Art in Context: Staffa, the “Indistinct” at Yale Center for British Art

The Yale Center for British Art will host a compelling Art in Context talk on Tuesday, June 3, 2025, at 12:30 pm, examining J. M. W. Turner’s Staffa, Fingal’s Cave (1831–32) through a lens of period aesthetics and cultural perception.

Jessikah Díaz, PhD candidate in English at Yale University, will explore the notion of “indistinctness” in Turner’s painting—once a point of criticism by its first American buyer, James Lenox. This discussion positions Turner’s style as a reflection of the Romantic era’s complex relationship with emerging technologies and a shifting sense of time. By delving into the visual ambiguity that characterizes Staffa, Díaz offers insight into Turner’s unique artistic language and its dialogue with the 19th century’s cultural landscape.

The talk will take place at the Yale Center for British Art, 1080 Chapel Street, New Haven, CT. Admission is free and open to the public. For more information, visit britishart.yale.edu.