Salisbury Cathedral from the Bishop’s Grounds

Description

Salisbury’s Gothic spire rises through an arch of trees in John Constable’s view from the bishop’s grounds. Green lawn and water occupy the foreground, while people and cattle give the landscape a lived-in character. Blue and white clouded sky frames the cathedral, connecting the building’s upward reach with the more irregular branches surrounding it.

Painted around 1825 in oil on canvas, this was a full-scale study for the finished picture now in the Frick Collection. The commission came from Constable’s friend John Fisher, bishop of Salisbury, who appears at the lower left. The work brings a great building into a view that remains closely attentive to trees, sky and ground. Its appeal lies in that connection, where a cathedral’s enduring form gains a particular character through the natural setting and changing light surrounding it.

Read our guide to giclée prints or browse the John Constable collection.