Imagine two titans of British art, locked in a silent, centuries-long battle for landscape supremacy. That's the essence of the captivating exhibition, "Turner & Constable: Rivals and Originals," now gracing the halls of Tate Britain. But who really wins this "Great British paint-off"? The answer, surprisingly, is you, the viewer. This show isn't about choosing a victor; it's about celebrating the profound impact both Joseph Mallord William Turner and John Constable had on shaping how we see the world.
Born just a year apart (Turner in 1775, Constable in 1776), these two giants, whose 250th anniversaries we celebrate, offer contrasting visions of the British landscape. The exhibition, featuring around 170 pieces – paintings, works on paper, and select objects – deliberately places the pair side-by-side, inviting a direct comparison. Think of it as a carefully curated visual debate.
We're talking impulsive genius versus meticulous observation. The grand, awe-inspiring "sublime" clashes with the humble beauty of the everyday. Turner, the bombastic visionary, meets Constable, the quiet chronicler of rural life. It's poetic imagination versus a relentless pursuit of truth. This exhibition promises to be a landmark in understanding the evolution of British landscape painting, and if you can't experience it in person, the accompanying catalogue is a worthwhile investment, costing roughly the same as admission. It's like taking the exhibition home with you!
Many of the featured masterpieces are permanently housed in national collections, available for public viewing free of charge. For instance, Turner’s dramatic 1812 painting, Snow Storm: Hannibal and his Army Crossing the Alps, is a powerful example. It depicts a historical event, traditionally considered the pinnacle of artistic subjects, completely overwhelmed by the sheer force of nature. The Carthaginian general, Hannibal, atop his elephant, becomes a mere speck in the face of the overwhelming storm. It’s a humbling and terrifying depiction of human insignificance in the grand scheme of things.
Contrast this with Constable’s equally evocative, yet utterly different, 1825 work, The Leaping Horse. Here, the Suffolk-born artist, son of a mill owner, distills his deep connection to the land, proving his belief that he could paint his “own places best.” You can almost feel the gentle breeze rustling through the poplar leaves, smell the damp earthiness of the marsh plants. It’s an intimate and personal portrayal of the English countryside.
Now, this is where it gets interesting. "Turner & Constable: Rivals and Originals" isn't just a showcase of their most famous works. Don't expect to see Constable's iconic The Hay Wain or Turner's Rain, Steam and Speed. You also won't find the elegiac beauty of The Fighting Temeraire or the vibrant warmth of The Cornfield. To see those, you'll need to visit the Clore wing of Tate Britain or the National Gallery separately. But, on the flip side, this exhibition offers a rare opportunity to see paintings that are seldom, if ever, displayed publicly.
A standout example is Constable’s 1819 painting, The White Horse, on special loan from the Frick Collection in New York. Constable himself described it as a "placid representation of a serene, grey morning, summer.” Displayed alongside other large-scale "six-footers," it’s hung low to the ground, allowing viewers to feel almost immersed in the scene. It's a truly captivating experience.
But… not everyone was impressed. One contemporary critic felt it lacked Turner’s poetic flair. This quality, however, is evident even in Turner's earliest works, such as The Rising Squall, which was only rediscovered in recent years and is now on display for the first time since its Royal Academy debut in 1793. What do you think? Does Constable lack poetry compared to Turner, or is his strength in his raw and honest depiction of nature?
Six years ago, the Royal Academy achieved a remarkable feat by reuniting the two paintings that famously ignited a public rivalry between Turner and Constable in 1832. The story goes that Turner, seeing his serene seascape Helvoetsluys hung next to Constable's vibrant, red-tinged The Opening of Waterloo Bridge, felt challenged. In response, he added a bold red blob to his canvas, later refining it to resemble a buoy. Constable, dismayed, famously declared, “He has been here and fired a gun.” This moment was even dramatized in the 2014 film Mr. Turner.
While Turner's Helvoetsluys isn't on loan from Tokyo this time, the exhibition encourages us to consider an even earlier comparison: the critics who saw the pair as opposing forces of nature, comparing the "heat" of Turner's Caligula’s Palace and Bridge to the "humidity" of Constable’s Salisbury Cathedral from the Meadows. It's a fascinating juxtaposition of "fire and water."
The unfamiliarity of this comparison is actually a strength of the exhibition, which takes us on a chronological journey through both artists' careers. It begins with their early years (introduced through portraits and a captivating selection of their initial works) and progresses through illustrated comparisons of their differing styles, obsessions, and techniques. The journey concludes with both masters preoccupied with capturing the fleeting beauty of light. The exhibition challenges the common stereotypes often associated with them.
And this is the part most people miss… Turner wasn't always the rebellious maverick, and Constable was far from mundane. In his pursuit of capturing nature's freshness, Constable's early brushwork was actually bolder than Turner's, who initially adhered to more conventional topographies. The exhibition's finale eloquently compares their later works. While their styles diverged drastically – think of the contrast between Turner's ethereal Norham Castle (c. 1845) and Constable's grounded On The River Stour (around the same period) – both artists verged on abstraction. Furthermore, Turner's depictions of steam-powered machinery don't automatically make him the modern innovator, while Constable remains the nostalgic traditionalist. Constable's canals were, in their time, a symbol of industrial progress, and his cloud studies were informed by advances in meteorology!
So, who is the "better" artist? The exhibition wisely avoids declaring a winner. Instead, it encourages you to visit the café afterwards and debate it amongst yourselves! Art, after all, isn't a competition. This show makes it clear that despite their contrasting personalities and career paths, both Turner and Constable were ambitious, dedicated, and radical in their own ways. They both revolutionized painting. The real winner is the British landscape tradition itself.
★★★★★
Tate Britain, London, until Apr 12, tate.org.uk
Want to delve deeper? Join a private viewing of the exhibition on January 20, featuring complimentary drinks and a talk by curator Amy Concannon. Book tickets here.
Now it's your turn. Do you lean towards Turner's dramatic visions or Constable's intimate portrayals? Did this exhibition change your perception of either artist? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
