Landscape Badass

J.M.W. Turner could paint the shit out of anything——fires, a battle scene, seascapes, some sunlit mountains…you name it. After all, he was “one of the greatest landscape painters in the history of art.” From the stuff I’ve seen (like “The Battle of Trafalgar”), though, homeboy was just painting the news. Really, I wish more people would do the same thing nowadays. Imagine the possibilities: Edward Ruscha’s wondrous depiction of the writer’s strike. Jasper Johns’ amazingly detailed precinct-by-precinct delegate count. Robert Rauschenberg’s subtle treatment of the Chinese lead toy scare. I could go on an on. Until CNN comes to its senses and hires all these dudes, you’ll just have to make do with old English news as captured in J.M.W. Turner, a new exhibit on display through May 18 at the Dallas Museum of Art, 1717 N. Harwood St. The show features more than 100 works by Turner, many of them never shown before in the United States. The DMA will also be the exhibit’s only stop south of the Mason-Dixon line, so Yankee-hatin’ art lovers take note. Call 214-922-1200 or visit dallasmuseumofart.org.

Tuesdays-Sundays. Starts: Feb. 10. Continues through May 25, 2008