Constable, John (1776-1837)
The Cornfield
c.1816
Oil on canvas, 12-7/16 x 9-3/4 in.
Indianapolis Museum of Art, Indianapolis
This small oil sketch was made by Constable as a preparatory study for a painting he referred to as “The Drinking Boy.” The loosely painted reclining figure of a boy drinking from a pool of water is barely detectable in the lower left corner of the painting. The sketch was probably painted on site, at the edge of a footpath leading from East Bergholt towards Dedham. The finished, full-scale version of this painting is in the National Gallery in London. (IMA)
Compare:
Constable, John (1776-1837)
The Cornfield
1826
National Gallery, London