• Tate Britain - Celebrating 250 years since their births, this significant exhibition delves into the intertwined lives and legacies of Turner and Constable. Uncover surprising aspects of both artists along with personal insights revealed through sketchbooks and personal belongings. Notable artworks include Turner’s impactful and energetic later paintings, which astonished the art critics of his era and later inspired Claude Monet, as well as Constable’s emotive cloud sketches capturing the shifting light of an English sky.

Born in the bustling center of Georgian London, Turner swiftly rose to prominence in the art world despite his modest origins. In contrast, Constable, the son of a prosperous Suffolk merchant, was equally determined to carve out his own path as an artist but encountered a more challenging journey to recognition. Although they came from different backgrounds, they shared a deep connection to nature and both aimed to revolutionize landscape painting, imbuing it with layers of meaning and emotion.

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• Entrance to Turner and Constable exhibition

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Two of Britain’s greatest painters, J.M.W. Turner and John Constable were also the greatest of rivals. Born within a year of each other – Turner in 1775, Constable in 1776 – they used landscape art as a way to reflect the changing world around them.

With the two painters vying for success through very different but equally bold approaches the scene was soon set for a heady rivalry. Turner painted blazing sunsets and sublime scenes from his travels, while Constable often returned to depictions of a handful of beloved places, striving for freshness and authenticity in his portrayal of nature. The art critics compared their paintings to a clash of ‘fire and water’.

This is an unmissable opportunity to explore the careers of the two greatest British landscape painters, seen – as they often were in their own time – side by side.

Curated by Amy Concannon, Manton Senior Curator, Historic British Art, with Nicole Cochrane, Assistant Curator, Historic British Art (1790–1850).

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