When Sir Walter Scott visited Loch Coruisk, his account concluded, 'though I have seen many scenes of more extensive desolation, I never witnessed any in which it pressed more deeply upon the eye and the heart than at Loch Corriskin [sic]; at the same time that its grandeur elevated and redeemed it from the wild and dreary character of utter barrenness' (W. Scott, The Lord of the Isles, 1830, note XXXII).
The Loch, on the western coast of the Isle of Skye, gave poets and artists a perfect example of the Sublime, with its vast, rugged, brooding landscape. It was a favourite subject for those touring the Scottish Highlands and Islands, and was depicted by artists throughout the 19th Century. Here, Turner stays away from an overtly emotional interpretation of the subject, focusing instead on the richness and subtlety of colour seen in the sky and rocks. The drawing was probably made, or at least worked up, in the studio after Turner's return from his 1838 tour of the Highlands.
For a biographical note on the artist, please see lot 5.