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The National Portrait Gallery acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of Country throughout Australia and recognises the continuing connection to lands, waters and communities. We pay our respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and to Elders both past and present.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander viewers are warned that this website contains images of deceased persons.

Self portrait, c. 1799-1804

John Constable

Self portrait, c. 1799-1804

Celebrated as one of England’s greatest and most progressive landscape artists, John Constable drew lifelong inspiration from his native Suffolk. He made hundreds of outdoor oil sketches, which capture the changing skies with near scientific precision; these helped him bring an immediacy and authenticity to exhibition works developed in the studio.

This chalk study was made during the period that Constable was a student at the Royal Academy Schools, London. Young artists would often depict themselves if models were not available. The direct, frontal gaze with slightly misaligned eyes makes the drawing exceptionally immediate and arresting.

National Portrait Gallery, London Purchased, 1892
© National Portrait Gallery, London

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The National Portrait Gallery acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of Country throughout Australia and recognises the continuing connection to lands, waters and communities. We pay our respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and to Elders past and present. We respectfully advise that this site includes works by, images of, names of, voices of and references to deceased people.

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