First Born Plague
J. M. W. Turner·c. 1813
Historical Context
First Born Plague from around 1813 depicts the biblical tenth plague of Egypt from the Book of Exodus. Turner's treatment of biblical catastrophe subjects allowed him to explore extreme effects of light, darkness, and divine judgment. Turner developed the work from preparatory sketches and watercolor studies, building up his oil surfaces with layered glazes and scumbles that dissolved form into light — a technique that profoundly influenced later 19th-century painting.
Technical Analysis
Turner renders the apocalyptic subject with dramatic contrasts of light and darkness, using the supernatural illumination to create an atmosphere of divine terror and human devastation.
Look Closer
- ◆Look at the supernatural light of the plague — Turner renders the divine destruction with a livid, unnatural illumination that distinguishes the biblical catastrophe from natural light.
- ◆Notice the Egyptian architectural setting — the monumental scale of ancient Egyptian buildings providing a backdrop that makes the human suffering feel correspondingly small and overwhelmed.
- ◆Observe the dramatic contrast between the areas of supernatural light and the deep shadows that surround them — Turner uses this extreme chiaroscuro to create the atmosphere of divine judgment.
- ◆Find the human figures in extremis — the dead firstborn and their grieving families — Turner renders the personal human cost of the cosmic event with specific figures of grief.
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