In a thrilling twist on the celebrated English landscape painter John Constable's work, an exhibition at Burgh House in Hampstead is throwing down the gauntlet – or rather, the palette knife – on our perceptions of this British master. As we mark the 250th anniversary of his birth, this captivating display peels back the layers to reveal a more sombre, unsettling side of Constable's artistic output. Get ready to have your expectations smashed like a canvas in a studio storm!
Constable may be synonymous with idyllic scenes of sun-kissed English countryside, but delve into his world and you'll find a man bound by the British shores – unlike Turner, he never ventured beyond England's borders. His connection to Suffolk, Hampstead, and Brighton has been hailed as the key to his breathtaking precision in capturing seasonal nuances. However, some critics have always seen it as quaint, patrician, and overly ordered.
Enter Burgh House, with its game-changing exhibition that flips the script on Constable's traditional image. At its heart are three mezzotint prints that defy expectation – 'Noon' from 1831 takes centre stage, conjuring a spooky, noir-like atmosphere in eerie grey tones that send shivers down your spine. These haunting landscapes, created with such fine detail that the black ink seems almost translucent, were hand-touched by Constable himself.
The show also features an oil study for 'Hampstead Heath With A Rainbow', which offers a jarring departure from the finished piece's disorienting scale and composition. This raw, less refined version strips away the rainbow that lights up the final work, leaving behind thick impastos and blurred colours that border on abstract expressionism – Branch Hill Pond appears as a splodge of blue amidst cascading greens, like a paint-splattered canvas in progress.
This exhibition is an invitation to re-evaluate Constable's artistic range and emotional depth. It strips away the veneer of bucolic charm and invites us to uncover new facets of this pivotal British artist – one that reveals a darker, more introspective side, hidden beneath his idyllic landscapes. For both seasoned fans and newcomers alike, Burgh House offers a masterclass in rediscovering an artistic legend.