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Constable English School
A brief study of the life and work of John Constable with six colour and six black and white plates.
22 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1949
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January 16, 2026
A short, interesting biography of the artist with background to some of his more famous paintings and reference to the influence he had on the French Impressionists. [Read May 2009]
Just read this again and it does seem that it was Constable who made the painters of the Barbizon and Impressionist Schools realise the value of painting out of doors in all weather so as to get true effects of light and shade and the changing colours as the weather and time of day varied. Sisley and Monet plus Troyon of the Barbizon School were three who particularly studied and admired his work.
We can see from his 'Brighton Beach with Colliers' painted in 1824 that there is certainly a distinct impressionist look about it and it was no doubt painted on a stormy day when the artist went to visit his sick wife who spent time in Brighton to aid her recovery. The foreground and the buildings therein of the painting are particularly impressionistic with very little definite detail.
And speaking of the open air, 'Boat Building, Flatford' (his father, Golding Constable owned wind and water mills at Flatford, Dedham and East Bergholt so these locations cropped up often in his work) an oil painting from 1815 was one of the first that Constable painted entirely in the open air for he reported the fact to his dear friend C R Leslie. The painting was instantly recognised as being of great merit and was exhibited in the Royal Academy in the year it was painted. Constable certainly always attempted to paint the true colours of the English scenery, be it countryside or seaside, and his view was that he wanted to capture 'God Almighty's daylight which is enjoyed by all mankind.'
The French King Louis XVIII thought he did just that for he awarded Constable a gold medal for his outstanding work after the Louvre had acquired some of his works after they had been exhibited in Paris.
There are only six colour plates and six black and white plates in the book but this is enough for one to appreciate the quality of Constable's work, including the fine portrait of his wife, Maria, from 1816. Incidentally Maria was never strong and she died in November 1828, leaving him with seven young children. As a consequence she missed his belated induction into the Royal Academy in February the following year despite the fact that he had worked for the Royal Academy Schools since 1799 and had his first picture accepted by the RA in 1802.
Just read this again and it does seem that it was Constable who made the painters of the Barbizon and Impressionist Schools realise the value of painting out of doors in all weather so as to get true effects of light and shade and the changing colours as the weather and time of day varied. Sisley and Monet plus Troyon of the Barbizon School were three who particularly studied and admired his work.
We can see from his 'Brighton Beach with Colliers' painted in 1824 that there is certainly a distinct impressionist look about it and it was no doubt painted on a stormy day when the artist went to visit his sick wife who spent time in Brighton to aid her recovery. The foreground and the buildings therein of the painting are particularly impressionistic with very little definite detail.
And speaking of the open air, 'Boat Building, Flatford' (his father, Golding Constable owned wind and water mills at Flatford, Dedham and East Bergholt so these locations cropped up often in his work) an oil painting from 1815 was one of the first that Constable painted entirely in the open air for he reported the fact to his dear friend C R Leslie. The painting was instantly recognised as being of great merit and was exhibited in the Royal Academy in the year it was painted. Constable certainly always attempted to paint the true colours of the English scenery, be it countryside or seaside, and his view was that he wanted to capture 'God Almighty's daylight which is enjoyed by all mankind.'
The French King Louis XVIII thought he did just that for he awarded Constable a gold medal for his outstanding work after the Louvre had acquired some of his works after they had been exhibited in Paris.
There are only six colour plates and six black and white plates in the book but this is enough for one to appreciate the quality of Constable's work, including the fine portrait of his wife, Maria, from 1816. Incidentally Maria was never strong and she died in November 1828, leaving him with seven young children. As a consequence she missed his belated induction into the Royal Academy in February the following year despite the fact that he had worked for the Royal Academy Schools since 1799 and had his first picture accepted by the RA in 1802.
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