Art Guide · Painters
John Constable
1776–1837
John Constable (1776–1837) was the Romantic landscape painter who captured the English countryside through close observation of sky and light. His most famous work is The Hay Wain (1821).
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Life and work
Born into a wealthy milling family in Suffolk, he painted the Stour valley, now known as “Constable Country”. Recognition came late, and he became a full member of the Royal Academy only in 1829. He made hundreds of outdoor sketches to study clouds and weather, calling it “skying”.
The Hay Wain (1821, National Gallery, London) shows a horse-drawn cart crossing the River Stour. It won a gold medal at the 1824 Paris Salon and made a deep impression on French painters, Delacroix among them.
Key works
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Where is The Hay Wain?
In the National Gallery in London.