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John Constable Quotes about Art

All John Constable Quotes Art quotes Canvas Painting
The world is wide; no two days are alike, nor even two hours; neither were there ever two leaves of a tree alike since the creation of the world; and the genuine productions of art, like those of nature, are all

The world is wide; no two days are alike, nor even two hours; neither were there ever two leaves of a tree alike since the creation of the world; and the genuine productions of art, like those of nature, are all distinct from one another.

John Constable
Summer, Art, June
John Constable, Anne Gray, Dr, John Gage, Conal Shields, Ann Galbally (2006). “Constable: Impressions of Land, Sea and Sky”

My canvas soothes me into forgetfulness of the scene of turmoil and folly - and worse - of the scene around me. Every gleam of sunshine is blighted to me in the art at least. Can it therefore be wondered at that I paint continual storms? "Tempest o'er tempest roll'd" - still the "darkness" is majestic.

John Constable
Art, Sunshine, Darkness
Letter to C.R. Leslie (1834), "John Constable's Correspondence," ed. R.B. Beckett, vol. 3, p. 122, 1962-1970.

Verse is a mechanism by which we can create interpretative illusions suggesting profoundities of response and understanding which far exceed the engagement or research of the writer.

John Constable
Art, Poetry, Understanding

Connoisseurs think the art is already done.

John Constable
Art, Thinking, Done
John Constable (2015). “Delphi Collected Works of John Constable (Illustrated)”, p.561, Delphi Classics

The first impression and a natural one is, that the fine arts have risen or declined in proportion as patronage has been given to them or withdrawn, but it will be found that there has often been more money lavished on them in their worst periods than in their best, and that the highest honours have frequently been bestowed on artists whose names are scarcely now known.

John Constable
Art, Names, First Impression
John Constable (2015). “Delphi Collected Works of John Constable (Illustrated)”, p.599, Delphi Classics

My art flatters nobody by imitation, it courts nobody by smoothness, nobody by petitelieness without either fal-de-lal or fiddle-de-dee; how then can I hope to be popular?

John Constable
Art, Imitation, Court
From John Constable's letter to Mr. C.R. Leslie, June 22, 1832.

There has never been a boy painter, nor can there be. The art requires a long apprenticeship, being mechanical, as well as intellectual.

John Constable
Art, Boys, Long
John Constable (2015). “Delphi Collected Works of John Constable (Illustrated)”, p.564, Delphi Classics

The climax of absurdity to which art may be carried when led away from nature by fashion, may be best seen in the works of Boucher.

John Constable
Fashion, Art, May
John Constable (2015). “Delphi Collected Works of John Constable (Illustrated)”, p.590, Delphi Classics

When we speak of the perfection of art, we must recollect what the materials are with which a painter contends with nature. For the light of the sun he has but patent yellow and white lead - for the darkest shade, umber or soot.

John Constable
Art, Light, Yellow
John Constable (2015). “Delphi Collected Works of John Constable (Illustrated)”, p.587, Delphi Classics

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