John Constable: Landscape and Legacy

Today, John Constable is recognised alongside JMW Turner as one of the great nineteenth-century British landscape painters. While his expressive style is just as radical as Turner’s, it took him much longer to find fame. This display brings Constable’s work into dialogue with contemporary artists from Tate’s collection, who similarly look to the British countryside for inspiration.

In 1823 Constable remarked, ‘I was born to paint a happier land, my own dear England’. He loved his native Stour Valley, which lies between the counties of Suffolk and Essex in south-east England, and his landscapes have become synonymous with an idyllic and romanticised depiction of the countryside. Constable painted the environments that held special significance to him – Hampstead, Salisbury, and Brighton. Even at the time, his work was powerfully nostalgic. Britain was changing – cities were growing and industry was booming. Rural life was changing too. Bad harvests and falling wages created challenges not evident in the pictures you see here.

Constable’s work in painting, drawing, watercolour and printmaking have proven particularly influential for artists who look to landscapes for inspiration. All of the contemporary artists featured in this display have cited his work as an influence on their art. Together, these artworks speak to themes which have endured for centuries: our relationship with place, environment and memory.