WINCHESTER Arc has announced a new exhibition on the works of John Constable, coming to The Gallery.

Constable: The Dark Side will showcase several paintings by the 19th century Romantic artist, including Weymouth Bay (1816) and A Sluice, perhaps on the Stour watercolour (1830-1836). This new and unique exhibition has been specially curated for Hampshire Cultural Trust by art historian Nicola Moorby and will only be available to view at The Arc from May 26 to August 16.

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The exhibition will explore Constable’s obsession with the contrast between light and dark in nature and the way he placed that at the heart of his exploration of landscape. It was through the interplay of light and shadow that Constable believed he could capture the movement, vitality and variety of the natural world, and, importantly, convey and evoke emotion.

Historian Nicola Moorby said: “John Constable is such a well-known painter and someone we tend to associate with an untroubled sense of nostalgia, but he was actually an incredibly emotional individual and someone whose private life directly impacted his professional activity. He famously said, ‘Painting is but another word for feeling.’

“There is something so relatable about his constant worries as a husband and dad, and I think people will easily be able to identify with his struggles with anxiety and the way his state of mind sometimes affects his art.”

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Alongside Constable: The Dark Side, the first solo exhibition by artist, actor and co-founder of The Murray Parrish Trust James Murray, is opening at The Arc on May 20. The abstract works, collectively titled In Flow, are a response to Constable’s works and celebrate painting as a medium. In Flow will take over City Space on The Arc’s mezzanine floor until June 25.

In August, a pair of special events will take place with Nicola. On August 10, visitors will be able to join her for a talk about the exhibition, along with insights into the life and works of Constable. On August 11, Nicola will take visitors on a tour of the highlights of the exhibition, giving insights into how it was brought together.

For more information about the exhibition, visit arcwinchester.org.uk.