This is the catalogue to the exhibition held in summer 1991 at Gainsborough House, Sudbury, focusing on Constable and the artists whose work was important to him in his formative years - Gainsborough, Wilson, Beaumont and Farington. This exhibition complements the 1991 Tate Gallery exhibition which omits Constable's early work.

The purpose of writing this work was to establish a basis for the view that the art of the painter and sculptor is imitative, not innovative. He claims that all art stems from nature, and those who are the most genius painters or sculptors are the ones who can best imitate nature. This treatise contains insightful opinions on the relation of art to nature, expressed by artists famous artists themselves. These are some well-celebrated personalities in painting and sculpture-making from different times and principles. The author includes the opinions of philosophers and intellectuals also. The Relation of Art to Nature is well-written by painter John W. Beatty who created the Carnegie Museum of Art in Pittsburgh. It is a must-read for anyone who wants to understand why the art museum was set up the way it is. Contents include: Argument The Artist and His Purpose Ancient Conceptions of Art Evidence of Painters and Sculptors Opinions of Philosophers and Writers Symmetry Conclusion