“His father owned watermills and windmills; he understood
weather from childhood.
Of hail squalls in spring he had this to say: ‘The clouds
accumulate in very large masses,
And from their loftiness seem to move but slowly; immediately
on these large clouds
Appear numerous opaque patches, which are only small clouds
passing rapidly
Before them. Those floating much nearer the earth may
perhaps fall in with
A stronger current of wind, which drives them with greater
rapidity from light to shade
Through the lanes of the clouds; hence they are called by
wind-millers and sailors, Messengers,
And always portend bad weather.’ Therefore Constable learned
the craft of chiaroscuro.” (p.46)
Excerpt from Ciaran Carson’s poem John Constable, Study of Clouds, 1822 published in his book Still Life
“[J.M.W. ] Turner was well aware of the differences between painting and poetry, but he was also keenly aware of their affinities – as indicated in his 1812 assertion that ‘Painting and Poetry, flowing from the same fount mutually by vision…reflect, and heighten each other’s beauties like…mirrors.’ ” (p.6)
Excerpt from Robert K. Wallace’s Melville & Turner: Spheres of Love and Fright
“Ut Pictura Poesis.” A phrase used by the Roman poet Horace (circa BCE 20) ‘meaning as painting, so is poetry’…..the relationship between the two arts is usually said to lie in their imitation of nature (see mimesis).
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