A revolutionary BBC documentary is challenging our understanding of one of England's most celebrated artists, JMW Turner, by exploring the possibility that his extraordinary creative vision was shaped by neurodivergence and childhood trauma.
Unlocking Turner's Secret World
Turner: the Secret Sketchbooks delves deep into the artist's vast collection of 37,000 sketches, drawings and watercolours to construct what experts describe as an unprecedented psychological portrait. The programme brings together an impressive roster of contributors including actor Timothy Spall, who famously portrayed Turner in Mike Leigh's film Mr Turner, alongside artists Tracey Emin and John Akomfrah, Rolling Stones musician Ronnie Wood, psychotherapist Orna Guralnik and naturalist Chris Packham.
Packham, who serves as an ambassador for the National Autistic Society, pointed to Turner's exceptional attention to detail and his capacity for hyperfocus - a state of intense, prolonged concentration commonly associated with conditions such as ADHD and autism. "I see affinities there in terms of my own autistic thinking and approach to various things," Packham observed. "Turner was clearly a man who, today, we would say had focused interest. I'm still happy to call it obsession."
Childhood Trauma and Artistic Expression
Turner's early life was marked by significant hardship that likely shaped his artistic development. Raised in the gritty heart of Georgian London, the artist experienced tragedy at just eight years old when his five-year-old sister died. His mother, Mary, is believed to have suffered from a psychiatric disorder and was eventually admitted to Bethlem hospital, where she died in 1804.
Despite these challenges, Turner demonstrated remarkable talent from a young age. He enrolled at the Royal Academy of Arts when he was only 14 and exhibited his first work there just a year later, quickly establishing himself as a rising star in the art world.
New York-based psychotherapist Orna Guralnik interpreted Turner's paintings as expressions of "a tumultuous, turbulent inner world that was quite hidden from his outside expression." She suggested that the artist's early propensity for drawing buildings reflected an innate need for stability amid personal chaos.
Turner as Climate Change Pioneer
The documentary also posits that Turner may have been among the first artists to document climate change, capturing the dramatic transformation from the age of sail to the age of steam. Packham noted that works like The Fighting Temeraire and Rain, Steam and Speed vividly portray this technological revolution and its environmental impact.
Dr Amy Concannon, the Manton senior curator of historic British art at Tate Britain, highlighted Turner's fascination with changing industrial infrastructure and pollution in works such as Keelmen Heaving in Coals by Moonlight and Snow Storm – Steam-Boat off a Harbour's Mouth. While Turner wouldn't have understood climate change as we do today, he maintained a keen interest in meteorology and atmospheric effects.
The documentary suggests that some of Turner's most dramatic sunsets may have been inspired by the aftermath of the 1815 eruption of Mount Tambora, which Packham described as having "basically precipitated climate change over a foreshortened period."
For art historians and psychologists alike, Turner's sketchbooks continue to provide unparalleled insight into the mind of a creative genius. As Dr Concannon noted, these 300 sketchbooks "tell us where he went and when and get us closer to his mind than anything else," offering ongoing revelations about one of Britain's most complex and brilliant artistic minds.
