We regularly spend several weeks a year teaching courses at Flatford Mill in Suffolk, yet neither of us has ever painted either the iconic view across the mill pond or Willy Lott’s House. It is a beautiful spot, and there is so much there that is inspirational, so what is holding us back?
Flatford Mill is a quintessential English landscape, made famous by John Constable’s 1821 painting The Hay Wain. The mill was acquired by the National Trust in 1943 and each year thousands of people visit the John Constable – Flatford: Life, Work & Inspiration exhibition and wander through the landscapes he painted. The Hay Wain is one of the best known paintings in the history of British art. And therein lies the problem.
It is very difficult to study the landscape with a view to painting it without having a mental image of The Hay Wain overlaying what you are looking at. There is also the knowledge that your audience will undoubtedly compare your work to that of the great man himself. Daunting thoughts.
Painting any such iconic subject, or referencing any well-known image, can be intimidating, subduing your creativity. So how do you avoid your painting being overly influenced by the original?
While any such iconic landscape could be tackled for this project, The Hay Wain is a great place to start, not only because the surrounding “Constable Country” provides so much additional inspiration, but also because Constable himself led the way. Apart from his innovative painterly techniques, his attitude to painting was exemplary.
Denne historien er fra April 2020-utgaven av Artists & Illustrators.
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Denne historien er fra April 2020-utgaven av Artists & Illustrators.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Still life IN 3 HOURS
Former BP Portrait Award runner-up FELICIA FORTE guides you through a simple, structured approach to painting alla prima that tackles dark, average and light colours in turn
Movement in composition
Through an analysis of three masterworks, landscape painter and noted author MITCHELL ALBALA shows how you can animate landscape composition with movement
Shane Berkery
The Irish-Japanese artist talks to REBECCA BRADBURY about the innovative concepts and original colour combinations he brings to his figurative oil paintings from his Dublin garden studio
The Working Artist
Something old, something new... Our columnist LAURA BOSWELL has expert advice for balancing fresh ideas with completing half-finished work
Washes AND GLAZES
Art Academy’s ROB PEPPER introduces an in-depth guide to incorporating various techniques into your next masterpiece. Artwork by STAN MILLER, CHRIS ROBINSON and MICHELE ILLING
Hands
LAURA SMITH continues her new four-part series, which encourages you to draw elements of old master paintings, and this month’s focus is on capturing hands
Vincent van Gogh
To celebrate The Courtauld’s forthcoming landmark display of the troubled Dutch master’s self-portraits, STEVE PILL looks at the stories behind 10 of the most dramatic works on display
BRING THE drama
Join international watercolour maestro ALVARO CASTAGNET in London’s West End to paint a dramatic street scene
Serena Rowe
The Scottish painter tells STEVE PILL why time is precious, why emotional responses to colour are useful, and how she finds focus every day with the help of her studio wall
Bill Jacklin
Chatting over Zoom as he recovers from appendicitis, the Royal Academician tells STEVE PILL about classic scrapes in New York and his recent experiments with illustration
