John Constable












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Salisbury Cathedral, from the Bishop's Grounds (1823)

John Constable

 

Life: 1776-1837 (1)

 

Country: England

 

Style(s): Romanticism (4)

 

Works:

     The Young Waltonians- Stratford Mill (1820)

     Salisbury Cathedral, from the Bishop's Grounds (1823)

     Brighton Beach with Colliers (1824)

     Ladies From The Family Of Mr. William Mason Of Colchester (1831)

 

Quote: “No two days are alike, nor even two hours; neither were there ever two leaves of a tree alike since the creation of the world…The sound of water escaping from mill dams, willows, old rotten planks, slimy posts and brickwork, I love such things. These scenes made me a painter.” (1)

 

Fun Fact: He never gained great popularity in England. However, the French Romanticists greatly admired his work. (5)

 

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Brighton Beach with Colliers (1824)

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Ladies From The Family Of Mr. William Mason Of Colchester (1831)






            Finally. You feel that you are really getting somewhere. You can almost feel Chucky in your arms again. You haven’t come this far to fail; only a few days remain, but you are sure that they will be victorious days for you and Chucky.

            You introduce yourself to Constable and fall in love with the paintings on his walls before you even have a chance to sit down. Romantics do some of the best works, even of ordinary objects. You are particularly entranced by Salisbury Cathedral from the Bishop’s Grounds. The contrast between light and dark and the play of the colors amazes you.

            You remember that it is the French Romantics who really like his work and that he never gains much

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The Young Waltonians- Stratford Mill (1820)

popularity with his own fellow countrymen, the English romantics (5). This surprises you: how could anyone not like such glorious paintings? However, your job is not to wonder why, especially when you are so pressed by time in your search for Chucky. Unfortunately, Constable says that he knows nothing about Chucky but that he strongly suspects that Ingres might know something. He tells you that Romanticism is a reaction to Neoclassicism, and that Ingres is a French Neoclassicist (6 & 7). You wonder if you should run off to find Ingres.  After all, perhaps if you stick around, you might learn more about Constable and get some other names from him.

Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres

             You have decided to stick around and it pays off, or so you think. Constable says he believes that a fellow artist named Bonington may know more about Chucky. He tells you, with a smile, that Bonington has always admired him (2) and that in 1824 he and Bonington won the Paris Salon gold medal at the same time (3).

Richard Parkes Bonington

            But you are not sure if you want to try Bonington even though you think that you remember some of the other artists talking about him. You beg Constable to name someone else, anyone else, to really think about who might know about Chucky and the kidnapper. Constable sits in quiet thought for a long time, before finally saying that there was someone, another English Romantic called Turner. Constable recalls that he dined with Turner at the Royal Academy once, and that afterwards he said, ' "I was a good deal entertained with Turner. I always expected to find him what I did. He was uncouth but has a wonderful range of mind" '(8). However, you are still unsure if you should look for Turner or try one of the others whom Constable mentioned.

Joseph Mallord William Turner































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