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| Malvern Hall National Gallery, London Oil on Canvas John Constable |
If it is spring; if there is a strong wind of pleasure in the air; and if an artist like John Constable takes the brush in his hand; the message is clear: there would descend a masterpiece landscape on a canvas.
What does an artist carry when he start painting?
Artists like Constable carry a specific set of tools when they stand before a
canvas when they stand with the colour-loaded brushes. Anything else? Yes,
they have intuition. It is the strongest tool. Intuition pushes an artist to
execute a painting that would be called an aesthetic outcome.
The Art of Painting a Landscape: What does an
artist feel when he or she is going to paint a landscape? The landscape is one
of the most alluring subjects. There are artistic reasons for that. May
it is the unpredictable scenario on the surface of the earth, sky or sea; may
it be the changing moods of trees and flowing rivers: these subjects have
always appealed to the minds of artists.
Look at the above painting. This painting
titled Malvern Hall is done by John Constable (1776-1837). He
was an English artist of the nineteenth century. In addition to the lush green
landscapes of England, Constable had put the big buildings on his canvases,
too. When the artists include objects created by human labour, they infuse a
different quality into their artworks. The works done by humans on the surface
of the earth show how human endeavours affect the environment. Paintings of
farms and farmhouse and beautifully painted rows of green trees witness the
human efforts to decorate Mother Earth.
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Why the artist decorates Mother Earth on his or her
canvases? It is because an artist feels that it is an artist's noble duty to
depict the beauty of objects lying before the scope of eyes. There hidden
beauty must be unfolded. That is what they think. and that is what they do.
While painting landscape, artists like Constable explore the hidden potentials
of the art of painting itself. He would think about how the artwork could be
the cause of entertaining the eyes of art-lovers.
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| The Lock John Constable |
The Artist: Constable was an artist with a difference. He had quietly rebelled
against established artistic culture. He insisted that an artist should apply
his or her imagination while composing paintings. Look at the painting The
Lock. It is one of the six paintings Constable had painted about the English
County of Suffolk. This painting had also fetched an unbelievable price at an
auction in 2012.
If we observe this painting keenly, we can see that
putting weight on the mere natural scene was not given much stress. Constable
used his art in adoring the landscapes as they were. We can call this painting
done in a realistic style. His paintings would look romantic, too. Here the
element of movement shown is also the eye-catching one.
When an artist cultivates a working relationship
with the landscape, he or she would move on to paint the green cover of the
farms waving crops. He or she would paint water canals and disciplined rows of
roadside trees. When dry land is shown adjacent to green fields, it depicts how
we love to decorate the earth. And a painter like Constable would love to paint
the mother earth in all of her moods.
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| The White Horse John Constable The Frick Collection, New York City This painting was sold for just 100 guineas, to one of his friends. But afterwards, Constable bought the painting back and kept it for the whole of his life with him. |
When the landscape artists include the objects created by human
endeavours, they add different characteristics to their artworks. The paintings
of the nicely tilled farm, the straight rows of planted trees, and other
agricultural activities establish the stamp of the man’s capacity to affect the
changes in the order of nature. The green cover of the crops waving in
agricultural farms; the flowing water canals; the rows of roadside trees; and
the forestation of drylands confirm the desire of the human race to create a
working relationship with nature. These activities of mankind have greatly
helped the natural forces to sustain the greater order of nature. The landscape
painter puts this relationship on canvas. Here the endeavour of the artists is
to show the relationship between the natural and the humans.
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| Salisbury Cathedral from the Bishop's Garden John Constable Oil on canvas The Frick Collection, New York City |
The other activities of humans affecting the natural view of the landscape
are the erection of buildings on farmland and towns for habitation. The
constructions at ports and market areas are the offspring of modern
needs.
Look at this painting of Salisbury Cathedral from the Bishop's Garden. Building
huge residential places were among the most favourite activities after the
industrialization drive peaked up in Europe. Constable had painted several huge
building. This is one of them. Landscape artists like John Constable have
also tried showing these edifices by painting these constructed objects and the
subjects lying within them.
By his or her artistic endeavours, an artist always desires to entertain viewers and art lovers. The art that passes tests of time and tastes succeeds in carving out a permanent place within the hearts and consciousness of those who share the artistic joy presented through artworks. [All the images are in Public Domain, taken from Wikimedia Commons]
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