The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1900-01-02

popular and who are referred to as the
men of thirty
John Constable, who was born June
II, 1875, IN East BerghOlt, Suffolk cOun-
ty, England, was the son of a well-tO-
do miller, man with plenty Of intel
ligence and common sense, but with lit
tie notion of the fine arts. He had
hoped to have his son enter the church;
falling in that he desired him to sue
coed him in the management Of the
mill, and so conscientious was his child
that for a year he tried to content him
self at the trade of the father. It was
not to be, however, for the boy spent
more time watching the heavens and
studying cloud forms than he did in
looking after the business; though his
Knowledge Of wind and storm, Of
weather possibilities and the like served
him in q way, it was all rather with a
view Of putting his observations down
on canvas than of utilizing them for
duce power for the grinding Of grain
After awhile he received q half-hearted
permission to follow his artistic incli-
nations and he filed many sketch
books Through the assistance Of some
friends who were interested in him he
secured some paintings to copy, for in
those days most Of the students spent
considerable time in making careful
transcripts Of the work of other men.
Drawing also the figure he made a
number Of portraits. but his work in
this direction was not destined TO n IKE
him famous and that which remains
is only Of the most mediocre character,
not for a moment comparable with his
landscapes. Il was, however, The only
sort OF work that paid him anything
and his people urged him to continue.
Overcoming all home obstacles. how
ever, he finally went to London just
at the close Of the last century, when
he was % years of age, and he began
a serious course Of study in the life
classes at the Royal academy. of which
the American. BENJAMIN West, was
president. Constable continued mean
while at his landscape work and from
the first saw nature in a larger, grandeF
way than the men acJut him. He had
no patience with the prevailing manner
of painting, for most of the men were
working in q niggly, highly finished
manner, giving little impression of ma
ture and securing almost none Of her
great truths. Theirs was the manner
of Claude and POusSin. securing all Of
the faults Of these masters with few
of their virtues. and the pictures were
composed on conventional lines, worked
out as it were by recipe, according to
certain laws. The public liked this, or
at least had been so accustomed 10 it
that it resented any departures, but it
is needless to say that great art is not
so evolved.
Early in his career, Constable had
had his pictures reGected by the hang
ing committee of the Royal academy.
He felt the injustice bitterly and on one
occasion he took a despised canvas to
the president of the institution asking
him frankly if he could to tell the
reason Of the refusal and to give him
advice as to what to do. West received
him cordially and examined the work
carefully; at length he said: Don't be
discouraged. young man; we shall hear
of you again; you must have loved m
ture very much before you could have
painted this" Constable was mich en-
couraged by this, naturally. but for
many years. although he had better
luck with the hanging committees, his
pictures came regularly back 30 him
unsold; and had it not been for a few
private patrons, particularly one
sSanch supporter archbishop Fisher
he would have had d sorry time.
AS il was, to make both ends meet
be made copies Of portraits for rich
-,eople who desired duplicates, and &C
casionalIy he received a commission
for an original portrait. Constable was
tall, of fine figure and possessed Of
great strength. About the country he
was known as .the handsome miller, -
a name that has chung 10 him even now
these many years after his death. He
excelled in tents of strength and WIS
generally OF the fine, physical manly
type of Englishman. There came, how
ever, into hisslife an affair that was to
cause him great anxiety and Cor time
10 impair this splendid healfh 9~7