Turner and Constable Sketching from Nature exhibition.

John Constable, The Sea near Brighton, 1826, Oil on paper laid on card, support: 175 x 238 mm, © Tate, London 2013

It's the last few days of the exhibition Turner and Constable Sketching from Nature at the Turner Contemporary gallery here in Margate.

View of the Turner Contemporay Gallery and Droit House from the Harbour.

J.M.W. Turner, The Thames near Walton Bridges, 1805 from Art Fund website

I have managed to go several times and hopefully one more time before it closes on the 5th January. Info from the gallery here

I must admit when I first heard the title of the exhibition I thought there might be some more sketch book sketches. But as a sketch was anything up to the point of a studio finnished painting in their days,the title holds.

 John Constable, The Grove, Hampstead, c. 1821-2 from Art Fund website

Along side paintings by Turner and Constable their are many works by their contemporaries including John Sell Cotman, John Croome and Francis Danby, which are good to see.


 Following various peoples ideas that a sketch is a better way to really recall a scene than a photograph, and as I couldn't take photos in the gallery I made some very quick line sketches to remind myself of the pictures that I really liked.
And I did find that I could recall the paintings and sketches quite easily from the little marks and comments.


I found myself inspired to do a few more sketches of the sky and clouds as well as studying the sea more closely.

The exhibition is well worth seeing if you have time over the next few days.

 John Croome, Yarmouth Harbour, Evening, c. 1817caption  from Art Fund website.