Rome, from Mount Aventine
One painting by Turner, seen six ways, each a self-contained argument for looking closer.
Explore the sixA great painting doesn't have one reading. So instead of a single page, six: light, time, truth, its lost twin, its surface, and the air itself.
The Idea
Turner's Rome, from Mount Aventine is about light. A catalogue entry can't be.
The 1836 view of Rome is a study in atmosphere, Turner painting air, distance and the fall of evening light over the Tiber. The task was to give a modern audience a way in that matched the painting's own generosity.
Rather than one interpretation, the project is an anthology: six standalone, zero-dependency experiences, each taking a single idea as far as it will go: the luminosity, the timeline of taste, the liberties Turner took with the truth, the companion picture, the bare canvas weave, and the air. A gallery ties them together; each stands alone.
Six Experiences
Open the full gallery ↗Why six, and which one
- 01
Six directions instead of one polished page
A pitch with one idea asks for a yes or a no. Six working builds let a specialist team point at what they want: the light, the timeline, the truth, the companion picture, the surface or the air. Each is small enough to judge in a minute.
Principle 02 · Test before build
- 02
The Last Light went furthest
After review, the first experience became the lead. It grew from a brightening scroll into a guided close reading in 13 panning steps, each framing one part of the canvas with a short caption. The start page was redesigned and two steps were merged in response to feedback.
Principle 01 · Give the important thing weight
- 03
Every route ends at the lot
The experiences are a way in, not a destination. The Last Light closes on a single View Lot action that goes to christies.com, so the story hands over to the sale.
Principle 01 · Give the important thing weight
Under the Hood
Zero dependencies
Every experience is hand-built HTML, CSS and JS. No framework, no build step. They load instantly and outlive any toolchain.
One source, many lenses
All six share a single served set of fonts and imagery, so the painting stays consistent while each interaction reframes it.
Live light
"He Painted the Air" sets its gradient from the current light in Rome, so the piece looks different at dawn than at dusk.
Assumptions and next steps
Assumption: people arrive from the lot page
The experiences assume a visitor who already knows the painting is for sale. Someone arriving from social media needs the context first. That entry route is not designed yet.
Open question: does it move anyone to the lot?
The pitch was not won, so none of the six was tested with buyers. If it ran again, the first step would be to put The Last Light in front of a small group and measure how many reach View Lot.
Next: make it a template
The guided close reading is not specific to Turner. With the steps and captions moved into data, the same build could carry any single-lot sale.
In numbers
- Working experiences for one painting
- 6
- Guided steps in The Last Light
- 13
- Days from first build to the reviewed version
- 10
- Dependencies: hand-built HTML, CSS and JS
- 0
A pitch concept: Christie’s reviewed it but did not take it forward, so it never went live and there are no sale results to report. Build figures are from the project’s commit history, 16 to 25 June 2026.
