1835
watercolor
From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum
Dominant colour
Stonehenge is a 1835 watercolor by John Constable, a Romanticism work, held at Victoria and Albert Museum.
John Constable painted a watercolor of Stonehenge in 1835. He made it during a sad time—his wife and close friend had died, and his sons left home. The painting feels heavy and lonely. The museum says Constable might have put his sadness into the scene. It shows the old stones standing on a flat, empty plain. He even wrote lines to go with it, calling Stonehenge mysterious and remote. Check out more works by the artist Constable, John (RA).
John Constable’s 1835 watercolour of Stonehenge depicts the ancient stone circle standing isolated on a vast, barren heath, evoking a sense of desolation. Painted during a period of personal grief after the deaths of his wife and close friend, as well as his sons leaving home, the work reflects his melancholy mood. The image was shown at the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition in 1836, accompanied by lines in the catalogue that describe the monument as remote and mysterious. Constable likely authored the text himself, reinforcing the somber atmosphere of the scene.
Read the full account in the museum source.
John Constable (; 11 June 1776 – 31 March 1837) was an English landscape painter in the Romantic tradition.
See the richer artist page
