Contents
John Constable
Painting The Hay Wain and making the Suffolk landscape an enduring subject of art.
Wivenhoe Park · The Hay Wain
- Born
- 11 June 1776
- Birthplace
- East Bergholt, United Kingdom
- Died
- 31 March 1837
More people
John Constable
English landscape painter who worked from close observation of familiar places. His sketches and large canvases gave changing skies, water and rural labour unusual immediacy.
Early life
A miller’s son
Grew up beside the River Stour in a family involved in milling and the corn trade.
Choosing painting
Worked in the family business before entering the Royal Academy Schools in 1799.
Career
- 1799–1810s
Training and observation
Studied in London while returning to paint the countryside he knew.
- 1819–1820s
Large landscapes
Developed ambitious canvases of the Stour landscape and gained recognition in France.
- 1829
Royal Academician
Was elected a full member of the Royal Academy after years of exhibiting.
Selected work
Wivenhoe Park
A country estate presented through carefully observed landscape.
The Hay Wain
A cart stands in the shallow River Stour beside a cottage.
Salisbury Cathedral from the Meadows
A dramatic sky transforms a view of the cathedral.
Beyond work
Weather studies
Made close studies of clouds and changing light to inform his paintings.
Family loss
His wife Maria died in 1828, leaving him with seven children.
Sources & photo credit
Biography and references ↗Institutional biography and career ↗Photo: Ramsay Richard Reinagle. Public domain · Original image. Cropped and displayed in monochrome.
