Slate’s Christopher Benfey considers Constable’s cloud paintings and the artist’s possible motivations for painting them. Benfey writes: “They seem, in fact, to register quite distinct aesthetic programs, as though what Constable is classifying isn’t clouds at all, but rather whole schools of painting, along with their dominant moods. The best analogy may be Chopin’s Etudes, explorations of styles and modes with sharply circumscribed means.” The post includes a nice gallery of Constable’s “Cloud” studies and related works.

* Found via Lines and Colors @CharleyParkerLC