John Constable

(1776-1837)

The French were first to appreciate Constable's genius. Théodore Géricault came to Britain, saw his work and was ‘quite stunned by it’. The Hay Wain and View On The Stour were bought in 1824 and triumphantly exhibited at the Louvre.

"I would rather be a poor man at home

than a rich man abroad." said Constable

1809, he fell in love with Maria Bicknell, the daughter of a London solicitor. Her family banned them from meeting. An impoverished artist was beyond the pale! In love as well as in art, he persevered...and seven years later, in 1816, they married.

Maria Bicknell

The Hay Wain