner Bequest, Turner's writings, and contemporary literary references. Moreover, Powell considers Turner's Italian paintings squarely within the context of the changing aesthetic attitudes toward Italy, Classicism, and the Old Masters current in the early 19th century. The illustrations, many of which are in color, are good and the text is supplemented by useful footnotes and a bibliography. Recommended primarily for college and university libraries.-W.S. Rodner, Pennsylvania State University