Artworks

Before 1800, the sky was seen as the realm of the divine. It couldn't be explained or contained and certainly couldn't be reproduced. However, early into the nineteenth century, an atmosphere of scientific discovery flourished -- along with the Romantic movement in art. It was at this time that the English painter John Constable became fascinated by the meteorological discoveries that were being made and began his 'cloud sketching'.

Constable's billowing cloud landscapes, his sunshine, and his reflected light, would elevate landscape painting to a status it hadn't previously had. In today's Artworks feature we look up to John Constable's sky with the curator Anna Gray and historian Richard Hamblyn.

Publications

Title: The Invention of Clouds
Author: Richard Hamblyn
Publisher: Picador 2001

Story Researcher and Producer

Roz Bluett.

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