He didn’t ‘sky’ like Constable, but did make innovative studies of skies on the coast. Paintings a good 30-40 years ahead of his time.
plein air
Between about 1814 and 1836, Constable painted many fine skyscapes, and in the 1820s indulged in ‘skying’, oil sketches of the sky above him.
Innovation moved to the countryside around Rome, with Joseph Vernet, and Valenciennes, who prescribed skying in his textbook on landscape painting.
Much more than just a court painter, Velázquez rose from the ranks to become the King’s friend, and ultimately died as a result of his royal duties.
His four best paintings viewed in their historical context, and consideration of the constraints that he painted under. What if?
There’s been extensive speculation over his late landscapes painted near Aix. Here’s the evidence in the paintings themselves.
Pissarro started a realist, became Impressionist, then Neo-Impressionist, before returning to human landscapes. Sisley ploughed the Impressionist furrow all the way.
Being unable to paint outdoors for much of the year, Pissarro created human landscapes from the streets of Rouen and Paris.
Moving back to Impressionist style, he painted the countryside around Éragny, and views of the cities of London and Paris.
In 1885-86, he decided to become a Neo-Impressionist, but after 3 years of painting some of the finest Divisionist paintings, he faced a difficult decision.
The Eclectic Light Company 