Navigation sur la Tamise
ca. 1818
John Constable captures the moody, overcast skies of the River Thames in this energetic sketch from around 1818. A beached sailboat dominates the foreground, its tall mast reaching up into a heavily textured, cloud-filled sky, while other vessels rest on the muddy banks nearby. As a leading figure of the Romantic movement, Constable was obsessed with capturing the fleeting effects of light and weather, often sketching outdoors to catch nature in the act. His rapid, expressive strokes here perfectly bring the damp, breezy atmosphere of the English riverfront to life.
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