John Constable is one of the greatest painters of the English weather. His depictions of the
sky are essential components of all his landscape paintings from famous works such as The Hay
Wain and Salisbury Cathedral from the Meadows to his numerous cloud studies painted on
Hampstead Heath culminating in paintings in which the landscape beneath the ever-changing sky
is completely absent. Constable kept a weather diary and was endlessly fascinated by the sky.
In a letter written in 1821 to friend John Fisher Bishop of Salisbury Constable commented
'That landscape painter who does not make his skies a very material part of his composition
neglects to avail himself of one of his greatest aids ... It will be difficult to name a class
of landscape in which the sky is not the key note the standard of scale and the chief organ
of sentiment.' Written by Mark Evans a leading authority on the work of John Constable
Constable's Skies captures the artist's fascination with the sky and brings together his
depictions of the English weather from throughout his career. It will appeal to a broad
readership of museum visitors and art lovers as well as practising landscape painters keen to
learn new skills by studying the work of one of the most enduringly popular English artists of
all time.