Artwork
SUMMER AFTERNOON _ AFTER A SHOWER
SUMMER AFTERNOON _ AFTER A SHOWER is a print by the Impressionist artist John Constable. It is held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum. “Summer Afternoon – After a Shower” is a mezzotint print that captures a tranquil English countryside scene following rain.
About this work
This print shows a summer scene after rain. John Constable made it in 1855. It’s a mezzotint, a print technique that gives deep blacks and soft tones.
This print is part of a big series. Constable picked his own sketches to turn into prints. He worked on it late in life, overseeing every detail.
Check out the Victoria and Albert Museum.
Overview
“Summer Afternoon – After a Shower” is a mezzotint print that captures a tranquil English countryside scene following rain. The work exhibits the deep, velvety blacks and subtle tonal gradations characteristic of the mezzotint process, rendering the lingering mist and softened light with a quiet atmospheric effect.
Subject & Meaning
The image presents a sun‑lit meadow after a brief rain, with gentle hills and scattered trees bathed in diffused illumination. By emphasizing the interplay of light and shadow, the composition reflects Constable’s belief that chiaroscuro reveals the essential character of the English landscape.
Technique & Style
Executed in mezzotint, the plate was cut by David Lucas under Constable’s supervision. The method involves roughening a copper surface and then smoothing areas to create tonal variation, allowing the print to achieve the painterly depth and atmospheric softness that echo Constable’s oil sketches.
History & Provenance
The print belongs to the larger “English Landscape” series, a set of twenty‑two landscapes published between 1830 and 1832 and revised in a second edition in 1833. Although Constable died in 1837, the plate for this image continued to be re‑issued, with a notable impression dated 1855 now held by the Victoria and Albert Museum.
Context
Constable’s late‑career project aimed to disseminate his vision of the English countryside through prints, following precedents set by Claude Lorrain and J.M.W. Turner. By selecting personal sketches for reproduction, he sought to educate a broader public about the aesthetic value of native scenery.
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Artist & collection
Artist
John Constable (; 11 June 1776 – 31 March 1837) was an English landscape painter in the Romantic tradition.
