Salisbury Cathedral and Leadenhall from the River Avon

Artist: John Constable (British, 1776 - 1837)

Original Dimensions: 20 3/4" x 30 3/8"

Location: National Gallery of Art, London

About Artwork: (1820) "Constable painted Salisbury Cathedral many times from different viewpoints. Some of these pictures were oil sketches made outdoors like this one, while others were large pictures intended for exhibition. This sketch was created during Constable’s six-week visit to Salisbury in the summer of 1820. The view is from the further bank of the River Avon, looking east across the meadows and the backs of houses in the Close surrounding the spired Cathedral. On the right is Leadenhall, where Constable and his family were staying with his friend, Archdeacon John Fisher. The warm buff-coloured ground (the underlying layer of paint used to prepare the canvas) shows through the paint of the sky, and has been left exposed in many places in the foliage and foreground. The flicks, dots and dashes of thick unblended paint, which make up the figures and reflections on the water, reveal the spontaneity and freshness of Constable’s technique." - (National Gallery of Art, London)