John Constable: Royal Academician

"Hadleigh Castle," Constable's entry in the
Royal Academy Exhibition, 1829

"On the 10th of February John Constable was elected an Academician. Wilkie, who had been for some time abroad, told me that when he saw Constable's pictures in the Louvre, he could not understand why the painter of such magnificent works had not long been a full member of the Academy. 

John Fisher wrote him: 'Although I fully expected the event, your not telling me that you are an Academician gave me the greatest pleasure. Your rewards are at last beginning to flow in upon you, although (as everything is ordained in a state of trail) the painful is mixed with the sweet...'

Constable called, according to custom, after the honour that had just been conferred on him, to pay his respects to Sir Thomas Lawrence, who did not conceal from his visitor that he considered him peculiarly fortunate in being chosen an Academician at a time when there were historical painters of great merit on the list of candidates.

So kind-hearted a man as Lawrence could have no intention to give pain, but their tastes ran in directions so widely different, and the President, who attached great importance to subject, and considered high art to be inseparable from historical art, had never been led to pay sufficient attention to Constable's pictures to become impressed with their real merit, and there can be not doubt but that he thought the painter of the humblest class of landscape, was as much surprised at the honour just conferred on him as he was himself. 

Constable was well aware that the opinions of Sir Thomas were the fashionable ones. He felt the pain thus unconsciously inflicted, and his replay intimated that he looked upon his election as an act of justice rather than favour."

To be continued

(Excerpts from "Life and Letters of John Constable, R.A." by Charles Robert Leslie.)