Focusing on the works of J. M. W. Turner, John Constable, and their contemporaries, this richly illustrated book explores the development, variety, and innovation of the landscape oil sketch in British art, beginning with its appear­ance in the 1770s. With insight into the different modes used for oil sketching in this period--a time when working en plein air was still comparatively unusual--the authors show how each practitioner approached similar subjects. The result is an accessible introduction to the techniques of sketching and the often surprising connections that can be drawn among the artists involved. The book features some 60 works from the Tate collection by Turner, Constable, George Stubbs, William Henry Hunt, and many others.