Snow Storm: Hannibal and his Army Crossing the Alps
J. M. W. Turner · 1812
Why it's great
A huge black storm cloud swirls over a mountain pass, as tiny soldiers and elephants struggle across the snowy Alps. Turner painted the general Hannibal's journey as a battle between nature and humans. The swirling clouds seem to take over the canvas. It's a wild, stormy vision of an ancient journey.
🏛️ Part of history
Hannibal & the Punic Wars (264–146 BC) — Turner paints Hannibal's army swallowed by a swirling Alpine blizzard, his way of showing how small people are against nature.
Where to see it
📍 Tate BritainLondon, United Kingdom
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Three places to look for a print of this painting, from budget to museum-grade:
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J. M. W. Turner was born in London, the son of a barber, and became a student at the Royal Academy at just 14. He traveled across Britain and Europe, painting storms, ships, and sunsets in swirling light and color. He called the sky his subject, and his late paintings are almost abstract. He left thousands of works to the British nation when he died in London in 1851.
