| This dissertation considers the print medium as an avenue of exploration for the landscapist John Constable (1776--1837), who amassed an impressive collection of fine art and books encompassing subjects such as art, literature, theology, politics, history, and topography. This collection, here called the Bibliotheca Constabeliana, served as an exemplary model of early nineteenth-century collecting practices and informed Constable's ideas to direct a printmaking project from 1829 until his death. Under Constable's direction, the series, known as English Landscape, featured more than twenty-two mezzotints engraved by David Lucas (1802--1881). All of the locations depicted were places where Constable had resided or visited and thus they carry an autobiographical meaning as well as aesthetic function. In addition to choosing subjects and guiding Lucas's translation into mezzotint, Constable drafted letterpresses which offered original commentary and direct or paraphrased literary quotations from ancient and contemporary sources; these are identified and discussed in detail for the first time in my text.; Constable devoted more than eight years to the production of English Landscape. Yet the prints have been de-emphasized by scholars who refer to it as a short-lived, financially failed, or insignificant achievement compared to Constable's paintings. I re-situate English Landscape 's prominence as the continuation of life-long interests in printmaking, travel books, poetry, literature, and the history of England and the Essex-Suffolk region, in particular.; For my interpretation, I look to the work of cultural and literary theorists, art historians, historians, and linguists. My discussion makes use of the published volumes of Constable's correspondence and C. R. Leslie's posthumous biography of the artist. To enhance these sources, I consider specific social, historical, and political contexts for English Landscape during Constable's life. Drawing upon Wirkungsgeschichte and reader-response theory, I construct a narrative of the subsequent uses by Constable and others of the engravings and their letterpress. Finally, I identify what role these visual and literary texts played in shaping Constable's reputation and the designation of his homeland along the Stour River as "Constable's Country."... |
