Artwork
A Sea Beach
A Sea Beach is a print by the Impressionist artist John Constable. It is held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum.
About this work
Overview
A Sea Beach is a print by John Constable, part of a series of mezzotints based on his oil sketches and paintings. The print is one of 22 landscape subjects in the English Landscape series.
Subject & Meaning
The series, including A Sea Beach, was chosen by Constable to showcase England's scenery and highlight the role of light and shadow in landscape, drawing on the precedents of Claude Lorrain and J.M.W. Turner.
Technique & Style
The mezzotints were executed by David Lucas, a young mezzotinter and former pupil of Samuel Reynolds, who worked closely with Constable to produce the series, emphasizing chiaroscuro and the influence of light and shadow.
History & Provenance
The English Landscape series was published in six parts between 1830 and 1832, with a second edition in 1833. The print is now held at the Victoria and Albert Museum, which has a collection of Constable's works.
Artist & collection
Artist
John Constable (; 11 June 1776 – 31 March 1837) was an English landscape painter in the Romantic tradition.
