ADFAS Brisbane: Morning "My Scrambling affair"

"My scrambling affair": How Constable's 'Late Paintings' changed the face of Modern Art
Would you recognise John Constable R.A.’s ‘late’ oil studies? Constable’s exuberant, almost abstract, brush and palette-knife work shocked audiences for a full 50 years before Impressionism. In fact, the handling is so avant-garde that it is impossible to tell what these paint strokes depict! Constable only sold 20 or so paintings in England during his lifetime, as their rough and ‘specky’ surfaces horrified audiences. By contrast, he sold many to forward-looking French art dealers and collectors. Consequently, his radical ‘late’ works influenced generations of French painters, making Constable a Forefather of Modern Painting. Sarah Cove’s work reveals a ‘Jackson Pollock of the 1830s’.
Lectures are for Members Only.
Morning tea will be provided after the lecture.
Would you recognise John Constable R.A.’s ‘late’ oil studies? Constable’s exuberant, almost abstract, brush and palette-knife work shocked audiences for a full 50 years before Impressionism. In fact, the handling is so avant-garde that it is impossible to tell what these paint strokes depict! Constable only sold 20 or so paintings in England during his lifetime, as their rough and ‘specky’ surfaces horrified audiences. By contrast, he sold many to forward-looking French art dealers and collectors. Consequently, his radical ‘late’ works influenced generations of French painters, making Constable a Forefather of Modern Painting. Sarah Cove’s work reveals a ‘Jackson Pollock of the 1830s’.
Lectures are for Members Only.
Morning tea will be provided after the lecture.
Thursday 23 October 2025 10:00 AM - 11:30 AM (UTC+10)
Location and Times
Morning - 23 October 2025 10.00 am, State Library of Queensland, Cultural Precinct, Stanley Place, South Brisbane, Qld 4101
Contact Details