John Constable (1776-1837)
Constable was a landscape painter in the Romantic tradition.
Claude Lorrain’s work was done in watercolors. When Constable was introduced to his work, he immediately gravitated to the same medium. He sketched by himself until he was twenty-four. In 1799, he entered the Royal Academy Schools (RA) as a probationer. He was inspired by Gainsborough, Lorrain, Rubens, Carracci, and van Ruisdael.
Large paintings fascinated Constable. He wanted to attract more attention at the RA exhibitions and project his ideas about landscapes more in keeping with the classical landscape painters he admired. In 1819, he painted The White Horse which measured 51.7 inches x 74.1 inches and has been described as the most important picture he ever painted.
In 1821, Constable submitted another large painting to the RA, The Hay Wain which measured 51 ¼ inches x 73 inches. It was part of a series that he called ‘six-footers’. It didn’t receive much acclaim in Britain, but it was eventually purchased by a French dealer. The work became famous and was awarded a gold medal by Charles X.
Constable read widely among poetry and sermons and proved to be a notably articulate artist. He revolutionized the genre of landscape painting. He believed exploring the visible world rather than conjuring up poetic moods achieved something of more lasting importance.
