Near Borrowdale

Unlike his contemporary J. M. W. Turner, Constable did not travel widely in search of landscape scenery. He preferred the countryside around his childhood home in East Anglia. However, early in his career he did make a sketching trip to the Lake District in northern England, a mountainous region popular with tourists. Sketched on the spot, this drawing employs strong, quick strokes of graphite to portray the rolling hills, craggy peaks, and leafy trees that surround a small farm. By modulating the pressure on each stroke, Constable creates contrast between the bright meadow bathed in sunlight and the deep shadows that gather around the barn (2022).