Constable: The Dark Side
26 May – 16 August 2023
The Gallery at The Arc, Winchester
A selection of iconic masterpieces by the profound Romantic painter, John Constable, including Weymouth Bay (1816) and A sluice, perhaps on the Stour watercolour (1830-6) will be on display at The Gallery at The Arc from Friday 26 May to Wednesday 16 August in a brand-new exhibition, Constable: The Dark Side.
This new and unique exhibition has been specially curated for Hampshire Cultural Trust by art historian Nicola Moorby and will only be available to view at The Arc. Constable: The Dark Side explores Constable’s on-going obsession with the contrast between light and dark in nature and the way he placed that at the heart of his exploration of landscape. It was through the interplay of light and shadow that Constable believed he could capture the movement, vitality and variety of the natural world, and, importantly, convey and evoke emotion.
Constable's work transformed the genre of landscape painting and shaped the enduring popular image of the English countryside. As an artist, Constable has a reputation for being a painter of traditional ‘chocolate box’ English scenery; safe, unchallenging and sentimental, epitomised in works such as the iconic 1821 painting, The Hay Wain. But there was also a darker side to the Suffolk master.
Constable was always an emotional artist, and the exhibition examines the ways in which some of his personal anxieties communicated themselves through his work. He faced many challenges in his private life and was often anxious about money and his reputation within the art world. However, his most acute worries concerned his wife and children. He loved them deeply but was often weighed down by the distractions and responsibilities of family life.
Art historian and Constable: The Dark Side curator, Nicola Moorby commented: ''John Constable is such a well-known painter and someone we tend to associate with an untroubled sense of nostalgia, but he was actually an incredibly emotional individual and someone whose private life directly impacted his professional activity. He famously said, 'painting is but another word for feeling.' There is something so relatable about his constant worries as a husband and dad, and I think people will easily be able to identify with his struggles with anxiety and the way his state of mind sometimes affects his art.”
One of the reasons so much is known about Constable's feelings lies in his surviving correspondence. He was a cultivated correspondent and often poured his heart out in letters to friends and family. Alongside his works of art, the exhibition will feature revealing insights into the artist's personal struggles, expressed in his own words.
Constable: The Dark Side is drawn from a core of national institutions, the Royal Academy, Tate, the Victoria and Albert Museum and Gainsborough House and includes examples of Constable’s work across a wide range of media including oil paintings, drawings, watercolours and mezzotint.
Alongside Constable: The Dark Side, the first solo exhibition by, artist, actor and cofounder of The Murray Parrish Trust, James Murray, is opening at The Arc, on 20 May. The abstract works, collectively titled In Flow are a response to Constable’s works and celebrate painting as a medium. In Flow will take over City Space on The Arc’s mezzanine floor until Sunday 25 June.
In August, two special events are taking place with Constable: The Dark Side’s curator Nicola Morby. On Thursday 10 August, visitors will be able to join Nicola for an inspiring talk about the exhibition, along with insights into the life and works of the artist. On Friday 11 August, Nicola will take visitors on an absorbing tour of the highlights of the exhibition, as well as giving insights into how the exhibition was brought together.
For more information about Constable: The Dark Side, In Flow or other events at The Arc, please visit http://www.arcwinchester.org.uk/event/constable.