21st July -Great Men and Women of Suffolk No1 in a Series.

John Constable 1776-1837.




East Bergholt in Suffolk is the home of John Constable, the world famous romantic landscape artist.

http://www2.freefoto.com This is a useful link to many of John Constable's famous scenes such as the Haywain, Mill at Dedham, Boatbuilding, Flatford Mill. I particularly like Dedham Vale Morning Scene. To be honest the view today of this scene is largely unchanged.

It must have been a combination of the big Suffolk skies, the winding lanes and thatched houses that gave Constable the inspiration to paint. John Constable was born in 1776, his father was a wealthy miller who owned water mills at Flatford Mill and Dedham. He must have been a bit of a disappointment to his father who must have wanted him to follow in his fathers footsteps and for a short while he did work at one of the water mills but it seems he was easily sidetracked and would end up sketching.

Like many artists Constable wasn't particularly successful during his lifetime,his picture of the Haywain received acclaim in France but he wasn't that popular in England.

Today thousands of people descend upon East Bergholt which struggles at times to receive the volumes of tourists.