John Constable

Criticized in his lifetime for his rough handling of paint, John Constable's paintings have long defined the idea of the English countryside, its geography fully captured by his remarkable naturalism. His 'vivid and timeless' oil sketches, as he called them, have been celebrated since the 1890s as precursors of impressionism, modernism and photography. This major book reconciles the two defining aspects of Constable's work - his revolutionary painting techniques and his reverence for the old masters.