1776-1837. English landscape painter. He
painted scenes of his native Suffolk
including The Haywain 1821 (National Gallery,
London), and he travelled widely in Britain,
depicting castles, cathedrals, landscapes,
and coastal scenes. His many sketches are
often considered among his best work. The
paintings are remarkable for their freshness
and influenced French painters such as
Delacroix. Constable inherited the Dutch
tradition of sombre realism, in particular
the style of Jacob Ruisdael, but he aimed to
capture the momentary changes of nature as
well as to create monumental images of
British scenery, such as The White Horse 1819
(Frick Collection, New York) and Flatford
Mill 1825. Constable first worked in his
father's mills in East Bergholt, Suffolk, but
in 1795 was sent to study art in London. He
was finally elected to the Royal Academy in
1829. His many imitators included his son
Lionel. In Nov 1990 The Lock 1824 was sold at
Sotheby's, London, to a private collector for
the record price of 0.78 million.