Emma Prempeh on John Constable

Despite its small size, Constable's oil study Rainstorm over the Sea c.1824–8 has an impact that feels large in scale. When I first saw it, I was enamoured by its expressionist nature, which contrasts with his more resolved, naturalistic paintings like The Hay Wain 1821 or Flatford Mill (‘Scene on a Navigable River’) 1816–17. The heavy brushstrokes and their evocation of chaotic movement awoke in me both frustration and relief – feelings I strongly associate with moments in my own practice when control gives way to impulse.

Constable perfectly captures a storm off Brighton beach. Knowing that the artist painted this scene while visiting his wife Maria, who had moved to the seaside to treat her declining health (she would soon die from tuberculosis), I imagine that Constable’s loose marks were fuelled by emotional upheaval. He seems to have disregarded any attempt at a realistic depiction of the weather in favour of an emotive representation. The contrasting stillness of the beach below traps the sky in suspension – the calm before the storm. I feel a sense of release in his mark making, the black paint piercing the white cloudy sky leaving a lingering stain, much like a scribble on a blank page.

I first encountered Constable through comparisons made between his work and my own recent landscape paintings. While some aspects, such as the sharpness of his paintings and the unpredictability of his skies, feel close to mine, our subject matter differs. Constable painted British landscapes that were geographically and culturally familiar to him, while my own compositions draw on Caribbean and African landscapes – locations that hold personal and cultural significance for me, but at a distance rather than through lived experience. As a result, I’ve become increasingly aware of how often artistic work, and worth, is measured through resemblance rather than intention.

Constable’s paintings are often framed in opposition to Turner’s more ethereal style. The landmark exhibition currently at Tate Britain positions Turner and Constable as artistic rivals, just as many of their contemporary critics did. But, in upending stylistic expectations and prioritising an emotional response over naturalistic representation, Rainstorm over the Sea resists being read through the lens of difference. And so, to me, the exhibition unintentionally exposes how comparison can undermine creative endeavour.

^{Turner and Constable, Tate Britain, until 12 April}

^{Emma Prempeh is a British, Ghanaian and Vincentian artist who lives and works in London.}

^{Turner and Constable is in partnership with LVMH. Supported by the Huo Family Foundation and James Bartos. With additional support from the Turner and Constable Exhibition Supporters Circle, Tate Americas Foundation and Tate Members. The media partner is The Times and The Sunday Times. Research supported by the Manton Historic British Art Scholarship Fund.}