Catherine Johnson takes an enlightening look at the National Gallery's well preserved Turners.

Realising that in my four years here in Edinburgh I had never been to see the annual Turner in January exhibition and that this may be my last chance before departing after graduation, I promptly headed for the National Gallery.

This wonderful collection of watercolours, by Britain’s celebrated landscape painter Joseph Mallord William Turner, was donated to the National Galleries of Scotland by the art collector Henry Vaughn in an act of great generosity. Aware of the delicate nature of watercolours, and their easy damage at over-exposure to light, Vaughn specified that they only be displayed during January; a wish that has been respected, and has come to form a ritual exhibition, even though the pieces are now entirely lit artificially.

The collection is small, in a way that allows careful meditation on each work. Displaying Turner’s passion for travel as well as that for landscape and topography, the works show a variety of Turner’s favoured European painting hotspots, from the wild winds of rural Scotland and Wales to the smouldering air of Venetian summers.

Stand-out works are the more expressive pieces, such as the swirling winds depicted in Loch Coruisk, Skye and the vibrant and impressionistic colour experiments of Sea View. The collection distinctively includes many works from Turner’s time spent in Italy, a good deal of which portray Venice, a city of great appeal to Turner’s interest in depicting water.

In watercolour, the perfect medium, Turner captures the atmosphere of the canal-city – fine examples being The Sun of Venice and the stormy haze of The Piazzetta. An addition to the collection is the new acquisition of Rome from Monte Mario, a charming depiction of the ancient city from up high. Such works provide a perfect visual get-away from a cold and dreary Scottish January.

This is a gentle exhibition, soft and pleasing on both the eye and mind – perfect for this time of year. If you have never been, make sure you participate in this much-loved January ritual; or at least keep an eye out for this cherished Edinburgh tradition when it comes around next year.