Though he wasn’t a huge fan of “Piccadilly by the sea”, Constable moved to Brighton in 1824, in the hope that it would improve the health of his wife, Maria. He enjoyed four years there with his family, taking long walks in and around the city, until Maria died in 1828.
This exhibition features over 60 of the artist’s sketches, drawings and paintings from that period, presenting them for the first time in the place where they were created.
Working between Brighton and London, Constable produced around 150 works in the town. Some were commissions, created in his ‘painting room’ and usually destined for the French market, but his long, systematic walks in and around Brighton also prompted many other works.
Highlights include Chain Pier; an oil painting featuring the Brighton landmark, which was swept away by a storm in 1896, as well as a letter written in 1824 in which Constable expresses his views on what it is to be a painter.
John Constable: Constable and Brighton. Brighton Museum and Art Gallery, 8 April – 8 October 2017
