English Landscape

From 1829 until his death, Constable devoted an increasing amount of time, energy and his own money to the production of prints after his work. Intended as the epitome of his naturalistic art, English Landscape brought together 22 images from the whole span of his career, reimagined with all the drama and delicacy possible with mezzotint. In David Lucas, Constable found a collaborator capable of responding to his work with an unprecedented range of tonal expression, and an endlessly patient colleague who could cope with Constable’s extreme anxiety and mood swings. The result, though not a commercial success at the time, is widely acknowledged as one of the summits of English landscape art, and of the art of the mezzotint. This edition includes Constable’s introduction, his most sustained explanation of his aims as a painter and the revolution he effected in landscape art. Also reprinted are the detailed descriptions he wrote for five of the plates, in which he explains his aims and methods, and the significance to him of the landscapes and skyscapes he depicted.