In the winter of 2024?25, as part of the NG200 celebrations, the National Gallery will host an extraordinary exhibition titled “Discover Constable and The Hay Wain”.
This exhibition will centre on John Constable’s masterpiece, The Hay Wain (1821), and represents the first loan exhibition dedicated to Constable (1776–1837) at the National Gallery. The exhibition aims to explore the social, political, and artistic context in which The Hay Wain was created, highlighting the radical reception the painting initially received and its eventual acclaim.
The timing of this exhibition is significant as it marks the bicentenary year of the National Gallery. In 1824, The Hay Wain achieved international recognition and was awarded a gold medal at the Paris Salon by French King Charles X. Today, The Hay Wain is a symbol of the quintessential British countryside and has become an icon in pop culture, though it was once regarded as a revolutionary reimagining of landscape painting.
One of the primary goals of this exhibition is to trace the journey of Constable’s work into major collections and to celebrate significant donations to the national collections from Isabel Constable, his daughter, and art collectors such as John Sheepshanks and Henry Vaughan. The exhibition will delve into the acquisition history of The Hay Wain by the National Gallery in 1886 and examine the rise in both the painting’s and Constable’s popularity since then.
The Hay Wain depicts a serene rural scene on the River Stour, near Flatford Mill, which was owned by Constable’s father. This setting reflects Constable’s intimate connection to the subject through his upbringing in the fast-changing social and political landscape of the time. Despite being grounded in tradition, Constable brought innovation to landscape painting, a paradox that will be explored in detail within the exhibition.
The exhibition will analyse Constable’s techniques, such as his use of preliminary sketches created ‘en plein air’, the introduction of vibrant greens, accurate cloud formations, and his expressive brushwork. The large scale of The Hay Wain was a deliberate choice to draw attention at the Royal Academy exhibition, showcasing his ambition to make a significant impact.
The exhibition will be structured in several sections to provide a comprehensive understanding of Constable’s career, the influences on his work, and the development of his landscape paintings. The exhibition will feature works from contemporaries such as Blake, Turner, Crome, and Gainsborough, giving insight into the artistic environment of the period.
“Discover Constable and The Hay Wain” is part of the Discover series in the National Gallery’s Sunley Room, curated by Christine Riding and Dr Mary McMahon. Riding highlights the opportunity this series provides to see familiar paintings through a fresh lens, while McMahon emphasizes the chance to understand the notable rise in appreciation for Constable and The Hay Wain over the past 200 years.
This exhibition promises to offer an enlightening perspective on Constable’s contributions to British art and the lasting legacy of The Hay Wain, inviting visitors to rediscover one of the UK’s most treasured paintings.
Find more information at the nationalgallery.org.uk
John Constable (1776–1837)
The Hay Wain, 1821
Oil on canvas
130.2 × 185.4 cm
© The National Gallery, London