J.M.W. Turner and John Constable: Rivals in the Romantic Era

About this event

The years 2025 and 2026 mark the 250th birthday of two of Britain's greatest painters, both founding giants of English landscape painting. J.M.W. Turner was born to humble beginnings in 1775 and John Constable, the son of a wealthy mill owner, arrived the following year. Contemporaries who were members of London's Royal Academy of Art, they were very different people who had rival approaches to their work and contrasting exhibition goals and practices. Despite their differences, their shared belief in the natural world as inspiration and a source of imagination is reflected in their paintings. Turner was inspired by Dutch landscape painting. When Napoleon Bonaparte permitted, Turner ranged over Europe, painting awe-inspiring landscapes of waterfalls, glaciers, the Swiss Alps, and the city of Venice. In contrast, Constable was artistic kin of Thomas Gainsborough, painting their native Suffolk. He willingly limited himself to the landscapes of his native East Anglia and a few other locales in England, such as Brighton and Salisbury, and he never travelled abroad. In this richly illustrated talk, art historian Bonita Billman looks at the lives, careers, and oeuvre of Turner and Constable, examining their artistic influences, painting methods, patrons, and their personal interests. Billman is retired from the department of history and art history at Georgetown University. General Information View Common FAQs and Policies about our Online Programs on Zoom .