Why Is Constable Considered to Be a Better Landscape Artist - Assignment Example

? Why is Constable considered a better landscape artist than Turner in Joseph Mallord William Turner and John Constable were contemporaries of the Romantic school of art. During their lives, Turner was considered the better artist.(Pitman 2009) Both from England, they had their own styles and styles of life. They were arch rivals. (Pitman 2009) The purpose of this work is to compare their styles by demonstrating a knowledge of their social back grounds, specific works then taking that knowledge to take one work from each artist of similar subject matter and do an in depth analysis. The conclusion will be based, explaining why Constable is now considered the better landscape artist.(Ammerman, Sommer 2001) John Constable (1776-1837) was specialized in landscape paintings of the region surrounding Suffolk. (Ammerman, Sommer 2001) He came from a financially secure family. When he went to art school, his father gave him a monthly stipend. He entered in his first year on probation as he was never really considered talented.(Ammerman, Sommer 2001) He sold his first painting when he was 43 years old. He was elected to the Royal Academy when he was 52. (Pitman 2009) Contemporaries were often exhibited together. They both hated the comparison that they were England's two landscape artists. Constable was jealous of Turner's rapid success but Turner was more angry with him. (Pittman 2009) . Joseph Mallord William Turner (1775-1851) was more polyvalent. He did landscape, and watercolor paintings and experimented in printmaking.(Magister n.d.) He used his landscape paintings, unlike Delacroix, as historical paintings. Delacroix painted scenes from history. His use of light was an indication of his impressionist tendencies. He came from an unstable home. His father was a wig maker and his mother was eventually committed to an asylum. At 14 years old, he entered the Royal Academy of Arts and had one painting exhibited per year to the end of his life. (Magister, n.d.) Because he had financial stability, he travelled all over Europe and was able to expand his horizons something Constable was never able to do.(Magister, n.d.) Turner translates nature into destiny, his painting represents man's fight with destiny. "It will either destroy man or he will conquer his destiny".(Magister, n.d.) His first paintings show the quiet landscapes where he then moves to the fighting forces as expressed in the last painting in this report. The Opening of Wallha, (N00533) 1842 exhibited 1843 was done in commemoration of the opening of the Walhalla Temple in Germany.(Art Authority) Oil on mahogany support: 1127 x 2007 mm frame: 1505 x 2362 x 110 mm The painting tells a story showing the temple as a historical monument, the Danube river, the bridge and people on the shore having a good time.(Art Authority) It is complicated and much to be seen. It is in the end of the romantic style. The lines and colors blend into other subjects. Here the lines are soft and the colors blend into other color. There is still the Romantic school of having people clearly visible. There is a contrast in lighting between the water, the clouds and the sky. As this is a historical painting, the story of the painting is clear. He makes a contrast with other landscape paintings where the subject matter is not important. St Benedetto, Looking towards Fusina  exhibited 1843 shows Turner's love of Venice. His use of light, color, and water gives the viewer the perfect idea of a Venetian canal. Oil on canvas support: 622 x 927 mm frame: 872 x 1176 x 105 mm Location: Tate Gallery (14789) The lines and the transition of colors blend in the painting showing everything is three dimensional. The perception of going down the canal is real. There is no sign of buildings or boats but the viewer knows they exist. The transition of the water into the horizon is the only line in the painting. Turner shows constant growth/transitions in his paintings. The following painting shows his interpretation of nature in the literal sense. | The Shipwreck "The moods of nature": (Magister, n.d.) This painting shows the contrasts in nature: water and waves, sky and clouds, life and death, dark and light, windy and calm. So much is expressed at the tip of a brush, perhaps Turner was expressing his emotions. His images are blended other than the sails of the boats. In each of his painting he has at least one subject where the image is not troubled. Snow storm- Steam-Boat of a Harbour's Mouth, 1842 is a complete blending of colors. The steam and the sky are visible. The waves are not discernable from the steam boat nor is it obvious that there is a storm. The pre -impressionism has started. 91cm 122cm Oil on canvas (Art Authority) Both the last two painting shows Turner's universal Romantic use of natural phenomena.(Magister, n.d.) A shipwreck and a storm represent his constant use of life and death situations in his paintings. The parting of hero and leander - from the Greek of Musaeus, 1837 Oil on Canvas 146cm 236cm Located: National Gallery London(Magister, n.d.) The use of Greek mythology was also part of the Romantic school. . In this painting, he tells the story of "Leander swimming the Hellespont each evening to meet his lover, Hero, a priestess of Aphrodite. She guided him by a lighted torch. One stormy night, the light blew out, and Leander was drowned. Hero flung herself into the sea after him. Here the brewing storm suggests the tragedy ahead…" (Magister, n.d.) His landscape shows Greek buildings and clouds, and rocks. The reflection of the sun on the water is bright and has nothing related to how Constable uses light. (Magister, n.d.) Constable would be called a naturalist.(Ammerman, Sommer 2001) He loved portraying the harmony of nature within the landscape, the lighting and giving texture feeling to his paintings. His use of light was pure. The reflection of the clouds into water was as true as could be. Constable painted his Flatford Mill Scene on a Navigable River 1816-17 Oil on Canvas 102cm 127cm Located Tate Gallery London Haut du formulaire Is a beautiful scenic painting showing the scope of his capacities as a landscape painter. "No painter every represented the English countryside with greater fidelity…" (Fleming & Honour, p653) In this scene, he has shown architecture, nature, people, places, work, and occupations. His texture contributes to the different attributes: weather, temperature, time of day, time of year. These categories can be broken down to subsections. For example, nature has animals, landscape, plants and flowers, waterways, and weather. These can also be broken down, point being that there is a wealth of accurate portrayal of the knowledge of 19th century living in an English village. His scenes are more distinct than Turner's and more diversified. His use of light is different as he shows the reflection of clouds in the water Constable's The Opening of Waterloo Bridge (Whitehall Stairs, June 18th, 1817) took 25 years to complete.(Pitman 2009) He remained consistent to his landscape, showing the importance of the water line and the sky. The Opening of Waterloo Bridge (`Whitehall Stairs, June 18th, 1817')  exhibited 1832 Oil on canvas support: 1308 x 2180 mm frame: 1635 x 2480 x 178 mm painting Located: Tate Gallery London (T04904) He keeps to the wonderful colors of the sky and the clouds but the naturalism that we saw indicative in his earlier paintings is not as present. He keeps as many different subjects but their forms are not as clear and precise. The viewer automatically looks to the depth of the landscape and is not interested by what is going on in the forefront. He has used a perfect lineage of 3 dimensional perspective. He uses the palette knife on the canvas which gives more texture to the clouds. This is one of his first large canvases Their ways of painting were different. Turner used color as a means of expressing mood. He blended the colors in order to make the transition of things as though the light was shining in the distance. "He seems almost to have identified the pigments which he applied to paper or canvas with the atmosphere coloring between the artist and the object depicted (Fleiming & Honour, p 655) Constable showed the things as they are in real life. His pictures were of everyday life experiences. Though this is a subjective interpretation, he mastered the use of light with more accuracy then Turner. In Turner's works, you can recognize the beginnings of Early Impressionism. "Constable abandoned history, and religious painting for the exclusive study of landscape he prefered to concentrate on the depiction of transitory weather patterns that told temporal stories…." (Jurkevitch, p 100) Two works have been chosen: John Constable, Sketch for 'Hadleigh Castle' circa 1828-29 and Pembroke Caselt, South Wales: Thunder Storm Approaching. 1801 Sketch for `Hadleigh Castle' circa 1828-9 Oil on canvas support: 1226 x 1673 mm frame: 1507 x 1951 x 153 mm painting Located: Tate Gallery (N048) Constable often made full size sketches or paintings before he beginning his mural master pieces.(Duff 2006) . "Constable's vision of the English landscape culminates in a series of seven large pictures -"six foot canvases" he called them…" (Fleming & Honour, p 654) The final work was exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1829. This painting shows his loneliness after the death of his wife.(Duff 2006) The contrast of the sky was with the dark colors used to paint the Castle ruins. He used his palette knife to change the texture of paint across the whole canvas which is an aggressive technique. (Duff 2006 ) It helped to show the billowy clouds and the rocks on the shore. Pembroke Caselt, South Wales: Thunder Storm Approaching. 1801 Turner (Art Authority) Watercolor 50.8 cm 99.1cm Located: Private Collection Turner shows all the forces of nature. The violent movement of the sea is contrasted by the broken stillness of the wood on the beach. You can hear the waves beating against the rocks of the deserted castle. There is no time of day as the lighting that is well distinct in Constable, is not longer present in Turner's painting (impressionistic technique). Whereas he began his painting 'topographically' correct, he uses the blend of colors to make the transitions less obvious. (Fleming & Honor, p655) You feel the desperation of the two men who have made it ashore. Their fatigue or their sadness is in the darkness of the contract of the boat. Their shadow is present as is the shadow of the castle. All are disserted and in ruins. Both paintings show despair and sadness. Constable still maintains his landscape technique by a horizontal line separating the land from the sky. Turner's separation from the sea/land and sky is less visible. His movement is violent whether it is the ocean or the clouds. Constable shows movement in a positive manner as the white clouds are billowy. In both paintings there is a small piece of blue sky. Each artist has changed in his life time. During the 19th century Turner was more appreciated but he also got more exposure. In retrospect, having gone through the impressionists school to the modern school of art, Constable has remained the better landscape artist of the two. His portrayal of English country side in its true form is exemplary to 19th century life. Turner helped advance artist from the Romantic School into full impressionism. His historical paintings told stories not history. A naturalist or a visionary: Turner was the romantic visionary, his painting are beautiful and evolutionary for the 19th century. As a naturalist romantic, Constable had incredible technique which can be well appreciated today. References Art Authority iTunes Application - virtual art museum 50 000 works Ammerman, Sommer (2001) Comparison Constable - Turner Web April 09 2011 http://www.gymnasium-meschede.de/projekte/romantik/comparison.htm Duff, Natasha (2006) Constable's Sketch for Hadleigh Castle: A Technical Examination Web April 10 2011 http://www.tate.org.uk/research/tateresearch/tatepapers/06spring/duff.htm Frank, Patrick (2008) Prebles' Artforms, 9th Edition, pp 93-98 New York: Prentice Hall Honour, Hugh & Fleming, John (2005) The Making of a Modern World A World History of Art, pp 653-654 London: Fleming-Honour. LTD Jurkevitch, Gayana (1999) Lessons in Landscape, In Pursuit of the Natural Sign, New Jersey: Associated University Press Magister, Senex Joseph Mallord Willimam Turner English Romantic Painter, Watercolorist & Draftsman 1775-1851 Web April 09 2011 http://hoocher.com/Joseph_William_Turner/Joseph_William_Turner.htm Pitman, Joanna (2009) J.M.W. Turner: the making of a Young Master at Tate Britain, The Times, September 22,2009 Web April 09 2011 http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/visual_arts/article68 43091.ece http://www.tate.org.uk/servlet/ArtistWorks?id=651 Addendum: Most of the works cited in this essay are housed in the Tate Gallery in London, England. They have their own coding system. They can be found in the Tate's data base. Sites http://www.tate.org.uk/servlet/ViewWork?workid=14789 Read More