Graham Turner reveals how he recreates stunning images from the Wars of the Roses
One of the ever-present challenges of studying the past as a historian is being able to picture events. For modern historians we have the benefit of photography and film to improve our understanding. These mediums are not always 100 per cent reliable, but they offer important detail. When it comes to older history, we must rely on written descriptions and contemporary recreations to work out how things would have looked in their contemporary setting. To help us out, we have incredible historical artists like Graham Turner, who has been painting historical events for over 30 years. His new book, The Wars of the Roses: The Medieval Art of Graham Turner, highlights some of his most famous works, and we were delighted to learn more about his research and experience bringing the past back to life on his canvas. You can learn more about his artwork (and buy signed prints) at studio88.co.uk.
What are your art and history backgrounds? How did the two come together for you?
My father is an artist, so I grew up believing that it wasn’t a particularly unusual career choice. Initially I was drawn towards the world of motor racing, the subject my father is very well known for, but I realised after a few years that I needed to forge my own path, and that’s when my fascination for history came to the fore.
My first steps down the route that has now resulted in this book were a few canvases inspired by Arthurian legend, but that quickly changed as I read more about the Wars of the Roses and began to appreciate that real history was so much more interesting than anything you could make up. A visit to the battlefield at Bosworth in 1994 provided my epiphany; in my mind’s eye I could clearly see Richard III leading his knights in their thunderous charge across the landscape, and the resulting large oil painting was unveiled at the Bosworth Battlefield Visitor Centre on 22 August 1995, the anniversary of the battle.
What are the elements of the Wars of the Roses that have made it such an important recurring subject for your work?
To begin with it was probably my boyhood fascination with armour – the Wars of the Roses coincided with a high point in the design and appearance of these skilfully shaped creations that encased the wearer in spectacular style – but that has evolved into a deep interest in the people who lived through these turbulent events.
The Wars of the Roses is such a colourful period of history, with a compelling cast of varied, recognisable characters navigating their way thro
