John Constable

Romantic landscape painter John Constable (1776-1837) revolutionized the genre with his fresh, naturalistic depictions of the English countryside. Born in Suffolk to a prosperous mill owner, he devoted his career to painting the area around his childhood home, now known as "Constable Country." He entered the Royal Academy schools in 1799 but developed slowly, not achieving full membership until age 52. His approach emphasized direct observation of nature, including the changing effects of weather and light.

Constable's masterpiece The Hay Wain (1821) shows a rural scene on the River Stour with a farm wagon crossing shallow water. Though it failed to find a buyer in England, it won a gold medal at the 1824 Paris Salon and profoundly influenced French painters, particularly the Barbizon School. He pioneered broken brushwork and small dabs of white to capture sparkling light on foliage. Constable made full-size oil sketches for his major works, preserving spontaneity while refining compositions. The National Gallery and Tate Britain in London hold his finest paintings, with The Hay Wain voted Britain's second most popular painting in 2005.