Turner and Constable

Celebrating the 250th anniversary of their births, this documentary explores the intertwined lives and legacies of J.M.W. Turner and John Constable alongside Tate Britain’s landmark exhibition.

Born within a year of each other, Turner and Constable both used landscape painting to reflect the changing world around them, yet their approaches could hardly have been more different. Constable represented the very best of realism and pastoral nostalgia, while Turner pushed towards a new way of depicting emotion, atmosphere and dreamlike impressions. Critics famously compared their contrasting styles to a clash of “fire and water”.

Made with exclusive and privileged access to Tate Britain’s major exhibition, the film brings these two great artists together once again, revealing unexpected sides to both through intimate views of sketchbooks, personal items and insights from leading experts.

Turner’s blazing sunsets and sublime scenes from his travels, alongside Constable’s idealized depictions of beloved places from home, reveal two towering figures whose rivalry and radically different visions helped transform landscape painting and shape the course of modern art.

FILM PRESS

????? The Times
“The camera is allowed to pan across each painting of the Tate Britain blockbuster, taking in every brushstroke.”

???? The Guardian
“Approachable expertise and beautiful photography… glowing closeups, interesting and erudite commentary from the exhibition curators.”