
A talented mezzotint engraver, David Lucas devoted his career to reproducing the landscape paintings of John Constable. In the mezzotint process, the entire plate is roughened to create a dark field and then burnished to bring out highlights. Done in monochrome, Lucas’s prints masterfully emphasize the motion and play of light in Constable’s visions of the English landscape.

Old Sarum
David Lucas (English, 1802-1881) after John Constable (English, 1776-1837)

River Stour, Suffolk
David Lucas (English, 1802-1881) after John Constable (English, 1776-1837)

Salisbury Cathedral from the Meadows: the Rainbow
David Lucas (English, 1802-1881) after John Constable (English, 1776-1837)