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Constable in Love: Love, Landscape, Money and the Making of a Great Painter
Love not landscape was the making of Constable ...John Constable and Maria Bicknell might have been in love but their marriage was a most unlikely prospect. Constable was a penniless painter who would not sacrifice his art for anything, while Maria's family frowned on such a penurious union. For seven long years the couple were forced to correspond and meet clandestinely. But it was during this period of longing that Constable developed as a painter. And by the time they'd overcome all obstacles to their marriage, he was on the verge of being recognised as a genius. Martin Gayford brings alive the time of Jane Austen in telling the tremendous story of Constable's formative years, as well as this love affair's tragic conclusion which haunted the artist's final paintings.
384 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2009
6 people are currently reading
130 people want to read
About the author
Martin Gayford
57 books138 followersMartin Gayford is an art critic and art historian. He studied philosophy at the University of Cambridge, and art history at the Courtauld Institute of Art at the University of London. Over three decades, he has written prolifically about art and music in a series of major biographies, as well as contributing regularly to newspapers, magazines and exhibition catalogues. In parallel with his career as an art historian, he was art critic of The Spectator magazine and The Sunday Telegraph newspaper before becoming Chief Art Critic for the international television network, Bloomberg News. He has been a regular contributor to the British journal of art criticism, Modern Painters.
His books include a study of Van Gogh and Gauguin in Arles, The Yellow House: Van Gogh, Gauguin, and Nine Turbulent Weeks in Arles (Little Brown, 2006), which was published in Britain and the USA to critical acclaim, and has been translated, to date, into five languages; Constable in Love: Love, Landscape, Money and the Making of a Great Painter (Penguin, 2009), a study of John Constable’s romance with Maria Bicknell and their lives between 1809 and 1816; and A Bigger Message: Conversations with David Hockney (Thames and Hudson, 2011).
His books include a study of Van Gogh and Gauguin in Arles, The Yellow House: Van Gogh, Gauguin, and Nine Turbulent Weeks in Arles (Little Brown, 2006), which was published in Britain and the USA to critical acclaim, and has been translated, to date, into five languages; Constable in Love: Love, Landscape, Money and the Making of a Great Painter (Penguin, 2009), a study of John Constable’s romance with Maria Bicknell and their lives between 1809 and 1816; and A Bigger Message: Conversations with David Hockney (Thames and Hudson, 2011).
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
July 21, 2024
When I came to select this book, I had decided to change things up a bit. I was dropping into my local library - Chatswood, Sydney, which happens to be a wonderfully large one - and I thought I'd take a risk and let my little four-year-old choose something, and unless it was something I had only recently read, or something that was exceedingly reprehensible to even contemplate, I would have to go ahead and read it. It's nice to be open-minded like that.
I only told him not to go and choose the first thing he sees. At least have a little look around, you know. After all, he would also at least indirectly be listening to it as I chauffeured him around in the car.
Obviously, he chose this one. And at first, chuckling nervously, I thought, "Oh, God. What is this?" The copy I got didn't bear the modernly stylistic "period" cover featured on this review. Rather, it was one part of what I assume to be a John Constable painting: a wispy paint-stroke depiction of a lady strolling through a flowery garden wearing a bonnet and old-fashioned dress.
Figuring it was some kind of forgettable romance novel about a police constable falling in love with a local dame - written by one of the many wannabe modern Jane Austens - I had little hope. But, upon actually reading the back (not to mention the subtitle: Love, Landscape, Money and the Making of a Great Painter), I began to feel a flash of hope that maybe it was actually a non-fiction.
Fortunately, that was the case. The story, granted, is told something like a period romance/drama, with an ongoing narrative that details the long friendship, epistolary romance and eventual unification between two lovers. But also, interweaved throughout the book, are some very interesting and well-researched glimpses into the sociological context in which the real-life story takes place.
I confess that while I do love a good painting just as much as the next person, I have never had much particular interest (or talent, which might be an important factor) in the visual arts. So, I knew nothing about John Constable. Therefore, that this book made me decide I quite liked the guy, and found his personal life an enjoyable one to read about, puts the book in good stead.
Not the sort of thing I'd usually go for, and still not something I generally have much interest in. Thus, it would have needed to be quite exceptionally good to have wrangled out of me an enthusiasm meriting four stars. But I can hardly fault the book. It was quite good. Usually, the lucky-dip approach to choosing books is a risky one. It is even more so when the hand that dips into the draw is not your own, but a germ-infested toddler's instead.
So, I guess I really ought to be considering myself lucky.
I only told him not to go and choose the first thing he sees. At least have a little look around, you know. After all, he would also at least indirectly be listening to it as I chauffeured him around in the car.
Obviously, he chose this one. And at first, chuckling nervously, I thought, "Oh, God. What is this?" The copy I got didn't bear the modernly stylistic "period" cover featured on this review. Rather, it was one part of what I assume to be a John Constable painting: a wispy paint-stroke depiction of a lady strolling through a flowery garden wearing a bonnet and old-fashioned dress.
Figuring it was some kind of forgettable romance novel about a police constable falling in love with a local dame - written by one of the many wannabe modern Jane Austens - I had little hope. But, upon actually reading the back (not to mention the subtitle: Love, Landscape, Money and the Making of a Great Painter), I began to feel a flash of hope that maybe it was actually a non-fiction.
Fortunately, that was the case. The story, granted, is told something like a period romance/drama, with an ongoing narrative that details the long friendship, epistolary romance and eventual unification between two lovers. But also, interweaved throughout the book, are some very interesting and well-researched glimpses into the sociological context in which the real-life story takes place.
I confess that while I do love a good painting just as much as the next person, I have never had much particular interest (or talent, which might be an important factor) in the visual arts. So, I knew nothing about John Constable. Therefore, that this book made me decide I quite liked the guy, and found his personal life an enjoyable one to read about, puts the book in good stead.
Not the sort of thing I'd usually go for, and still not something I generally have much interest in. Thus, it would have needed to be quite exceptionally good to have wrangled out of me an enthusiasm meriting four stars. But I can hardly fault the book. It was quite good. Usually, the lucky-dip approach to choosing books is a risky one. It is even more so when the hand that dips into the draw is not your own, but a germ-infested toddler's instead.
So, I guess I really ought to be considering myself lucky.
October 31, 2014
From BBC Radio 4 - Book of the Week:
Passion, money and art - the story of John Constable and his pursuit of the love of his life.
Anton Lesser reads Martin Gayford's account of the early career of John Constable and his long battle to win the hand of his future wife, Maria Bicknell, based on correspondence between the pair.
Constable first met Maria Bicknell, the daughter of a wealthy lawyer, in the Suffolk village of East Bergholt when he was 24 and she was 12. Nine years later they began courting.
Passion, money and art - the story of John Constable and his pursuit of the love of his life.
Anton Lesser reads Martin Gayford's account of the early career of John Constable and his long battle to win the hand of his future wife, Maria Bicknell, based on correspondence between the pair.
Constable first met Maria Bicknell, the daughter of a wealthy lawyer, in the Suffolk village of East Bergholt when he was 24 and she was 12. Nine years later they began courting.
March 6, 2014
R4x 14:45 GMTBBC BLURB: Anton Lesser reads Martin Gayford's account of the early career of John Constable and his long battle to win the hand of his future wife, Maria Bicknell, based on correspondence between the pair.
August 28, 2020
Martin Gayford is perhaps best known for his account of his portrait sitting with Lucian Freud over several months, described in ‘Man with a Blue Scarf’. I mention this, because Lucian Freud is acknowledged as a vital contributor (along with two other painters) to his understanding of Constable’s approach to landscape. One of the attractive qualities of this book is the way the author has marshalled a number of contemporary voices (including experts on music and literature) and integrated their contributions with long dead authors identified in an extensive biography. Despite the contributions of others, the book maintains its coherence and narrative force. Gayford comes across as likeable and engaging, free from the egocentricity of his subjects (Van Gogh, Lucian Freud, John Constable) so that their own voices , rather than his,are amplified.
In some ways the title , ‘Constable in Love’ belies the content of the book.The courtship between Maria Bicknell and John Constable is recorded in letters written between the lovers over several years. If the book had consisted of this courtship alone, this reader would not have been detained for long. What Gayford does so well is explore the courtship alongside Constable and Maria’s place in their wider community. Her father and grandfather emerge as substantial figures in their own right, with real stature in the worlds of law and religion respectively.Maria’s own intelligent sensibility is also projected strongly; the men in her life were difficult and authoritarian, yet she manages them all with wit and understanding , finally getting her own way in marrying Constable and dealing successfully with his own challenging behaviour (evidently he could be dark and sarcastic , wanted to wear his favoured black attire at his wedding, and preferred studying nature to socialising).
I most enjoyed the portrayal of Constable himself. His youthful drawing expeditions with the plumber and glazier Dunthorne are brought to life, as Gayford provides examples of tiny drawings made in a sketchbook measuring a few inches across.Dunthorne himself remains on good terms with Constable for many years, despite ‘transgressions’ that compromised Constable’s relationship with Maria’s religious family. Constable wanted to employ Dunthorne’s son as a studio assistant , but this was stymied by Maria’s family and the idea was dropped. We are used to modern painters who enjoy a cavalier attitude to responsibilities and obligations.Gayford shows that Constable acquiesced to the demands of family, patrons and influential people where it was prudent to do so.
Typically ‘Georgian’ events are also described: the huge chandelier that broke free and almost killed a generation of Royal Academicians; a fire in Constable’s studio that could have destroyed a substantial number of early works; and Maria’s own poor health that worsened after eight pregnancies in twelve years. Gayford also provides an insight into events that impact on a miller’s son’s life: Constable’s cousin is killed in the Napoleonic wars and the tranquility of his paintings is challenged by the actions of ‘the mob’ in protest at the corn laws, declining wages, and changes to agricultural practices.
Once Constable and Maria are married, the small number of pages remaining suggest that the promised narrative has largely run its course. Children come thick and fast;Maria becomes ill and dies;Constable completes paintings that reflect his overwhelming sense of bereavement; and finally Constable himself dies,
’ ...as he lived, surrounded by art, for the walls of his little attic were covered with engravings , and his feet nearly touched a print of the beautiful moonlight by Rubens’.
I enjoyed this book very much, and am thankful to Martin Gayford for distilling a huge amount of reading and thinking into a new perspective on a great artist’s life.
In some ways the title , ‘Constable in Love’ belies the content of the book.The courtship between Maria Bicknell and John Constable is recorded in letters written between the lovers over several years. If the book had consisted of this courtship alone, this reader would not have been detained for long. What Gayford does so well is explore the courtship alongside Constable and Maria’s place in their wider community. Her father and grandfather emerge as substantial figures in their own right, with real stature in the worlds of law and religion respectively.Maria’s own intelligent sensibility is also projected strongly; the men in her life were difficult and authoritarian, yet she manages them all with wit and understanding , finally getting her own way in marrying Constable and dealing successfully with his own challenging behaviour (evidently he could be dark and sarcastic , wanted to wear his favoured black attire at his wedding, and preferred studying nature to socialising).
I most enjoyed the portrayal of Constable himself. His youthful drawing expeditions with the plumber and glazier Dunthorne are brought to life, as Gayford provides examples of tiny drawings made in a sketchbook measuring a few inches across.Dunthorne himself remains on good terms with Constable for many years, despite ‘transgressions’ that compromised Constable’s relationship with Maria’s religious family. Constable wanted to employ Dunthorne’s son as a studio assistant , but this was stymied by Maria’s family and the idea was dropped. We are used to modern painters who enjoy a cavalier attitude to responsibilities and obligations.Gayford shows that Constable acquiesced to the demands of family, patrons and influential people where it was prudent to do so.
Typically ‘Georgian’ events are also described: the huge chandelier that broke free and almost killed a generation of Royal Academicians; a fire in Constable’s studio that could have destroyed a substantial number of early works; and Maria’s own poor health that worsened after eight pregnancies in twelve years. Gayford also provides an insight into events that impact on a miller’s son’s life: Constable’s cousin is killed in the Napoleonic wars and the tranquility of his paintings is challenged by the actions of ‘the mob’ in protest at the corn laws, declining wages, and changes to agricultural practices.
Once Constable and Maria are married, the small number of pages remaining suggest that the promised narrative has largely run its course. Children come thick and fast;Maria becomes ill and dies;Constable completes paintings that reflect his overwhelming sense of bereavement; and finally Constable himself dies,
’ ...as he lived, surrounded by art, for the walls of his little attic were covered with engravings , and his feet nearly touched a print of the beautiful moonlight by Rubens’.
I enjoyed this book very much, and am thankful to Martin Gayford for distilling a huge amount of reading and thinking into a new perspective on a great artist’s life.
January 29, 2020
After a slowish start this book was a very good biography. I'm not sure I got to know Maria Bicknell that well - Constable's love interest - the fact that she keep him waiting for 7 long years frustrated me. She refused to marry him during this time because her father and grandfather - Dr Reverend Rudd - disapproved. This seemed rather ridiculous to me when she was over 21, mind you, I guess I'm looking at the situation through 21st century eyes. What this book did deliver, however, was a really good insight into the character of Constable, from his talent, his sensitivity and inclinations to be up and down temperament wise. I felt, when I got to the end of the book that I'd really grown to know him as a person and not just an artist. Too often his art is now seen as rather staid, just decorating chocolate boxes but the book shows how very innovative it really was in his day. I felt his frustrations too at his art being rejected and criticised for so many years and then for him to only really become famous 100 years after his death!
In hindsight, it seems ridiculous indeed for Maria's family to try and prevent her marriage to one of the greatest artists this country has ever known!
In hindsight, it seems ridiculous indeed for Maria's family to try and prevent her marriage to one of the greatest artists this country has ever known!
December 2, 2018
This is beautifully crafted and fascinating biography that details not only Constable’s long and sometimes seemingly hopeless courtship of Maria Bicknell but also his Dec elopement as a painter, his rivalry with Turner and his efforts to be accepted by the RA.
There is so much background detail and social history of the early 19th century that one is almost wrapped around by it and starts to think with the mindset of the time. It is exceptionally well researched and makes a fascinating read.
I have given it four stars o ly because, like other readers, I would have loved to read more about Constable and Maria’s happy marriage and his more successful years. I was also desperate to know how their many children coped after their parents’ early deaths and found myself worrying about them!
This is the second book by Martin Gaylord that I have read and I would certainly read more of his superb prose style.
There is so much background detail and social history of the early 19th century that one is almost wrapped around by it and starts to think with the mindset of the time. It is exceptionally well researched and makes a fascinating read.
I have given it four stars o ly because, like other readers, I would have loved to read more about Constable and Maria’s happy marriage and his more successful years. I was also desperate to know how their many children coped after their parents’ early deaths and found myself worrying about them!
This is the second book by Martin Gaylord that I have read and I would certainly read more of his superb prose style.
February 20, 2025
Really nice historical story in which you learn about Constable, his career and relationships with Maria, her family.
The book did wonder off in the occasional tangent which I found a little annoying, hence the four stars but if you enjoy books written as a novel that reflects what actually happened - this is based on the many surviving letters between John and Maria and also previous research - you will enjoy this. I'll certainly look at Constable paintings in a different light now.
The book did wonder off in the occasional tangent which I found a little annoying, hence the four stars but if you enjoy books written as a novel that reflects what actually happened - this is based on the many surviving letters between John and Maria and also previous research - you will enjoy this. I'll certainly look at Constable paintings in a different light now.
May 31, 2023
I loved reading this book. It was gripping, and, as the author intended, it really does read like a novel.
My only criticism is that it felt like it ended too abruptly. So much detail and suspense in the build up, only for the climax and conclusion of the story to be over in, what seemed like, a few short pages.
My only criticism is that it felt like it ended too abruptly. So much detail and suspense in the build up, only for the climax and conclusion of the story to be over in, what seemed like, a few short pages.
April 4, 2023
I really wasn't sure where this would go, given the premise but it turned out to be quite charming.
I " think " this is the first , sort of biographical book about an Artist I have read.
Looking forward to more.
I " think " this is the first , sort of biographical book about an Artist I have read.
Looking forward to more.
July 24, 2021
Utterly brilliant, both constables story and the details of life during those times. Well written
January 29, 2025
A great insight to the painter’s life and a good angle. Most accessible and easy to get into.
December 30, 2012
I can never work out why some biographies are so gripping, and as absorbing as any great novel, whereas others fall flat, however interesting the subject. I'm very interested in art, and fully expected to enjoy this one, especially with the emphasis on Constables's personal life. But I found it quite tedious on the whole, and although I learnt a lot, found it a bit of a chore getting to the end. Worth reading though.
June 21, 2014
I really enjoyed this chatty biography which focuses on the 7 years in painter John Constable's life where he was wooing his beloved Maria Bicknell. It was a great way to learn more about one of my favorite artists. I love how readable Martin Gayford is.
August 8, 2014
Biography of the landscaper painter, John Constable, and his long romance with Mary Bricknell. They were engaged for 9 years as her family were not happy with his bheing able to support her. Fascinating details, quite readable and chatty.
September 27, 2014
This biography is very enjoyable because it reads like a novel. It's only a pity that after so many pages devoted to Constable's love for and pursuit of landscape painting and Maria, we have only a few pages dedicated to their so long wished-for life as a married couple.
August 28, 2016
Was ok, but I didn't read the back and thought that it was a romance rather than a bio, so was a bit disappointed
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews