
May one see it?
London, United Kingdom
It belongs to the collection, but is not on display at present.
No one has yet been able to identify the location of this scene convincingly. Constable certainly painted it late in his career, probably in 1836, the year before he died. His use of bold colours and free style of painting are remarkable, even for Constable.
Victoria and Albert Museum
1828–1837
A widower with seven children
For the rest of his life Constable dressed in black and brought up his seven children alone; according to Leslie he was “a prey to melancholy and anxious thoughts”. Several of the children also painted, notably Lionel.
1835
The watercolour “Stonehenge”
The almost mystical Stonehenge, with its double rainbow, painted in 1835 and shown in 1836 with a caption of the artist’s own about a monument that carries you beyond all historical records, is often counted among the greatest watercolours ever made.
1835
A last lecture to the Academy’s students
In 1835 Constable gave his last lecture to the students of the Royal Academy, praising Raphael and calling the Academy the “cradle of British art”; it was cheered most heartily.
1836
Lectures at the Royal Institution: three theses
In a series of lectures at the Royal Institution in 1836 Constable proposed three theses: landscape painting is scientific as well as poetic; imagination alone never can produce art that bears comparison with reality; and no great painter was ever self-taught.
31 March 1837
Death in the night, probably of heart failure
Constable died on the night of 31 March 1837, apparently of heart failure (another account names dyspepsia), and was buried beside Maria.
31 March 1837
Died