Il mulino di Flatford

Constable knew this exact spot better than almost anywhere. Flatford Mill on the River Stour belonged to his father, a wealthy corn merchant, and he had grown up watching the barges work this water. He painted most of it outdoors in 1816, a few months before he finally married Maria Bicknell after a long courtship her family had resisted for years. What he shows is ordinary river business. A barge, or lighter, has reached a point where the towpath switches banks, so the boy on the horse is about to unhitch the tow-rope while the boatmen pole the barge on under the footbridge ahead. There is no drama here, only the working life of the Stour valley on a bright still day, in the countryside Constable always said he could paint better than any other.