John Constable

John Constable was born in Suffolk, England in 1776. His father was a miller and was very well - off. He worked for his father for a while but left to study art in London at the Royal Academy Schools in 1799. His interest in art had begun as a boy when he would sketch the landscape where he lived. This was also what he would come back to as a painter. Constable was out shone by JMW Turner but he is still considered to be one of England's greatest painters. His paintings are mostly of Suffolk where he grew up. Although he never went abroad unlike other painters, he was however popular in France where they loved his paintings. It was where the French impressionists developed his method of light and atmosphere. His Painting Salisbury Cathedral from the meadows is a good example of this. The painting shows dark grey clouds and a rainbow in the distance, with a glimmer of light in the foreground. When you see the painting you get the sense of a storm brewing and that at any minute the heavens will open. Constable was so keen to get clouds exactly right he studied them in a scientific way. He felt they put across the nature and character of the landscape. His most famous painting is the Hay - Wain. It depicts a harvest wagon going across a shallow stream close to Flatford Mill. The cottage in the painting was owned by his father.
Constable, fell in love with a local girl, Maria Bicknell. Her father though didn't approve of Constable and would not give his consent for them to marry. A few years later however Constable inherited on the death of his father, this gave him financial security and Maria's father gave his consent for them to marry in 1816. They were very happy in their marriage and had seven children together. Constable was heart broken when Maria died of tuberculosis in 1828. His art suffered as consequence and he died in 1837. He is still very popular today; he also put his beloved Suffolk on the map as parts of it are known as 'Constable Country'. This is due to The Hay - Wain and his other paintings. It attracts people the world over and keeping it unspoilt remains a hard task when so many people want to visit.
The Hay - Wain, Salisbury Cathedral from the meadows and some of his other paintings can be seen at the National Gallery London.

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	John Constable
	John Constable was born in Suffolk, England in 1776. His father was a miller and was very well - off. He worked for his father for a while but left to study art in London at the Royal Academy Schools in 1799. His interest in art had begun as a boy when he would sketch the landscape where he lived. This was also what he would come back to as a painter. Constable was out shone by JMW Turner but he is still considered to be one of England's greatest painters. His paintings are mostly of Suffolk where he grew up. Although he never went abroad unlike other painters, he was however popular in France where they loved his paintings. It was where the French impressionists developed his method of light and atmosphere. His Painting Salisbury Cathedral from the meadows is a good example of this. The painting shows dark grey clouds and a rainbow in the distance, with a glimmer of light in the foreground. When you see the painting you get the sense of a storm brewing and that at any minute the heavens will open. Constable was so keen to get clouds exactly right he studied them in a scientific way. He felt they put across the nature and character of the landscape. His most famous painting is the Hay - Wain. It depicts a harvest wagon going across a shallow stream close to Flatford Mill. The cottage in the painting was owned by his father. Constable, fell in love with a local girl, Maria Bicknell. Her father though didn't approve of Constable and would not give his consent for them to marry. A few years later however Constable inherited on the death of his father, this gave him financial security and Maria's father gave his consent for them to marry in 1816. They were very happy in their marriage and had seven children together. Constable was heart broken when Maria died of tuberculosis in 1828. His art suffered as consequence and he died in 1837. He is still very popular today; he also put his beloved Suffolk on the map as parts of it are known as 'Constable Country'. This is due to The Hay - Wain and his other paintings. It attracts people the world over and keeping it unspoilt remains a hard task when so many people want to visit. The Hay - Wain, Salisbury Cathedral from the meadows and some of his other paintings can be seen at the National Gallery London. © Children's Web Magazine 2006

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