%2C_c.1826%2C_790-1888.jpg&width=1200)
A Donkey with a Foal (study for 'The Cornfield')
John Constable·1826
Historical Context
This study of a donkey with a foal from 1826, made in preparation for The Cornfield, shows Constable's meticulous preparatory process. The Cornfield, exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1826, became one of his best-known paintings and was purchased by public subscription after his death. Constable's technique of working with rapid, spontaneous brushwork to capture transient natural effects was revolutionary; he made full-scale oil sketches for his large exhibition paintings, treating the sketch as
Technical Analysis
The oil study captures the animals with lively, direct brushwork, demonstrating Constable's ability to render living subjects with naturalistic immediacy while preparing for a more finished composition.
Look Closer
- ◆Look at the donkey and foal — preparatory study for The Cornfield, these specific animals were painted separately before being incorporated into the lane scene's foreground.
- ◆Notice the mother-foal relationship rendered with observation — the donkey's protective presence beside the young foal captured with the animal sympathy Constable brought to all his animal studies.
- ◆Observe the handling of the animals' forms — Constable renders the donkey's grey-brown coat and the foal's softer form with the direct, honest brushwork of his oil studies.
- ◆Find the landscape hint in the background — even in this focused animal study, Constable typically suggests the setting in which the animals were observed.
_-_Landscape%2C_516-1870.jpg&width=600)
.jpg&width=600)