In association with The Arts Society Wellington

Two of Britain’s greatest painters, J.M.W. Turner and John Constable, were also two of the greatest rivals in the history of British painting. Born within a year of each other, Turner in 1775 and Constable in 1776-one art critic of the time compared their paintings to a clash of ‘fire and water’. Turner-a working class Londoner who became an early sensation of the established art scene versus Constable-the son of a wealthy Suffolk corn merchant who faced a much longer and more difficult journey to artistic acclaim. Yet although from very different worlds, both men were united in their desire to transform landscape painting forever. This lecture examines the lives and legacies of these two seminal figures in British painting.

Cindy Polemis is an art historian and an independent lecturer and tour guide. She has a B.A in History from Oxford University and as a mature student she graduated from Birkbeck College, London University with a B.A and then M.A.  in History of Art. She spent many years as a radio producer and presenter for BBC World Service. Since 2016 she has been an official art guide and lecturer at Tate Modern and Tate Britain and is an accredited lecturer for the Arts Society. Cindy has accumulated a wide range of art historical knowledge ranging from 18th century European and British art to the contemporary international art scene. She is an official art guide for Frieze Masters art fair in London.

Cindy loves to share her passion and enthusiasm for art with her audience in an engaging and accessible way: her lectures are stimulating and fun and she always sends her audience away thinking differently about what they have seen and heard.

Image Credit: JMW Turner - Rain Steam and Speed - 1844 by kitmasterbloke is licensed under CC BY 2.0.