What was j constable

John Constable

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John Constable, (born June 11, 1776, East Bergholt, Suffolk, England—died March 31, 1837, London), major figure in English landscape painting in the early 19th century. He is best known for his paintings of the English countryside, particularly those representing his native valley of the River Stour, an area that came to be known as “Constable country.”

Beginnings

The son of a wealthy miller and merchant who owned a substantial house and small farm, Constable was reared in a small Suffolk village. The environs of his childhood and his understanding of its rural economy would later figure prominently in his work. As he would write in 1821, “I should paint my own places best…I associate my ‘careless boyhood’ to all that lies on the banks of the Stour.”

Constable was meant to enter his father’s business, but, after meeting the famous connoisseur Sir George Beaumont in 1795, and then a circle of antiquarians and connoisseurs at Edmonton in 1796, he was inspired to pursue art. In February 1799 he made himself known to the influential academician Joseph Farington, and in March he entered the prestigious Royal Academy schools, with the grudging approval of his father. At the time, art academies stressed history painting as the most appropriate subject matter for their students, but from the beginning Constable showed a particular interest in landscape.

In 1802 Constable refused the stability of a post as drawing master at a military academy so that he could instead dedicate himself to landscape painting and to studying nature directly in the English countryside. That same year he exhibited his work at the Royal Academy for the first time. Despite some early explorations in oil, in the first part of this decade he preferred using watercolour and graphic media in his studies of nature. He produced fine studies in these media during a trip to the famously picturesque Lake District in autumn 1806, but his exhibitions of these works in both 1807 and 1808 were unsuccessful in attracting public notice.

Early maturity

Although based in London during this period, Constable would frequently make extended visits to his native East Bergholt to sketch. (On one such stay in 1809, he fell in love with Maria Bicknell, who was visiting her grandfather, the rector there.) Constable had been regularly sketching in oil since 1808, and by 1810 he had achieved extraordinary deftness with the medium (he would often be associated with his oil sketches in the future). His art became far more focused about this time: his sketches were either discrete studies, or, befitting academic practice, they were made in preparation for preconceived easel paintings. The most significant large easel painting of the period was Dedham Vale: Morning (1811), which married closely observed naturalistic effect to a scene composed according to the academic criteria established by 17th-century French painter Claude Lorrain.

In September 1811 Constable stayed in Salisbury with an old family friend, the Bishop of Salisbury, and grew close to the bishop’s nephew, John Fisher. Their correspondence is a hugely informative source on Constable’s art: he explains his aims and aspirations, reacts candidly and sometimes aggressively to contemporary criticism, and reveals himself to be driven, ambitious, and prey to gnawing self-doubt.

During this period, Bicknell’s family was pressuring her to end her relationship with the struggling artist, and her courtship with him had to become effectively clandestine. Constable found relief from this distraction by working in East Bergholt and, by 1814, with Boatbuilding and The Stour Valley and Dedham Village, he was painting easel pictures in the open. In his works from this period, such as Flatford Mill (1816), Constable displayed remarkable precision of touch and accuracy in description, comparable to contemporary landscapes by George Robert Lewis and John Linnell. His iconography was traditional and celebrated the continuum and stability of English country life. Constable achieved a bittersweet stability of his own when, upon his father’s death in 1816, he received an inheritance that allowed him the financial independence to marry Maria.

Джон Констебл: биография, творчество, лучшие картины художника

Джон Констебл (John Constable; родился 11 июня 1776 года — умер 31 марта 1837 года) был представителем романтического направления живописи конца XVIII — начала XIX веков. Картины Джона Констебля изображают природу, бытовые сценки, погодные явления. Среди известных образцов его творчества — пейзажи Саффолка и окрестностей — родных мест живописца.

Джон Констебл не добился финансового успеха на родине. Диким пейзажам и руинам, популярным в то время, он предпочитал виды мельниц, мирных полей и крестьянских повозок. Прохладно принятый английскими критиками, он получил высокие оценки французских живописцев.

Биография Джона Констебля

Джон Констебл родился летним днем, 11 июня 1776 года, в семье богатого мельника. Судьба не предназначала ему путь в искусство. Слабое здоровье старшего сына заставило отца возложить ответственность за бизнес на младшего — Джона. Он получал образование в хорошей школе, закончив обучение, работал на отцовской мельнице до тех пор, пока дядя не взял семейный бизнес в свои руки.

Первые юношеские этюды родились во время путешествий по окрестностям. Но больше всего на будущего живописца повлиял «Пейзаж с Агарью и Ангелом» Клода Лоррена (Claude Lorrain), увиденный в коллекции Джорджа Бомона (George Beaumont).

На рубеже веков Джон Констебл стал просить отца отпустить его в столицу для поступления в художественную Академию. Возражений не последовало, старший Констебл даже снабдил сына деньгами, чтобы тот смог обустроить жизнь в Лондоне.

Джон Констебл признавался, что в начале своей творческой деятельности довольно часто подражал другим мастерам. Чтобы найти свою стезю, он посетил юго-восточные порты, побывал в Озёрном крае, делал много набросков. Ему хотелось изображать не руины, а простые сельские виды. Двигаясь против моды своего времени, он зарабатывал мало. Ради денег художник пытался писать портреты, но и они не принесли ему богатства и славы.

В 1811 году Джон Констебл начал ухаживать за Марией Бикнелл (Maria Bicknell), но суровый дед Марии, местный пастор, воспротивился браку из-за бедности художника. Лишь через несколько лет, когда родители Джона умерли, оставив ему треть всего состояния, пастор смягчился. В 1816 году влюблённые поженились.

Зарабатывать своим творчеством Джону Констеблю долгое время не удавалось. Он оставался создателем сельских сцен. Но именно они принесли успех: в 1821 году его «Телега для сена» заинтересовала французского живописца Теодора Жерико (Theodore Gericault). Тот пригласил пейзажиста во Францию. На парижском Салоне 1824 года «Телега для сена» получила золотую медаль.

Заграница приняла его тепло. Знаменитый французский художник Эжен Делакруа (Eugene Delacroix) оценил его цветопередачу и переписал фон «Резни на Хиосе». Но, несмотря на успех, Джон Констебл отказался путешествовать ради продажи своих работ. Он предпочёл бедность дома богатству на чужбине.

Счастливый брак Джона Констебля продолжался до 1828 года. Жена умерла после рождения седьмого ребёнка. Художник остался безутешен, больше он так и не женился, а остаток жизни провёл в трауре. Это не помешало ему истратить двадцать тысяч фунтов из наследства супруги на изготовление эстампов. Денег на этом заработать не удалось.

В возрасте пятидесяти пяти лет, в 1831 году, Джон Констебл стал инспектором Академии художеств. Ещё через шесть лет, 31 марта 1837 года, он умер. Похоронен живописец в одной могиле с любимой супругой.

Самые известные картины Джона Констебля

Картины Джона Констебля подчиняются правилам, которые он сформулировал: первое — на одном воображении не создашь шедевр, второе — великие художники никогда не выходили из самоучек.

Самые известные работы живописца:

Джон Констебл внёс значительный вклад в развитие английской пейзажной живописи. Местность, которую мастер чаще всего изображал в своих произведениях, названа в его честь «Краем Констэбля» (Constable Country).

Познакомиться с другими представителями романтического направления можно на сайте VeryImportantLot. Любители искусства имеют возможность посетить аукционы и купить картины известных мастеров прежних веков, а также приобрести в коллекцию работы современных художников.

John Constable

Summary of John Constable

Accomplishments

Important Art by John Constable

Dedham Vale

This was one of Constable’s first major paintings, created when he was 26. Painted in the brief hiatus between the end of the French revolutionary wars and the beginning of the Napoleonic wars the following year, the tranquillity of the image belies the wider political turmoil. Whilst the techniques that were to serve Constable so well in his later career are not yet fully developed the painting already demonstrates his commitment to the close observation of nature and this can be seen in the detailed rendering of the trees and sky.

The eye is led across the painting from the foreground along the route of the river to the distant tower of Dedham church, which although small, forms a clear focal point for the painting. The trees on either side of the canvas form a frame to the central part of the image presenting the view in the form of a smaller cameo and further serves to focus the eye on a building that would have been a landmark of Constable’s childhood.

The composition with the trees in the foreground framing the image to the right closely mirrors the arrangement of Lorrain’s work Hagar and the Angel (1646) and it is likely that Constable was inspired by the piece that played a formative role in his early art appreciation and education.

26 years later Constable created a second image of the same view called The Vale of Dedham (1828), although very similar in appearance there are a number of small differences that separate the two, particularly the inclusion of figures in the later painting.

Maria Bicknell

Painted in July 1816 around three months before their marriage, Constable kept this portrait of his fiancée with him, writing to her that «I would not be without your portrait for the world the sight of it soon calms my spirit under all trouble and it is always the first thing I see in the morning and the last at night». The portrait was said to be a remarkably good likeness and the fine and detailed finish of Maria’s face contrasts with the looser brushstrokes which make up the background and her blouse.

Whilst Constable created over 100 portraits in his career, most were painted out of financial necessity rather than a love of the genre. Despite this, many are refreshingly honest in their depictions and there is a real sense of character and personality in the images that he created and he did not sanitize quirks of appearance to bring images in line with contemporary beauty standards. This portrait has a particular sensitivity and warmth to it and this must be attributed to his intimate relationship with the sitter.

Parallels can be drawn between this image and many of his other portraits both in the use of similarly colored, neutral backgrounds and the composition of the sitters. His representation of faces was always closely detailed but his approach to the sitter’s clothes seems to vary with his relationship to the individual concerned. Some garments are closely rendered whilst others are suggested through much freer brushstrokes as in this portrait, this can be attributed to the commission basis of his work and paintings for patrons were likely to be more highly finished.

The White Horse

The White Horse, originally titled A Scene on the River Stour was the first of Constable’s large canvases (6’x4′) known as the six-footers. It was exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1819 and its critical success paved the way for Constable to be elected with the title of an Associate the same year. To create canvases of this magnitude, Constable first made sketches of the scene from life, unusually he then crafted these into a full-size oil sketch before creating the final painting.

In the image Constable depicts a normal scene of rural life, neither pitying or celebrating the working lives of those he painted, merely presenting them as he saw them. There is an underlying tenacity to the image, both in the figures of the bargemen straining against their poles but also in that Constable shows the men continuing a centuries old way of life despite the increasing threat of industrialization. The determination of the workers is reflected in the image of the tree to the right of centre clinging precariously but successfully to the waterlogged bank.

In the image, as with much of Constable’s work, the vegetation is presented in scientific detail with each species clearly identifiable from its differing shape, color, and area of growth. Constable used a huge palette of different greens in his works and this delineation of species is particularly prominent in this painting giving the image a verdancy which reflects the season and time of day.

The Hay Wain

The Hay Wain is now one of the most celebrated and widely known of Constable’s works, although when it was first exhibited it was considered unremarkable. In it he depicts the River Stour which divides the Counties of Suffolk and Essex. Willy Lott’s cottage stands to the left of the image and this building is also visible on The White Horse (1819). It is possible that the cart is standing in the water to ensure that the wooden wheels didn’t shrink in the sun, loosening their metal rims.

The image radiates optimism and serenity and this is conveyed through the color palette. The blue of the sky is reflected in the cool tones of the water and the terracotta of the house is highlighted in the red of the horse’s harness. The whole image is framed by the greens and yellows of the vegetation and the meadow runs off the right of the canvas opening up the space to the viewer. The curve of the river in the foreground draws the eye away from the mass of the trees towards the Hay Wain itself which becomes the focal point of the image. Constable utilizes his distinctive flecks of white paint on the water in the foreground to portray the effects of the noon sunshine reflecting on the river.

Constable has constructed the painting so that the viewer stands on the near bank of the river and the size of the image (it was another six-footer) in conjunction with the carefully rendered fall of light enables the viewer to feel that they could enter the scene. The image highlights the glory of nature without resorting to artifice or exaggeration and reflects Constable’s determination to paint the truth of what he saw. In doing this the scene is presented with an absolute sincerity which is immediately apparent to the viewer.

Rainstorm over the sea

After 1822 Constable moved away from strict documentary accuracy and his paint surfaces become rougher and more expressive. This oil sketch of Brighton Beach is a quickly painted image that captures the turbulent feel of the advancing storm rather than a detailed study. Whilst the sky and sea are less closely rendered than in his display canvases the scene is easily identifiable and it is clear that it represents a single moment in time as the storm converges. In appearance and subject matter it can be compared to work by Turner such as Steamer in a Snowstorm (1842) in which the impact of the elements is the focus of the image.

Although Constable never intended to exhibit his sketches, producing them for his own study and the development of more ‘finished’ canvases, they make up an important part of his body of work. They are now considered some of his most ‘modern’ and interesting pieces in that they made an even more radical and pioneering break from the traditions of academic art than the paintings he did display.

Salisbury Cathedral from the Meadows

Constable started painting Salisbury Cathedral from the Meadows shortly after the death of his wife and, although exhibited in 1831, he continued to work on it until his death in 1837. The image is the last of his large six foot canvases and Constable believed that one day it would probably be considered his greatest picture. The image is reflective of the turmoil Constable felt in this period of mourning and this is seen in the religious subject matter, the violent sky and the addition of the rainbow which would be a meteorological impossibility given the other weather conditions.

The inclusion of the rainbow marks a departure in Constable’s attempts for realism and this is articulated by contemporary critic, Mark Hudson when he states that, Constable «heightens the drama in the blustery sky, throwing a rainbow over the image in a mystical fusing of past and present that belies the sense of Constable as a mere dour observer of empirical reality.» Former Tate curator Leslie Parris has suggested that this symbolism may be taken further and that the storm clouds over the Cathedral represent the troubles experienced by the Anglican Church following the Roman Catholic Relief Act of 1829.

Biography of John Constable

Childhood

Born in East Bergholt, a village in Suffolk, England, John Constable was the second son of Golding and Ann (née Watts), wealthy corn merchants who owned Flatford Mill in East Bergholt and later Dedham Mill in Essex. Constable’s older brother (also called Golding) was subject to seizures and was considered unfit to succeed his father into the family business. The task consequently fell to John and after leaving his school in Dedham, Constable joined his father in the corn business, a role for which he had limited enthusiasm and aptitude. Despite his disability Golding Jnr went onto to become a land warden and the two brothers remained close throughout their lives. Constable had five siblings in total, three sisters and another brother, Abram, who was the youngest member of the family.

In his youth Constable travelled the countryside surrounding his home on sketching trips, these landscapes later became a focus for much of his art. As he recalled later in life, «I associate my careless boyhood with all that lies on the banks of the Stour; those scenes made me a painter.» His family introduced him to Sir George Beaumont, a collector, who showed him Hagar and the Angel (1646) by Claude Lorrain which was an early inspiration for him. Although his interest in art was encouraged by John Thomas Smith, an artist and friend of the family, he was strongly advised by him to stay in his father’s business rather than take up painting professionally.

Early Training

In 1799, after having worked in the corn business for seven years, Constable persuaded his father to let him pursue a career as an artist. He was given a small allowance and entered the Royal Academy Schools where he studied life drawing and became familiar with the works of the Old Masters. On completion of his training he refused the position of drawing master at Great Marlow Military School, resolving instead to become a professional landscape painter. In a letter to John Dunthorne he wrote ‘For the last two years. I have not endeavoured to represent nature with the same elevation of mind with which I set out. There is room enough for a natural painter.’ He started exhibiting at the Royal Academy from 1802.

Apart from a two-month tour of the Lake District in 1806, Constable established a pattern of spending his summers sketching and painting around East Bergholt and then returning to London in the winter. Unable to find buyers or commissions for his landscapes, he turned to portraiture to supplement his meagre income, and although he produced a number of fine portraits he found the process dull compared to the pleasure he took in landscape painting.

In 1811 Constable visited Bishop John Fisher and his family in Salisbury, the two had initially met when Fisher was Rector of Langham Church in Essex which was close to East Bergholt. Bishop Fisher became one of Constable’s biggest patrons and Salisbury inspired some of his greatest works. The Bishop also introduced Constable to his nephew, Reverend John Fisher and the two developed a life-long friendship.

Mature Period

In 1809 Constable proposed to Maria Bicknell who he had first met when she was twelve. Her grandfather, however, forbade the match and threatened Maria with disinheritance, believing the Constable family to be socially inferior. Unable to support a wife and family on his limited income, the couple maintained a secret correspondence but were not able to marry until after the death of Constable’s father in 1816. John Senior left provision for each of his children and Constable’s brother Abram continued to run the business for the benefit of the whole family. Although not making Constable wealthy, this finally provided the necessary financial stability for marriage. The couple were wed at the Church of St Martin in the Fields in London and spent their honeymoon with Bishop Fisher and his wife in Osmington, Dorset, followed by a tour of the south coast of England. It was sketching the sea at Brighton and Weymouth on this trip that encouraged Constable to adopt a freer brushwork and to experiment with showing greater emotional intensity in his work, particularly in his rendition of the sky and sea. After the honeymoon, Constable returned to London initially setting up house with his new wife in Bloomsbury, before they moved to Hampstead in 1819.

Constable continued to scrape an income as a painter, although matters improved in 1819 when he sold his first important work, The White Horse (1819), this was a large-scale canvas, known as a six-footer. The same year he was elected an Associate of the Royal Academy.

In 1821 he exhibited The Hay Wain (1821) at the Royal Academy. It was shown again, along with two other of his paintings, at the Paris Salon of 1824, where it was awarded a gold medal from Charles X. Although more successful in France than in England, Constable refused to cross the Channel to promote his work, writing to Francis Darby, a fellow artist and friend, that he «would rather be a poor man in England, than a rich man abroad.»

Constable’s wife Maria, had been a weak child, and ill health plagued her for most of her life. In 1824, at the suggestion of physicians, Constable took his family to Brighton, an increasingly popular holiday resort, to enjoy the fresh sea air. Her health improved, and they maintained lodgings in the town for the next four years. Although he disliked the people in Brighton, describing it in a letter to his friend, John Fisher, as a «the offscouring of London. and the beach is Piccadilly by the sea», he loved the surrounding landscapes of which he made a range of experimental oil sketches.

Throughout his life Constable was compared with Turner and anecdotes suggest that the two maintained a lively and personal rivalry. Turner initially painted in the academic style and was welcomed into the English art establishment early in his career, finding a mentor in Joshua Reynolds. Later his style developed and diverged becoming increasingly impressionistic. Whilst similarities can be drawn between the style of Constable’s oil sketches and Turner’s later work their aims deviated. In contrast to Constable’s studied approach, Turner often choose his subjects, compositions and lighting for dramatic effect using his images as a means to pass comment on contemporary issues and to create an emotional response in the viewer, rather than seeking the truth of what he saw.

Джон
Констебл

Джон Констебл ( John Constable, 11 июня 1776 года, Восточный Бергхольт, Саффолк, Англия – 31 марта 1837 года, Лондон ) – крупный британский пейзажист эпохи романтизма. Знаменит изображениями английской глубинки, особенно – родной долины реки Стаур. Эта область ныне известна как Констебл-кантри (край Констебла).

В своих пейзажах, особенно позднего периода, Констебл на удивление точно передавал природные явления, например, мимолётные и яркие эффекты бурного неба. Его картины – это глубокая и длительная медитация на тему сельской жизни Британии в эпоху стремительных социально-экономических преобразований.

Мельник из провинции

Впрочем, юноше изначально было уготовано заниматься не живописью, а мельничным делом. Хотя он и был вторым сыном у своих родителей, его старший брат оказался умственно неполноценным. А потому после короткого обучения в пансионе и окончания дневной школы молодой Джон был приставлен к семейному предприятию. Этим и объясняется его медленное творческое развитие: в Королевскую академию художеств самоучка из провинции поступил с неохотного одобрения отца уже в солидном возрасте – в 23 года. А управление отцовскими мельницами взял на себя его младший брат Аврам.

В то время наиболее подходящим предметом для студентов Академии считалась историческая живопись. Но Констебл с самого начала проявил особый интерес к ландшафту, а в период учёбы больше всего вдохновлялся работами Томаса Гейнсборо, Клода Лоррена, Питера Пауля Рубенса, Аннибале Карраччи и Якоба ван Рёйсдала.

В первой половине десятилетия Констебл отдавал предпочтение акварели и графике, выполнив прекрасные работы в этих техниках (1, 2, 3). Но его обычные сюжеты – сцены повседневной жизни – были немодными в эпоху, которая романтизировала первозданную природу и живописные руины. А потому виды портов на юго-восточном побережье и Озёрного края (1, 2) остались без внимания публики на выставках в 1807-м и 1808 годах.

Во время очередного приезда в родной Восточный Бергхольт в 1809 году живописец влюбился в юную Марию Бикнелл, с которой познакомился девятью годами ранее. Однако дед девушки, местный пастор Дюран Радд, посчитал Констебла неподходящей партией для внучки. И даже пригрозил лишить её наследства, если она выйдет замуж за человека, стоящего ниже по социальной лестнице. Мария вынуждена была признать, что брак без гроша в кармане похоронит надежды Джона на художественную карьеру.

Влюблённые продолжали встречаться практически тайком следующие семь лет, пока сердце деда не смягчилось. Впрочем, он дал согласие на брак в основном потому, что Джон после смерти своих родителей унаследовал пятую часть их состояния.

Медовый месяц 40-летний Констебл и его 29-летняя жена провели на южном побережье. Там художник начал писать яркими цветами и смелыми мазками; тогда же в его творчестве начался заметный эмоциональный подъём.

В 1817 году, с рождением первого из своих семи детей, чета Констеблов поселилась в Лондоне. Для поддержки семьи художнику было необходимо профессиональное признание. И оно пришло двумя годами позже, когда он выставил в Королевской академии свой первый крупный холст – «Белую лошадь». С него началась серия масштабных картин – «шестифутовых», как называл их сам живописец (ширина каждой составляет 6 футов или более 1,8 метра).

В 1821 году Констебл продемонстрировал свою «Телегу для сена» – ныне культовую для британцев. Однако тогда она была воспринята без энтузиазма: энергичные мазки художника критики посчитали небрежными. А вот француз Теодор Жерико, который в то время находился в Лондоне, по возвращении на родину расхвалил английского коллегу перед торговцем антиквариатом Джоном Арроусмитом. Тот купил сразу четыре картины Констебла, включая «Телегу», и не прогадал: на выставке в парижском Салоне 1824 года полотно завоевало золотую медаль. Мало того, Эжен Делакруа под впечатлением от «небрежного» мазка британца переписал фон своей «Резни на Хиосе».

Ещё во время болезни Марии семья переехала в Хэмпстед – пригород Лондона. Там Констебл начал писать этюды неба, тщательно документируя хорошо узнаваемые метеорологические явления (1, 2, 3, 4). Эти наброски затем становились частью композиции полномасштабных холстов.

К 1824 году в его живописной манере появилась изобразительная фрагментация, с помощью которой художник стремился передать оптические эффекты. Наряду с использованием живых и ярких цветов это заставило многих ошибочно называть его предшественником импрессионизма.

Отчуждение и депрессия

В поздний период Констебл перестал писать определённые места – частично из-за того, что делал этюды в разных регионах: в Солсбери или на фешенебельном приморском курорте Брайтон, где Мария пыталась поправить здоровье. Но такое абстрагирование и отказ от изображения фермерского труда можно трактовать иначе. Экономическая депрессия после Наполеоновских войн привела сельское хозяйство в упадок. Вопреки этому консервативный Констебл решил воспевать отвлечённую «старую добрую Англию», не затронутую индустриальными и социальными изменениями.

Членом Королевской академии художеств живописец стал поздно – в 1829 году в возрасте 52-х лет – во многом из-за своего тяжёлого характера. Его письма 1830-х годов полны отчуждения и депрессии. Такие настроения, без сомнения, подпитывались критическими нападками, которые сыпались на него и Уильяма Тёрнера с середины 1820-х годов. Хотя эти мастера никогда не были близки и по-разному подходили к пейзажной живописи, оба выросли в традициях сэра Джошуа Рейнольдса. А это заслуживало пренебрежения в глазах нового поколения художников и критиков, которые формировали собственные ценности в быстро развивающемся промышленном обществе.

Тем не менее, Констебл продолжал работать. После смерти Марии осталось 20 тысяч фунтов, и он решил издать серию гравюр (меццо-тинто) на основе своих картин (1, 2, 3). Однако нерешительность и постоянные сомнения сослужили ему плохую службу. Работа над четырьмя десятками отпечатков затягивалась, один из них художник корректировал 13 раз. В результате, когда сборник под названием «Английский пейзаж» вышел в свет, он не заинтересовал необходимое количество подписчиков. Предприятие потерпело финансовый крах.

В 1836 году Джон Констебл представил в Королевской академии свою последнюю картину – «Кенотаф в память о сэре Джошуа Рейнольдсе на территории Колеортон-холла, Лестершир» (кенотаф – символическая могила, не содержащая останков). Работа была посвящена «отцу британского искусства», которого почитал живописец. Это полотно стало одой уходящему традиционному миру, в котором сформировались личностные и художественные ценности Констебла.

Сам он скончался в ночь на 31 марта 1837 года, видимо, от несварения желудка, и был похоронен рядом с Марией на кладбище Святого Иоанна-на-Хэмпстеде. В том же семейном склепе позже упокоились и два их сына – Джон Чарльз и Чарльз Голдинг Констеблы. В 1888 году дочь живописца Изабель подарила работы отца британской нации.

Некоторые из ныне живущих потомков Джона Констебла продолжают дело своего знаменитого прародителя. Так, 47-летняя художница и скульптор Саша Констебл живёт и работает в Камбодже. В 2003 году она выставила свои работы вместе с картинами отца – Ричарда Голдинга Констебла.

Джон Констебл ещё при жизни завоевал репутацию уважаемого и значительного пейзажиста. Но в биографии, которую шесть лет спустя его смерти опубликовал Чарльз Лесли, он предстаёт ещё и как искренний и преданный делу художник, боровшийся с беззаконием и непониманием. На самом деле автор отредактировал его переписку, скрыв наименее привлекательные черты характера своего друга.

К началу XX века творчество Констебла было переоценено. В попытке найти британских предшественников импрессионизма, искусствоведы предали чрезмерное значение его эскизами маслом. В конце прошлого столетия эта область исследований была признана спорной на основании исторических фактов.

Также отдельные учёные пытаются трактовать пейзажи художника в контексте его эпохи и видят в них сложные произведения искусства, зачастую имеющие глубокий политический подтекст. Другие же предпочитают рассматривать их как квинтэссенцию подлинного английского стиля и образа жизни. Тот факт, что споры продолжаются, подтверждает жизнеспособность ландшафтов Джона Констебла.

John Constable Biography

Introduction

John Constable is often thought of as one of the most important painters of the English countryside that ever lived, but he was actually more successful in France during his lifetime.

Born and raised in Suffolk, the artist never left England to work and discarded what could have been a comfortable life running the family business in order to pursue his passion for art.

John Constable Early Years

John Constable was born in East Bergholt, a village on the River Stour in Suffolk, in 1776. His father was a wealthy corn merchant, owner of Flatford Mill in East Bergholt and, later, Dedham Mill. John was the second son of Golding and Ann Constable but as his elder brother was mentally handicapped, it was left to John to carry on the family business after his father.

Constable spent a short amount of time studying at a boarding school at Lavenham, before returning home and enrolling at a day school in Dedham. Constable’s younger brother eventually took over the family business but not without the artist first gaining some experience. This knowledge no doubt influenced Constable in his paintings of the corn industry in rural Suffolk later in life.

Constable’s first forays into art began as sketches of the Suffolk countryside as a boy, an area that would feature in his art for the rest of his life. He wrote of the county: «(Suffolk) made me a painter, and I am grateful».

As a young boy Constable would draft endless sketches of the Suffolk countryside which so inspired him and often went «Skying» which was the artist’s own term for days spent sketching different cloud formations.

When Constable was a young man he was introduced to a collector named George Beaumont and this meeting would prove to be highly important in the development of Constable’s career as an artist.

Beaumont showed Constable his prized Landscape with Hagar and the Angel by Claude Lorrain. Lorrain’s influence on Constable is clear to see in his paintings and he was considered by many to be the most accomplished landscape painter pre-19th century.

Another great influence for Constable was trained artist John Thomas Smith who he was introduced to while visiting relatives. Smith advised him on painting but also urged him to remain in his father’s business rather than take up art professionally.

Luckily for the art world Constable chose to ignore this advice and in 1803, he was exhibiting his first paintings at the Royal Academy.