Constable's Skies

Is the beauty we enjoy in nature the same as the beauty we enjoy in art? A test case is the remarkable series of cloud sketches that John Constable produced between 1820 and 1822 under the influence of the first scientific meteorologist, Luke Howard. In this richly illustrated talk Emeritus Professor Richard Read explores the paradoxical relationship between scientific objectivity and emotional expression in Constable’s paintings. He hopes it will create greater awareness not only of Constable’s achievement, but of cloud formations themselves, for so long as there’s a window, we can always observe the beauty of the skies.

Richard Read is Emeritus Professor and Senior Honorary Research Fellow at the University of Western Australia, Perth. He is widely published and presents art lectures in an engaging and informative way for all audiences.

Hosted by Tresillian Arts Centre.

Image Credit: Study of Cumulus Clouds, 1822, John Constable