Everything about The Hay Wain totally explained
» This article is about the painting by John Constable. For the Haywain
triptych by Hieronymus Bosch, see The Haywain Triptych
The Hay Wain is an oil on canvas painting by
John Constable. It was finished in
1821 and shows a hay
wain near
Flatford Mill on the
River Stour in
Suffolk.
The Mill was owned by Constable's father, and the house on the left side belonged to a neighbour, Willy Lott (a
tenant farmer), who was said to have been born in the house and never to have left it for more than four days in his lifetime.
Willy Lott's Cottage has survived to this day practically unaltered, but none of the original trees in the painting exist today. The water level is also higher, as that area of
East Anglia has sunk into the sea by one foot (30 cm) since Constable's time.
The Hay Wain is revered today as one of the greatest
British paintings, but, when it was originally exhibited at the
Royal Academy in 1821 (under the title
Landscape: Noon), it failed to find a buyer. It was considerably better received in
France where it was praised by
Théodore Géricault. The painting caused a sensation when it was exhibited with other works by Constable at the 1824
Paris Salon (it has been suggested that the inclusion of Constable's paintings in the exhibition were a tribute to Géricault, who died early that year). In that exhibition,
The Hay Wain was singled out for a gold medal awarded by
Charles X of France, a cast of which is incorporated into the picture's frame. The works by Constable in the exhibition inspired a new generation of French painters, including
Eugène Delacroix.
The painting was voted the second best painting in Britain in a
2005 poll organised by the
Today programme in September 2005. It is currently exhibited at the
National Gallery in
London.
Further Information
Get more info on 'The Hay Wain'.
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