In July of last year the Getty Museum in Los Angeles acquired one of Joseph Mallord William Turner’s great masterpieces, Modern Rome – Campo Vaccino (and a pretty price they paid for it, too.)
Though not part of a special exhibition as far as I can tell, the museum is highlighting the fact that this magnificent work is on display.
The Getty Iris, the museum’s blog, has an interesting post called Labeling Turner, about the often overlooked process of creating a museum label for the piece, in this case a slightly more elaborate one than usual. The post includes photos of the painting in its place in the gallery.
The painting, a prime example of Turner at the height of his abilities, is a sweeping vista of “modern” Rome, i.e. in Turner’s time, 1839. The term “Campo Vaccino” means “cattle field” or cow pasture, the open area of the Roman Forum before it was excavated.
There is a larger image of the painting here as part of the VisualBites article. Wikipedia has a bit of history on the painting.
For more Turner resources, see my post on J.M.W. Turner.
