Artist Talk: Shadows in Nature with Sean Scully at Yale Center for British Art

Acclaimed British painter Sean Scully will discuss the enduring legacy of John Constable and reflect on his own artistic practice during a free artist talk at the Yale Center for British Art on Wednesday, October 28, from 5 to 6 pm in the Lecture Hall. In conversation with Martina Droth, Paul Mellon Director of the YCBA, Scully will explore the connections between the two artists and their shared interest in nature, light, color, and atmosphere.

Scully moved to Hampstead in 2021, more than two centuries after Constable settled there in 1819. For two years, Scully walked across Hampstead Heath on his way to his studio, following a landscape that had also inspired Constable’s work. The artists share an interest in tonal color, materiality, and the horizons of land, sea, and sky. Their work also explores how the natural world, particularly the interplay of light and shadow, can evoke emotion.

The talk coincides with the YCBA exhibition John Constable: The Landscape Reimagined, which opened September 3 in recognition of the 250th anniversary of the British landscape painter’s birth. Visitors who cannot attend in person can watch the free livestream at https://yale.zoom.us/j/94635506865. Admission is free.