While in Princeton, NJ for a seminar on Tuesday I stopped by the University’s art museum to catch “John Constable Oil Sketches from the Victoria and Albert Museum”. A number of watercolor and graphite sketches were also included. Constable’s large scale paintings are based on these sketches and when I walked into that gallery I found treasure.
A prominent landscape painter in early 19th century England, John Constable is famous for occasional wild and furious brushwork, brooding skies and local details of life in his beloved countryside of Stour Valley. His personal sentiment for these subjects is seen in the great sweeps of light, wind and clouds, and the large paintings chock full of busyness are quite characteristic of the Romantic style.
The paintings were created in his studio from the sketches created outdoors, and it’s those sketches that contain all the bright freshness of the day. Usually featuring a single subject and maybe some indistinct background, he sketched quickly on bits of used canvas or paper. Irregular cropping with visible tack holes in the corners or along edges add to the spirit of spontaneity.
When my art historian friend Doug Shawn was a student in England his tutor sent him to the Victoria & Albert Museum to study John Constable’s sketches. Doug was “bowled over. The man could do clouds.” While appreciating Constable’s paintings, neither of us have ever been particularly wowed. Art collector friend Rosemary Beavers has summed it up stating that they seem “boringly proper”. No disrespect to Mr. Constable. Art is, after all, Subjective. And we can’t all be huge fans of the Romantics. Personally, I understand when someone walks right by one of my paintings and yawns. That person undoubtedly prefers ferocious tigers on velvet or perhaps Disney stills. Nothing wrong with that.
In any case, all we have are our personal views. I say John Constable’s sketches are where the action is. Looking at them makes me feel in tune with his creative pulse. He was OK.
www.princetonartmuseum.org/events/John%20Constable/
www.vam.ac.uk/content/articles/a/constable_sketchbook/
