John Constable (1776-1837)

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John Constable

Ever since the first lessons of painting under the guidance of John Dansorna, an amateur artist from East Bergholta, Constable understands that in the near future will be faced with a choice. You can also, like his father, worked all his life in the village mill and thereby secure a comfortable future, but you can go to London, entered the Royal Academy, and then all my life doing things you love - painting ... Constable chooses the second option, although it is not very comfortable with the prospect of learning. However, there was no alternative: while in England, anyone who wants to become an artist, is to one day cross the threshold of the Academy.

In the early nineteenth century, the Royal Academy has an exclusive monopoly on the conduct of, any whatsoever exhibitions in England. To have the right to publicly present their work, the British artists must not only take a course in this distinguished institution, but also to gain recognition from his professors. Constable is known, and he is forced to go to London and begin his studies at the Academy there. Of course, the young Constable, in love with nature, would prefer to stay in his native village, away from the hustle and bustle of the streets of London. But he decided to become an artist. Each year, Constable exhibited his works at exhibitions of the Royal Academy, but always becomes the object of harsh criticism. The young artist patiently listens caustic remarks professors of the Academy, dreaming of the time when he will be a member of it and can not depend in his work or on whose opinions. Only in 1829, after a five-time presentation of his candidature before and gain an advantage over the other contender just one vote, Constable is finally becoming a full member of the Royal Academy.

In the same year, on the opening day, which Constable intended to present his work "Hadley Castle", sculptor Shantrey invites him to cover the surface with lacquer paintings - supposedly it will greatly improve the impression of the picture. Constable agreed, but when he saw the result, horrified, and before the start of the exhibition hastily trying to remove a layer of varnish, encouraged laughter "good" colleagues.

Objectively speaking, the manner of Constable had a lot of shortcomings. The artist will take years to finally, learn the exact figure. He was given the prospect of hard, watercolors and his long time left much to be desired ... However, the artist is well aware of the weaknesses of their work and, to his credit, a lot of work, honing their skills. In addition, Constable unsure: on the one hand, he knows that his artist's reputation depends largely on reviews from critics, and tries to please her, and on the other, he paints landscapes that do not find understanding almost no one at home. First accolades come from France. In 1824, at the Paris Salon Constable awarded the Gold Medal, and Eugene Delacroix himself admits his English colleague that he wrote the sky in the painting "Scene Massacre at Chios" was inspired by his work.

Constable wrote several works commissioned by wealthy collectors in Paris and this interrupts the communication with the French admirers of his work, because persistent proposals leave England began to bore him, because only dream about Constable - is to be recognized at home.