Branch Hill Pond, Hampstead

1828

John Constable

(British, 1776–1837)

Culture

England, 19th century

Medium

oil on canvas

Measurements

Framed: 89 x 105.5 x 11.5 cm (35 1/16 x 41 9/16 x 4 1/2 in.); Unframed: 60.6 x 78.1 cm (23 7/8 x 30 3/4 in.)

Credit Line

Leonard C. Hanna Jr. Fund 1972.48

You can copy, modify, and distribute this work, all without asking permission. Learn more about CMA's Open Access Initiative.

Location

203A British Painting and Decorative Arts

Did You Know?

In 1820, Constable found a retreat in Hampstead where he completed 100 studies of cloud formations, referring to the process as "skying."

Description

An amateur meteorologist, John Constable was most at home painting meticulously observed cloud formations, weather conditions, and natural light effects. He believed an accurate rendering of these constantly shifting elements could convey his vision of the vitality and magnificence of the English countryside. Working from the summerhouse he rented at Hampstead from 1819–26, Constable painted a landscape focusing more on the dark rain clouds than on the laborers in the foreground, keeping the details of their backbreaking work at a picturesque distance.