Hadleigh Castle Near the Nore Possibly 1831 - 1832

David Lucas made this mezzotint, "Hadleigh Castle Near the Nore," after a painting by John Constable. The technique of mezzotint was celebrated for its capacity to produce rich tonal gradations. Constable was a landscape painter who felt deeply connected to the English countryside, he once declared that "the sound of water escaping from mill dams" was one of the things that made him love his home. Constable's work often reflects an idealization of rural life, rooted in a nostalgic view of England's past. Lucas worked closely with Constable to translate his paintings into prints, capturing the emotional and atmospheric qualities of the original artworks. Look at how Lucas uses the mezzotint technique to evoke the drama of the natural world. The brooding sky seems to bear down on the lonely ruins of Hadleigh Castle. The castle, a ruin of England’s past, sits near the estuary of the River Thames known as the Nore. This once strategic point of naval defense, by the time of this image, was a poignant symbol of time and change. The people in the foreground seem small in comparison to the imposing landscape which evokes a sense of romantic awe.