John Constable and the Romantic Movement

A constant fascination with art and nature led John Constable to be one of the most influential artists of the Romanticism movement.

Born in 18^th century England to a corn merchant, Constable took a greater interest in art than in the family business. As a boy, he studied and sketched the Suffolk countryside, taking great care to observe the landscape rather than use his imagination to substitute details.

With his father's blessing, Constable enrolled in the Royal Academy School and began to study the "old masters" and learn contemporary techniques. Several years after his enrollment, he was exhibiting his works at the school. When he was offered a teaching position, he made the decision to become a professional painter rather than educator, and embarked on several tours on land and sea to study landscapes for his inspiration. During this period, Constable had not yet reached artistic maturity, despite his Royal Academy schooling.

However, after marrying in 1816, Constable began to produce paintings that captured the Romanticism movement as well as the attention of his growing audience. He finally gained major recognition with his work The White Horse, and was made an Associate to the Royal Academy. Constable gained even more interest from France than his home country of England, and went on to sell many works of art in that country.

In 1828, his life changed with the tragic loss of his wife to tuberculosis. His work and even his appearance took on a morose aspect, and he was said to wear nothing but black until his death.

A year after his wife's passing, Constable was inducted as Visitor of the Royal Academy. He began to speak publicly on landscape painting and his style of realistic artwork. He sought to highlight that nature ought to be studied meticulously so that every detail may be captured with perfect realism, and he demonstrated eloquent opposition against unreal and imagined scenery popular in some artists' work at that time. He died a highly respected man, influencing the work of great artists and even inspiring some artists in the French impressionism movement.