Thursday 26 July 2012

John Constable 'The Hay Wain'

Take a look at this 19th Century painting by P.C. John Constable.

After leaving the police force he took up painting and was considered to be relatively experimental because he enjoyed painting landscapes which were not critically acclaimed by the art world in England at that time.

However, in France he won awards for his work inspiring a new generation of painters like Delacroix.


If one looks at this masterwork one can see the narrative aspect has been subsumed by the asthetic. Critically this was considered revolutionary at this time as narrative formed the basis for the asthetic. For the asthetic to supercede the narrative art community needed to embrace and entirely new approach. Artists critics, by their very nature, like to stick to what they know else must endure the trauma of lexical expansion.

Which is all very well but what is the name of the blasted pub in this picture? If you're going to put in a boozer then come on let us all in on the place. I mean what sort of art is it that doesn't have a pub somewhere? I mean I can see at least two in Mona Lisa.

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