Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

This collection of 42 drawings, never previously published together, gives new insight into Constable's technical and emotional approach into his work. With the help of copious comparative illustrations and exhaustively detailed research drawn from numerous contemporary sources, the author builds up a portrait of the artist, his background and family life. The luscious quality of Constable's painting typifies an idealized image of the English countryside in the 18th centruy. Such familiar paintings as Greenham Lock and Flatford Mill were not captured in spontaneous bursts, but were committed to canvas only after numerous working-drawings and oil sketches had been completed. This is the first full-length study of the subject, presenting much hitherto unpublished material and offering a balanced and pertinent assessment of Constable and his work.

Reviews provided by Syndetics

CHOICE Review

A great subject deserves a great book, and this is exactly what Fleming-Williams has provided. Constable has never received the recognition he deserves, either as a master draftsman or as a major figure in the history of art. This first full-length study of Constable's drawing is based on the superb collection amassed by Canadian businessman David Thomson. The 22 individual chapters, which run chronologically, are also self-sufficient essays on various aspects of Constable's life and career. The author provides detailed analysis of all of the stylistic variables of Constable's graphic work and also locates each work in its social and familial context. The illustrations are numerous, mainly in black and white but some in color, and frequently the smaller drawings have been printed in the size of the originals (one is impressed by how small yet how monumental these drawings are). This is an exemplary study that deserves a place in any library concerned with the visual arts. -J. T. Frazer, Wesleyan University