Constable S White Horse

An essay by Aimee Ng, Frick Curator, paired with a contribution by artist William Kentridge bring to life one of Constable's most serene depictions of rural life, the artist's personal favorite.

First published in 1952, John Constable and the Fishers is based on original letters which have never been published in full before. These have been woven into a connected narrative dealing with the friendship which existed between Constable and various members of the Fisher family, more particularly the Bishop of Salisbury (a personal friend of George III who entrusted him with the education of Princess Charlotte as heiress to the throne) and his nephew the Archdeacon of Berkshire. The Archdeacon’s letters give a picture of life in a cathedral closed and country vicarages, reminiscent of Trollope’s Barchester and Thomas Hardy’s Wessex. In return Constable confides his ideals and ambitions; and as Mr. Grigson suggests in his introduction, the encouragement he received from the Fishers may have had a decisive effect on the future of landscape art. The letters are fully annotated and are illustrated with connected works done by Constable. This book will of interest to students of history, art and literature.

Born in 1776 in East Anglia near the river Stour, John Constable was destined for his father's business of milling and grain-shipping. But he was obdurately opposed to this and persuaded his family he should become an artist instead. In the same determined spirit, he wooed Maria Bicknell in the teeth of opposition from her formidable grandfather, and persisted in painting landscapes at a time when history paintings and portraits were the fashion. Sometimes sharp and sarcastic, and often depressed, Constable in fact possessed a warm gift for intimate friendship. This is revealed in his letters to John Dunthorne, village handyman and housepainter, and to his best friend and patron, archdeacon John Fisher, to whom he wrote: 'I have a kingdom of my own, both fertile and populous - my landscape and my children'. In recent times, after a period of relative ignominy, Constable's influence on British landscape painting has been re-acknowledged, he has been more widely exhibited and his reputation has been reestablished as one of the masters of his genre. This important and absorbing biography explores his life and work, and highlights the dramatic tension between the two.

Reprint of the original, first published in 1878.

James Constable (1749-1838), son of James Constable (1703-1778) and Mary Dabner (1711-1771), married Susanna Jordan (1748-1820) in about 1774. They had nine children and lived in Horley, Surrey. Includes Blundell, Grece and related families.