File:Life and letters of John Constable, R. A (1896) (14592801069).jpg

Identifier: lifelettersofjoh00lesl (find matches)
Title: Life and letters of John Constable, R. A
Year: 1896 (1890s)
Authors: Leslie, Charles Robert, 1794-1859
Subjects: Contable, John, 1776-1837 Artists
Publisher: London : Chapman and Hall
Contributing Library: University of California Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: Internet Archive

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ture tolook at. Green Highgate has now changed its frame, andbecome a very pretty picture, and deserves a better, or at least anew, name. I have made about fifty careful studies of skies,tolerably large to be careful. I do not regret not seeing Fonthill;I never had a desire to see sights, and a gentlemans park is myaversion. It is singular that I happened to speak of Milman ; no doubthe is learned, but it is not fair to encumber literature. The worldis full enough of what has been already done; and, as in the artthere is plenty of fine painting but very few good pictures, soin poetry there is plenty of fine writing—and I am told thisis such —and, as you say, gorgeous. But it can be compared.Shakspeare cannot, nor Burns, nor Claude, nor Ruysdael ; andit has taken me twenty years to find this out. This is, Ihope, my last week here, at least this summer. It is a ruinousplace to me; I lose time here sadly. One of my motives fortaking Charlotte Street was to remain longer in London. In
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i822.) STUDIES OF SKJES. 115 Keppel Street we wanted room, and were like bottled waspsupon a southern wall, but the five happiest years of my life werepassed there. Twenty of Constables studies of skies made during thisseason are in my possession, and there is but one among them inwhich a vestige of landscape is introduced. They are painted inoil, on large sheets of thick paper, and all dated, with the time ofday, the direction of the wind, and other memoranda on theirbacks. On one, for instance, is written, 5th of September,1822. Ten oclock, morning; looking south-east; brisk wind atwest. Very bright and fresh, grey clouds running fast over ayellow bed, about half-way in the sky. Very appropriate to the Coast at Osmington. * 35, Charlotte Street, Fitzroy Square, October ^isf, 1822. My dear Fisher,—We left Hampstead a fortnight ago lastFriday, and I have not yet had my pencil in my hand. I got laidup attending bricklayers and carpenters at six and seven in themorning, leaving a warm

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