Lake George

Taking his paint box into the countryside, John Constable (British, 1776-1837) sought to replicate the evanescent effects of light and color that he experienced painting outdoors. Twenty years later and an ocean away, John Frederick Kensett (American, 1816-1872) embraced the aesthetic of Luminism, infusing his work with a precise, meditative focus on the landscape, concentrating on the effects of light and atmosphere. Explore both approaches to light and landscape in the Mary Ellen Bowen Gallery of American Art and in the special exhibition John Constable: Oil Sketches from the Victoria and Albert Museum, on view through June 10.