John Constable’s Sunset on the Seine

For your inspiration today is a colorful painting by John Constable titled Sunset on the Seine. (Sorry for the fixation on sunsets lately! I’ll change it up after this.) This is one of those paintings that makes me want to pick up a brush and push color around. It’s also unusually colorful from what I know of John Constable’s work. 

John Constable, Sunset on the Seine
John Constable, Sunset on the Seine

Here are a few observations:

  • It’s colorful and there’s plenty of rich, saturated color, but it doesn’t appear garish or overdone. This comes down to control and Constable knowing when he could push it.
  • The black silhouettes of the land and boat help anchor the painting and provide a point of contrast. They make the light areas appear even lighter and more brilliant.
  • Notice the wonderful visible brushwork around the sky. This is an effective way to add life and energy to a painting without compromising the fundamental structure. On the other hand, the dark areas and the water are conveyed with relatively thin paint. This is probably why the paint is cracking in these areas.
John Constable, Sunset on the Seine, Detail 2
John Constable, Sunset on the Seine, Detail 1
  • The clouds have a strong sense of shape and structure but aren’t too rigid. They still have a softness to them.
John Constable, Sunset on the Seine, Detail 4
  • There are a few gaps between the leaves where the brilliant sky is showing through. This is an important touch. It creates an interesting light/dark pattern and helps weave the land and sky together.
John Constable, Sunset on the Seine, Detail 3

Anyway, thanks for reading! If you want to learn more, I invite you to join our Color Masterclass. Enrollment is open for the next 5 days.

Happy painting!

Dan Scott

Signature Draw Paint Academy

Draw Paint Academy

Dan Scott is the founder of Draw Paint Academy. He's a self-taught artist from Australia with a particular interest in landscape painting. Draw Paint Academy is run by Dan and his wife, Chontele, with the aim of helping you get the most out of the art life. You can read more on the About page.


Enjoyed this post? Join over 100,000 artists who subscribe to the Draw Paint Academy newsletter.

This field is hidden when viewing the form
This field is hidden when viewing the form
This field is hidden when viewing the form
This field is hidden when viewing the form
This field is hidden when viewing the form
This field is hidden when viewing the form