Synopsis

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In the early nineteenth century John Constable revolutionised landscape painting and the way in which we see the natural world. Many of his major works are in the collection of Tate, and this film uses those paintings and drawings, together with works from London’s National Gallery and elsewhere, to consider the artist’s life and work. The canvases and sketches are newly and exceptionally filmed in HDTV from the original artworks.

Constable at Tate explores the Suffolk countryside of the artist’s boyhood and includes a selection of Constable’s own thoughts from his compelling letters. A detailed critical commentary considers Constable in the social and historical context of an England fighting a war with France and dealing with profound political change. This commentary is included only as audio, so that the film is a lush visual combination of art and landscape.

Contributors include Tate curator Anne Lyles and the art historians Michael Rosenthal and William Vaughan. Also featured on the DVD are ten additional short films, each of which considers in detail a major work by the artist.

“An immersive, insightful and often poetic meditation on Constable’s life and work. This is educational media at its finest. Highly recommended.”
           Educational Media Reviews Online