Artists & Illustrators - UK (2020-04)

PROJECT

ABOVE Willy Lott’s

House in Suffolk,

the subject of The

Hay Wain

LEFT Rob Dudley,

Bulrushes at

Flatford, oil on

board, 25x30cm

muchadditionalinspiration,butalso
becauseConstablehimselfledthe
way.Apartfromhisinnovative
painterlytechniques,hisattitude
topaintingwasexemplary.
Nevertheless,TheHayWain
wasnotatallwellreceivedatfirst.
Althoughtocontemporaryeyesit may
appeartraditional,in 1821 it was
highlyunconventional,breakingthe
traditionsoftheOldMasters.
Constablehadstudiedthemand
learneda greatdeal,buthehadhis
ownideasaboutwhat– andhow–
hewantedtopaint.
HeadoredhisnativeSuffolk
countryside,andwantedtorepresent
it accuratelyinhispaintings.Thiswas
hisfirstdeparturefromthenorm:
figurativelandscapepaintings
portrayingdailylifewere
unfashionableatthetime.Healso
observednatureclosely,choosing

ABOVERobDudley,

Bulrushesat

Flatford(detailin

progress)

“Thebulrushon

therightwas

pointingtowards

thetreeand

provingdistracting.

Focuswasrestored

quicklywitha few

choicestrokes.”

fresh,bright,naturalgreens,

contrastingthesewithsplashes

ofbrightredtoenliventheimages

• a radicalchoiceofpalette.
  Hisbrushworktoowasnovel;
  heusedveryloose,broadbrush
  strokes,andevenscrapedpaint
  acrossthecanvas.
  Undeterredbyhiscritics,
  herebelledagainsttradition.
  Subsequentlyhewasvindicated,
  whentheartworldrecognisedthe
  valueofhistechniquesandattitude.
  Hisextraordinarypaintingsarenow
  consideredtobeamongstthemost
  beautifullandscapes,andTheHay
  Wainoneofthenation’sfavourite
  paintings.Constablepointedtheway
  forgenerationsoflandscapepainters
  tocome.
  So,whatcanwelearnfromtackling
  hismostfamoussubject?Hereare
  ourtwotakesonit.

TAKEONE

ROB DUDLEY’S

BULRUSHES AT

FLATFORD

FINDINGTHEANGLE

DecidingwhattopaintatFlatfordMill

endedupbeinganeasydecision.

I decidedtoapproachthechallenge

inthespiritofConstableandpaint

whatinspiredme.

I triedtoputtoonesidemy

memoryofa thousandHayWain

biscuittins,jigsawsandfridge

magnets,andinsteadapproachthe

locationasI wouldanyother:

Painting any such iconic

subject can be intimidating