Artwork
SUMMER MORNING
SUMMER MORNING 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
This mezzotint, titled Summer Morning, belongs to the influential English Landscape series that John Constable oversaw near the end of his life. The series, comprising twenty‑two prints, was issued in six parts between June 1830 and July 1832, with a revised second edition appearing in 1833. After Constable’s death in 1837, additional reissues and new plates were produced.
Subject & Meaning
Constable selected scenes that held personal and historic resonance, aiming to foster a broader appreciation of England’s countryside. The prints emphasize the interplay of light and shade—chiaroscuro—as a fundamental principle of natural perception, echoing his lifelong belief in the expressive power of atmospheric effects.
Technique & Style
The images were executed in mezzotint by David Lucas, a relatively unknown engraver trained by Samuel Reynolds. Lucas’s work translates Constable’s oil sketches, paintings, and occasional watercolours into tonal prints that capture the subtle gradations of light characteristic of the artist’s landscape vision.
History & Provenance
Constable supervised the production and publication of the series, collaborating closely with Lucas. Following Constable’s death, the plates were completed and reprinted, and Lucas continued to issue new mezzotints under the English Landscape title, extending the series beyond its original scope.
Context
The project draws on earlier landscape traditions established by Claude Lorrain and J.M.W. Turner, positioning Constable’s English scenery within a broader European artistic lineage while asserting a distinctly national perspective.
Artist & collection
Artist
John Constable (; 11 June 1776 – 31 March 1837) was an English landscape painter in the Romantic tradition.
