The Goddess of Discord Choosing the Apple of Contention in the Garden of the Hesperides

J. M. W. Turner, a titan of English Romanticism, painted "The Goddess of Discord Choosing the Apple of Contention in the Garden of the Hesperides" in 1806. This work comes early in his career, before his style fully evolved into the more abstract, light-infused canvases he's best known for. Turner, a child prodigy who exhibited at the Royal Academy at 15, was already a Royal Academician by this time. He was known for his imaginative landscapes and often turbulent, dramatic scenes, a hint of which we see here. While the subject is classical mythology, a common theme for artists of his era, Turner's treatment foreshadows his later mastery of atmosphere and expressive coloring. He was a prolific artist, leaving behind thousands of oils, watercolors, and works on paper, and was championed by the influential critic John Ruskin, who considered him the greatest painter England had ever produced. This painting, created when he was 31, reflects the foundational elements of his training and the burgeoning genius that would redefine landscape painting.