Did Turner Really Strap Himself to a Mast?
Reality-checking the famous anecdote
The story that J.M.W. Turner, the renowned British painter, strapped or had himself tied to the mast of a ship during a violent storm is an anecdote he loved to tell. Did it really happen?
It echoes the story of Odysseus sailing near the sirens after being tied to the mast of his ship. This painting is by John William Waterhouse.
According to several accounts, Turner claimed that he asked sailors to tie him to the mast of a ship called Ariel so he could directly experience the fury of a storm at sea, and thereby paint it more convincingly later.
He supposedly remained in this position to gain firsthand inspiration for his painting Snow Storm—Steam-Boat off a Harbour's Mouth (1842)
Turner would say, “I was there for four hours, and I didn’t think I was going to survive. But if I did, I felt bound to record it”
Historians aren’t convinced
It might make a good legend, but many art historians question its literal truth. Turner was about 65 years old at the time, and there is no historical record of a ship named the Ariel departing from Harwich during that period.
Some sources suggest the story may have been embellished or even invented by Turner to enhance his reputation as an artist who would go to extreme lengths for his work. He told the story as if it were a spontaneous act, but there’s no evidence of advance planning, and no other first hand accounts to corroborate the tale.
Whopper Alert: If it happened at all, it was likely embellished or apocryphal.
This reminds me of the time a lion's pride accepted me as one of their own and allowed me to sit among them and paint their portraits! We communicated through a series of growls and roars. This was all documented but one of the lions ate the camera equipment and my paintings, too, so I'm afraid you'll just have to believe me.
Hi James. Even if this story was simply a fantastical dream in the mind of Turner, isn't it wonderful that we have a 65 yr old Superhero who was also one of us?! When we paint, our adventures usually involve some rain, mosquitoes or the occasional angry cow stomping the ground. Just imagining Turner strapped to a mast in the howling wind fills my heart with admiration and encourages my own bravery while painting, (for example in the middle of a frozen mountain lake in the Canadian Rockies...so far, that's my best story; and it's TRUE!!!)