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Visual Arts

Constable: The Making of a Master, V&A

20 Nov 14 – 11 Jan 15, Various times

Wondering what to see at the V&A? Fall in love all over again with the beloved British artist John Constable at this current London exhibition.

By CW Contributor on 11/8/2014

2 CW readers are interested
Study of Cirrus Clouds, John Constable, about 1821-22, oil on paper © Victoria and Albert Museum, London
Study of Cirrus Clouds, John Constable, about 1821-22, oil on paper © Victoria and Albert Museum, London
Constable: The Making of a Master, V&A Constable: The Making of a Master, V&A Alice Stride
John Constable, Romantic painter of The Hay Wain (1814) – consistently voted one of the UK’s favourite oil paintings – and known for his rigorous studies of clouds and landscapes, only saw real success in France during his lifetime and was belatedly appointed to the Royal Academy at the age of 52. These are just three of many surprising facts throughout this current London exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum of ‘Britain’s best-loved artist’. John Constable: The Making of a Master is essential to anyone looking for the best exhibitions in London this winter.
Nature
Constable transformed the genre of landscape painting, imbuing his detailed, naturalistic scenes of rural England (especially Dedham Vale in Suffolk) with a new intensity of sentiment and extensive art historical knowledge. His life spanned the late-eighteenth and early-nineteenth centuries, notably the same years as the famous ‘Romantic’ poet and nature writer William Wordsworth. 
A student of the Old Masters 
Painting the English countryside was a popular leisure pursuit for gentlemen such as Constable, though, as the show reveals, he was anything but a dilettante. For the first time, Constable’s monumental works will be displayed alongside the ‘Old Master’ landscape painters whom he had assiduously studied and responded to. Contemporary art critics praised Constable’s modernisation of these 17th century Dutch and Flemish landscape artists such as Hobbema, Rubens, Ruisdael and Wouwerman. This clever use of the art criticism of the day reflects the erudite nature of the exhibition. 
Other inspired moments include reuniting preparatory sketches with their finished oil versions – such as The Hay Wain and The Leaping Horse (1825) (both of the River Stour) – revealing Constable’s process and the fineness of his poetic touch. Expect too some enlightening discussion of the fashionable method of painting en plein air – alongside lots of fluffy Constable clouds – and of his commercially savvy engraving enterprises. 
Constable the collector
An admirer of Sir George Beaumont’s Old Master collection, Constable himself collected over 5,000 prints such as the majestic and desolate etching The Three Trees (1643) by Rembrandt, which is also on show. Beloved by connoisseurs throughout the centuries, Rembrandt’s etchings in Constable’s collection are a sign of this artist’s extremely cultivated eye.
This V&A exhibition unearths the radical Romantic force beneath a well-known name and reveals the making of an exquisite mind. One is forced to concede that Constable really was a giant among European painters and Constable: The Making of a Master is definitely a giant contender for our favourite exhibition in London. 
Click here for our exclusive interview with the exhibition's curator, Mark Evans. 

What Constable: The Making of a Master, V&A
Where V&A, South Kensington, Cromwell Road, London, SW7 2RL | MAP
Nearest tube South Kensington (underground)
When 20 Nov 14 – 11 Jan 15, Various times
Price £14 adults, £9 students
Website Click here for more information



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  • Christmas Exclusive

    £2 OFF FULL PRICE TICKETS

    Culture Whisper members get £2 off tickets to Constable: The Making of a Master. To redeem the offer, present your Culture Whisper membership card at the exhibition ticket desk. 

    Terms and Conditions: Offer is only valid for the Constable: The Making of a Master exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum, Cromwell Road, London, SW7 2RL. Valid from 1 December until 11 January 2015. Adult ticket is £14 (£12 with discount) and Student ticket is £9 (£7 with discount). Only one ticket offer per person. Subject to availability. Not to be used in conjunction with any other offer. There is no cash alternative. 

    About the V&A

    Opened in 1852 by Queen Victoria, the Victoria and Albert Museum (known as the V&A) was initially intended as an educational museum of manufacturing techniques. Today its identity has veered towards aesthetics. Its vast holdings of sculpture, furniture, jewellery, ceramics, costumes, prints and drawings make it the largest museum of decorative arts in the world with over 4.5 million objects spanning 5000 years. Looking into the central courtyard, the rich and expertly curated Sculpture Galleries are a staple favourite for Culture Whisper. Exhibitions tend to be inventive and of Blockbuster proportions.

What members say

    Super show, I especially liked the opening video showing constables scenes today

    Sapphire Paston

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