Watercolor over graphite on medium, moderately textured, cream laid paper
Dimensions:
Sheet: 7 x 8 1/2 inches (17.8 x 21.6 cm)
Credit Line:
Yale Center for British Art, Paul Mellon Collection
Copyright Status:
Public Domain
Accession Number:
B1977.14.4660
Gallery Label:
John Constable lacked the natural facility of Turner and Girtin and struggled to achieve his goal of being a major painter. In 1802, frustrated with his progress at the Royal Academy Schools, he told a friend that “I shall shortly return [home] to Bergholt where I shall make some laborious studies of nature—and I shall endeavour to get a pure and unaffected representation of the scenes that may employ me.” Initially he made his studies in oils, but around 1805 he began to dabble in watercolor. This example, a product of that period of study, was almost certainly painted outdoors directly from nature. Already we find Constable’s trademark concern to capture specific atmospheric conditions. Gallery label for Great British Watercolors from the Paul Mellon Collection at the Yale Center for British Art (Yale Center for British Art, 2008-06-09 - 2008-08-17)
