Artwork

View of Oxford from Headington Hill

View of Oxford from Headington Hill, by William Turner of Oxford, watercolor, 1830
View of Oxford from Headington Hill, by William Turner of Oxford, watercolor, 1830

View of Oxford from Headington Hill is a watercolor drawing by the Romanticist artist William Turner of Oxford. It dates from 1830 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.

About this work

Overview

View of Oxford from Headington Hill is a drawing by J.M.W. Turner, created in 1830, held at the National Gallery of Art, Washington.

Subject & Meaning

The drawing depicts a serene landscape with rolling hills, autumnal trees, and the town of Oxford in the distance, characterized by its church spires. A woman in blue accompanies a flock of sheep in the foreground.

Technique & Style

Turner employed watercolor and gouache over graphite on wove paper, utilizing layered, soft colors to capture the interplay of light on the landscape, a characteristic of the Romanticism movement.

Artist & collection

This work is in the public domain (CC0). Image source: National Gallery of Art open access. Spotted an error in this record? Tell us.