In 1842, British artist J. M. W. Turner painted three watercolours of the Rigi, a mountain in the Alps in Central Switzerland, which he had visited the previous summer. Widely regarded as some of his finest works, the watercolours capture the transitory effects of light and atmospheric conditions at the Rigi. According to John Ruskin, "Turner had never made any drawings [watercolours] like these before, and never made any like them again ... He is not showing his hand in these, but his heart."[1]
The Blue Rigi, Sunrise, better known simply as The Blue Rigi, was acquired in 2007 by the Tate Gallery in Britain for £4.95m, matching the price achieved at auction in 2006, then the largest sum paid by the Tate for a single artwork. The Red Rigi is held by Australia's National Gallery of Victoria and shows the mountain blushed by the evening sun. The Dark Rigi is held in a private collection. Many preparatory sketches are held by the Tate as part of the Turner Bequest.
Between January and March 2007, the three Rigi watercolours were united for the first time in an exhibition held at the Tate Gallery.[2]
- ^ Cook, E. T.; Wedderburn, A. The Works of John Ruskin. vol. xiii, London: George Allen, 1904, p. 484.
- ^ "J.M.W. Turner: The Three Rigis". Tate Gallery. Retrieved 17 April 2018.