What You Will!
J. M. W. Turner·1822
Historical Context
What You Will!, exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1822, takes its title from the subtitle of Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, though the painting's precise literary reference remains debated. The work shows a festive masquerade scene with figures in elaborate costumes, painted with a rich, warm palette that recalls the Venetian old masters Turner admired. The painting's theatrical atmosphere and jewel-like color demonstrate Turner's range beyond landscape and marine subjects into the realm of figure painting and literary illustration. Now in the Clark Art Institute in Williamstown, Massachusetts, the painting represents an unusual departure for Turner into the world of Shakespearean festivity and costume.
Technical Analysis
The warm, golden palette and the atmospheric dissolution of the festive scene demonstrate Turner's evolving approach to figure painting. The luminous treatment of the figures and setting, with forms emerging from and dissolving into light, anticipates his later, more abstract works.
Look Closer
- ◆Notice the festive, golden atmosphere Turner creates — this imaginary fête champêtre is bathed in warm afternoon light that dissolves figures and foliage into a shimmering, theatrical scene.
- ◆Look for the figures gathered in the park setting, their costumes suggesting a theatrical masquerade or outdoor entertainment appropriate to the Shakespearean subtitle.
- ◆Observe how Turner handles the foliage — warm browns and golds flickering against the luminous sky, closer to Watteau's painterly forests than to naturalistic observation.
- ◆Find the central group of figures, around which the composition organizes itself — Turner's figure painting here is more confident than in many works, the atmospheric warmth unifying the scene.
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