EXERCISE
AIM
Thisexerciseis designedtomakeyou
reallylookcloselyatoneartist’stwo
attemptsatthesamecomposition
andfocusyourattentionsuponthe
similarities– anddifferences–
betweenthetwo.DURATION
Spend 60 minutesoneachdrawing,
around1-2hoursintotal.MATERIALS
•TwoA4sheetsofpaper
•Apencil
•AneraserSUBJECT
ConstablebeganplanningTheLeaping
Horsebymakingtwoinkdrawingsof
thescenein1825,bothofwhichare
intheBritishMuseumcollection.In
thefirstofthese,thehorseis actually
standingstillandit looksasif thereis
a ridermountingordismounting.
Inthesecondinkdrawing,the
riderdisappearedandthehorseis
depictedleaping.It is onlyinthetwo
large-scaleoilsthatthedramaticidea
oftherideronthehorseintheact
ofleapingis realised.Thereis
somethingmonumentalaboutthis
image,possiblyevenreferencingthe
royalequestrianportraitsofpainters
suchasDiegoVelázquez.Constable made various alterations
to the composition, both on the
full-scale painted sketch and the final
painting. The x-ray of the sketch
reveals that Constable originally
included a young boy striding out
towards the main barge on the left,
perhaps assisting it to clear the bank
as well as apparently ropes being
thrown towards it from the prow of the
second barge emerging from the left
of the picture. Neither of these
elements were to be included in the
exhibition picture, even in an early
stage. However, x-rays of the RA
painting reveal that other features
from the study, such as the barge
entering from the left, one of the
figures in the main barge
manoeuvring the boat with a pole and
a prominent cow catching the sun
were initially carried over into the final
painting. These were subsequently
painted out.
I find it fascinating that the willow
tree that is now depicted to the left of
the horse in the exhibition piece was
still on the right (as it is in the study)
when Constable exhibited it in early
April 1825. At this point he still wasn’t
completely satisfied with the
composition, writing to his friend John
Fisher that “it should have been on
my easel a few weeks longer”. Six
months later, when the picture had
returned from the Royal Academy,
Constable noted in his journal that
“I took out the old willow stump by my
horse”. I find it amazing that changes
were made after both the painting
was exhibited and a buyer had
enquired about it. Nevertheless, if
you compare the relative positions of
the willow tree, having it on the rider’s
left opens up the landscape, creating
a more panoramic view.WHAT YOU WILL LEARN
This exercise can help to give you a
direct understanding of how an artist
such as Constable might work. Having
two attempts at one composition,
made almost simultaneously, allows
you to see the creative decisions
made and leads you to a greater
understanding of why they were
made. Drawing both of these acts as
a way of encouraging particularly
close observation too.ABOVE John
Constable, Two
studies for The
Leaping Horse,
1825, both
graphite, pen, ink
and wash on paper,
30.2x20.3cm
© THE TRUSTEES OF THE BRITISH MUSEUM