Constable in 30 minutes

At this lunchtime talk, we celebrate John Constable during his 250th year with acclaimed author Susan Owens. Reset yourself for the rest of your day with this bite-sized session, and discover a fresh take on one of Britain’s most-loved artists.

Susan draws on her BBC Radio 4 ‘Book of the Week’, ‘Constable’s Year’, to trace the artist’s life through the changing seasons. She reveals how weather, rural labour and the rhythms of the land shaped his life and his art. Once described by contemporaries as ‘exhilarating as a lungful of oxygen,’ Constable is reintroduced here as a radical and attentive observer of the natural world rather than a comfortable traditionalist.

Bring your lunch and enjoy this short, engaging talk. If you have a little extra time, you’re warmly invited to stay for a brief Q&A.

Find a copy of 'Constable's Year' online and in the National Gallery shops.

Dr Susan Owens is an expert on British landscape art and a leading critical voice in the field. Her publications include 'The Story of Drawing: An Alternative History' (2024), which was 'Apollo' magazine's 2024 Book of the Year, 'Imagining England's Past: Inspiration, Enchantment, Obsession' (2023) and 'Spirit of Place: Artists, Writers and the British Landscape' (2020). She was Curator of Paintings at the V&A until 2013 and was involved in the major V&A exhibition and catalogue 'Constable: The Making of a Master' (2014).

A recording of this event will be made available to all ticket holders in the days following the event.

This recording will be available for two weeks.

Automatic closed captioning is available for this event.