John Constable (1776–1837)

John Constable was a British landscape painter. When he was 23  in 1799, he sought formal art education at the Royal Academy of Arts in London. His father, a wealthy corn merchant, who owned mills in Dedham and Flatford along the banks of the River Stour, had expected him to continue in his footsteps, taking over the estate and running the businesses. He was not supportive of John’s choice. John had been allowed to take art lessons and dabbled as a ‘gentleman painter’ with several mentors but could barely scrape a living together with his efforts. His first painting exhibited at the Royal Academy was Dedham Vale in 1811. He was 35. It marked his commitment to painting the actual beauty of nature. This ‘Nature’ was in the discovery phase in English painting.

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Blogs about Works of Constable

The Hay Wain (1821) by John Constable