Comparison

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Comparison Constable - Turner

Both, Turner and Constable, were great landscape painters. In all of their pictures the nature is the main or an important theme.

But Turner also was preoccupied with the Industrial Revolution and its effect on the nature and the society. He also painted historical and documentary scenes.

Another point is that Turner travelled around Europe and Constable only painted the English countryside. So Turner's versatility is shown in his pictures, but only in his way of painting because his main emphasis is on nature, whereas Constable tries to show the harmony of humans, animals and nature.

Another difference between them is shown in their way of painting.

Turner always wanted to express moods of light and colours by dissolving the forms of natural things, whereas Constable showed the things as they are with his sketchy way of painting. Some pictures by Turner almost rival Constable in their freshness, especially when the older works of Constable are compared to Turner’s Venice pictures. In Turner's pictures you can recognize the beginnings of Early Impressionism.

In their lifetime Turner was more successful, but nowadays Constable is supposed to be the better-known landscape painter.

Finally in the Literary Gazette, a magazine in their lifetime, a critic noted: "If Mr. Turner and Mr. Constable were professors of geology, instead of painting, the first would certainly be a Plutonist, and the second a Neptunist...the one all heat, the other all Humidity." (Marilyn Gaull, English Romanticism, The Human Context, Ontario, Canada 1988, S. 345)

John Constable	Joseph Mallord William Turner
first idols: Lorrain, Gainsborough	first emulated works of van der Veldes, Claude Lorrain first water-colours with topographical tinted drawing
beginning: dark colours (traditional)	first oils are sombre in colours but with contrasted effects of light and atmospheric effects (for example storms <=> rainbows)
later: light, bright colours, no traditional compositions and colour principles natural light effect	went to Italy, impressed by the bright colours there; he used pure colours without the conventional indication of shadows by dark, grey or brown tones
sketchy way of painting tries to give plain description of landscape observes nature, made sketches which were completed in studio wants to show specific atmosphere of landscape tries to express the effect of weather, changing light and movements of clouds infinity & vastness visualise the real essence of things summarises familiar details of countrylife and connected them to imagination of natural universe with human, animal & landscape connected in original harmony shows sensitivity for original landscape, atmosphere, air, light, clouds	preoccupied with figures where the forms are dissolved in an onrush of light complete dissolution of things but he never had that detachment from outwards reality that is now called abstract he set up priorities on moods of colours single elements are shown only by colours which make the whole picture an atmospheric phenomenon by light and colour in his pictures he left everything in doubt except for the positive existence of colour much diversity of landscape style between earlier and later works: one side: Italian style with bright colours, other side: direct impression of the destructiveness of nature forces of nature were expressed by the deluge or the Angels of the Apocalypse
in his pictures he expresses his intense love for the countryside (especially for his home county, Suffolk) identifies his state of mind with pictures: when his wife died he expressed his feelings by painting => isolation, unsettled scenes	but not only landscapes; he also painted many scenes of documentary historical or social backgrounds (=> picture) often shows beauty of connection of technique and nature => mystical exaggeration of the scene represents not the objects of nature but the medium through which they were seen nature described by personal impressions => anticipates impressionistic methods

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