This story starts with two painters, both alike in dignity. This, however, is not a tale of forbidden love, but a tale of “one of the most famous feuds in British artistic history.” (The Guardian)

First, some backstory. John Constable and Joseph Mallord William Turner (better known as J.M.W. Turner) were two of the finest landscape painters to come out of England in the late 1700s, with their fame expanding well into the 19th century. Born a year apart, and having both studied at the Royal Academy in London, it seems that the two were bound to cross paths.

But they differed in a few crucial ways. Turner travelled the world in search of inspiration for his paintings, which often were dotted with literary and historical references. Constable, on the other hand, never left his country, a fact that reveals itself in his rural scenes of England’s countryside. At their core, both were painters of the Romantic movement, inspired by an emotional connection with nature. But while they both shared this appreciation, they also shared a mutual disdain for one another. It all began in 1831.

Shots fired

Both artists were showcasing work at The Royal Academy. As the story goes, Constable was in charge of placement of the paintings in the show. Initially, Constable hung Turner’s Caligula’s Palace and Bridge in one of the prime positions in the center of the end wall in one the largest rooms. Right before opening, however, (and without a word to Turner) Constable switched the piece for a work of his own, Salisbury Cathedral from the Meadows. Turner did not know of the change-up until opening day, and claimed that Constable made the alteration in lineup in order to outshine Turner’s piece. Supposedly, Turner was so displeased that at the dinner party celebrating the opening of the show he approached Constable. Onlookers who were in attendance said that Turner held nothing back, and had more than a few choice words for his contemporary.

But the saga didn’t end there. The following year, again at The Royal Academy, works by Constable and Turner ended up in the same exhibition yet again. It was customary that before opening to the public, artists were allowed inside The Royal Academy for finishing touches, and to put the final protective varnish on their paintings. This time it was Turner who threw the punch. After seeing that Constable’s seascape painting Opening of Waterloo Bridge was more eye-catching and complex than his, Turner placed a glob of bright red paint on his brush and dabbed it in the center of his Helvoetsluys, in the form of a crimson buoy. This change, while slight it may seem, did make Turner’s work stand out, and caused quite the stir with Constable who dramatically remarked: “He has been here and he has fired a gun.”

Despite the two incidents, both Turner and Constable shared in success during their lifetime. Perhaps it was their distaste for the other, and their hunger to better the other, that spurred them both to achieve great things.

See the works that started it all, together again. Both are on view at the Tate Britain exhibition Fire and Water until July 2019.