John Constable: The Man and His Art

Rating:
Summary: Well done Ronald Parkinson
Review: I found this book to be a very insightful look into the work of John Constable. Ronald Parkinson, the author, shows remarkable restraint by resisting the urge to transform Constable into a mythic misunderstood genius from the glorious history of English painting. The book reads like a good biography. It tells us what Constable was up to, what artists he was looking at, and the images of what he was painting at that time. What more could you ask for.

My only qualm with the book was its lack of information on Constable's contemporaries. A few hints at what Turner was painting was not enough. I would have liked to have seen more examples of English painters dealing with the landscape even if it meant details from the backgrounds of uninspired portraits.

All in all this was a wonderful book, even if you have little interest in English landscape paintings.

Rating:
Summary: Well done Ronald Parkinson
Review: I found this book to be a very insightful look into the work of John Constable. Ronald Parkinson, the author, shows remarkable restraint by resisting the urge to transform Constable into a mythic misunderstood genius from the glorious history of English painting. The book reads like a good biography. It tells us what Constable was up to, what artists he was looking at, and the images of what he was painting at that time. What more could you ask for.

My only qualm with the book was its lack of information on Constable's contemporaries. A few hints at what Turner was painting was not enough. I would have liked to have seen more examples of English painters dealing with the landscape even if it meant details from the backgrounds of uninspired portraits.

All in all this was a wonderful book, even if you have little interest in English landscape paintings.