The cathedral of Salisbury John Constable (1776-1837)

Description of John Constable’s painting Salisbury Cathedral

John Constable is one of England’s most talented landscape painters, who incomparably conveyed the beauty of English landscapes, fresh air, and the boundless energy of nature. Constable did not paint his pictures according to academic rules, he tried to create a landscape as close to reality as possible.

The specific manner of writing an English artist, can be seen in his remarkable painting "Salisbury Cathedral" written in 1825. The innocence of nature, the majesty of the cathedral and the realism of the image, together create a unique landscape. The cathedral itself is depicted in a gap between the trees, the building against the sky even more appealing to rapturous gazes.

John Constable, in the 1920s and 1930s, frequently visited the cathedral. XIX often visited Salisbury Cathedral and had long planned to paint it, making sketches and choosing the right angle. But one day in 1822 he was commissioned by Bishop Fisher to paint the cathedral on canvas, which the artist willingly undertook. But the task was not easy, as the first picture episcopus was not very satisfied, the reason was the dark sky over the cathedral, then Constable wrote a new picture, which satisfied the taste of the episcopus.

There is a rather interesting feature in the painting, in the lower left corner there are two people depicted, this is Bishop Fisher and his wife observing the beauty of Salisbury Cathedral. Looking at the painting, the viewer immediately wants to find himself on this English lawn and feel the intoxicating smells and dreamy sounds of nature.

Another important line in the picture, is the comparison of the creations of nature and human creations, comparing a cathedral and trees, the artist has always believed that the dried up old tree is more beautiful than any new building.

Constable always remained an "artistic patriot" because he always depicted "his old England" in his works.