1817, John Constable, Flatford Mill ('Scene on a Navigable River') -- Tate Britain (London)
From the museum label: Typical of the kind of painting for which Constable became famous, this is a snapshot of working life at his father's business premises on the River Stour. It shows a barge being disconnected from a tow horse, ready to be 'poled' under Flatford bridge, in the lower left-hand corner. It is the largest painting Constable worked on outdoors. X-rays show us that he changed it significantly in the studio, painting out a horse on the towpath and replacing it with the two boys in the distance. Can you see where Constable has signed his name as if it has been written in the dirt track?
1817, John Constable, Flatford Mill ('Scene on a Navigable River') -- Tate Britain (London)
From the museum label: Typical of the kind of painting for which Constable became famous, this is a snapshot of working life at his father's business premises on the River Stour. It shows a barge being disconnected from a tow horse, ready to be 'poled' under Flatford bridge, in the lower left-hand corner. It is the largest painting Constable worked on outdoors. X-rays show us that he changed it significantly in the studio, painting out a horse on the towpath and replacing it with the two boys in the distance. Can you see where Constable has signed his name as if it has been written in the dirt track?