Discover Constable & The Hay Wain - Softcover

Riding, Christine; McMahon, Mary

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1857097211 ISBN 13: 9781857097214

Publisher: National Gallery Global Limited, 2024

Synopsis

John Constable produced his most famous painting, The Hay Wain, in his London studio in 1821. At the time, the work was seen as a radical portrayal of the Suffolk countryside and divided critics. Now, 200 years later, it is regarded as an iconic representation of the English landscape. 

 

This publication tells the story of the painting and its social, political and art historical significance. It begins by examining artistic depictions of rural England and explores how the country’s landscape was changing physically and politically at the turn of the nineteenth century.  Other chapters consider Constable’s life and career prior to producing The Hay Wain; the making of the painting itself; the work’s exhibition in Britain and internationally; and its influential afterlife.

 

Providing fresh perspectives on this celebrated painting, the book illuminates the establishment of Constable as a central figure in the history of British art.

Published by National Gallery Global Ltd/Distributed by Yale University Press

About this title

About the Authors

Christine Riding is Director of Collections and Research at the National Gallery, London.

Mary McMahon is Associate Curator (NG200 Collections) at the National Gallery, London.

Jenny Gaschke is Senior Curator of Paintings and Drawings at the Victoria and Albert Museum, London.

Anne Lyles is an art historian and curator, specialising in British landscape, and an authority on John Constable.

Emma Roodhouse is an art curator both in a freelance capacity and for Colchester and Ipswich Museums. 

Edition details

• Publisher: National Gallery Global Limited
• Publication date: 2024
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1857097211
• ISBN 13: 9781857097214
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 120