“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.” From this famous statement sprang the romantic myth of John Constable (1776-1837) the natural-born artist who drew his inspiration direct from the River Stour. According to this version of art history, the native genius of a Suffolk miller’s son gave rise to the modern art of self-expression. The English Neo-Romantic John Piper went so far as to claim that Constable “made the Impressionist movement, and ultimately the whole of the modern movement, possible”. The French Impressionists, understandably, took a different view. “It’s true that Turner and Constable have been useful to us,” Monet g
02 October 2014, The Tablet
The living world
Constable: The Making of a Master, Victoria and Albert museum, london
Get Instant Access
Continue Reading
Register for free to read this article in full
Subscribe for unlimited access
From just £30 quarterly
Complete access to all Tablet website content including all premium content.
The full weekly edition in print and digital including our 179 years archive.
PDF version to view on iPad, iPhone or computer.
Already a subscriber? Login