Constable in Hampstead review – a darker side to the 250th birthday boy

A small exhibition at Burgh House in London reveals a lesser-known, darker side of John Constable, coinciding with the 250th anniversary of his birth. The show features three mezzotint prints by David Lucas, commissioned by Constable, and an oil study for 'Hampstead Heath With a Rainbow'. The mezzotints, such as 'Noon' from 1831, are described as spooky and noir-like, with translucent black ink depicting clouds. The oil study, lacking the rainbow of the finished painting, appears almost abstract expressionist with thick impastos and blurring colors. Constable, who never left England, moved primarily between Suffolk, Hampstead, and Brighton, contrasting with rival JMW Turner's European travels. The exhibition offers an olive branch to those put off by Constable's patrician perspective, presenting unsettling, ghostly grey landscapes. Burgh House is located minutes from Constable's former home.