Taking the riverside walk from from Dedham to Flatford Mill on a bright, sunny-cloudy Summer's day, it is not difficult to see what inspired John Constable to paint those monumental "six-foot" canvases. There is something unique about the quality of the light and space in the Dedham Vale that creates the amazing cloud-scapes that are so much a part of his work.Most of the key buildings around Flatford Mill that feature so prominently in Constable's work are now owned by the National Trust. They have done much, not only to restore and preserve these buildings, but also to enable the visitor to have the modern-day perspective of the great paintings.
The following map was produced for the Tate Britain Constable Exhibition in 2006:
One of the most interesting aspects of walking in the artist's footsteps is that one can "catch" him altering reality for artistic reasons, such as altering the height of the roof on Willy Lott's House in The Hay-Wain (1820-1) or increasing the size of Dedham Church in A Boat Passing a Lock (1826).For more information about visiting Flatford Mill:
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