Book Description
Hugely popular, John Constable (1776-1837) is often cited as the most genuine painter of the English countryside. His iconic images of rural life and landscape are endlessly reproduced, evoking a vanished idyll. Looking beyond the myths that have grown up around the artist, and drawing on a close reading of both his work and letters, William Vaughan provides a fresh understanding of the scope of Constable's achievement.
About the Author
William Vaughan is Pevsner Professor of History of Art at the School of History of Art, Film and Visual Meida, Birkbeck College, London.
John Constable FROM THE PUBLISHER
"John Constable (1776-1837) is best known for his idyllic pictures of the English countryside. Yet he was also a brilliant innovator who brought a new vivacity to the observation of nature. He practiced oil painting in the open air with unprecedented dedication, capturing in particular the 'effervescent' effects of atmospherics - as can be seen, for example, in his wonderful studies of clouds. His art became a benchmark for naturalist painters throughout Europe and America in the nineteenth century, playing a part in the development of Impressionism in France." This book draws extensively on the artist's own correspondence to provide a new understanding of his artistic aims and achievements, and reassesses his role in the development of modern art.
Art & Photography
Book Info
