Artistic Legacy: Constable Family's Creative Genes Shine in New Exhibition

An art exhibition celebrating 250 years since the birth of the famous landscape painter John Constable is now open, and it features artwork from several generations of his family. The exhibition, called Generations, is being held at the Corn Exchange in Dorchester, Dorset. It was put together by Sasha Constable, who is John Constable's great-great-great-granddaughter. Sasha is an artist herself and lives near Dorchester. She wanted to show how art has been a part of her family for many years. The exhibition includes pieces by Sasha, her late father Richard Constable, her 12-year-old son Valya, and other family members. Sasha explained that every generation of the Constable family has had at least one artist, even if they were not professional. She said that art has always been important to her family, and she wanted to show how creativity has been passed down through the generations. Each artist in the family is represented by one or two pieces in the show, highlighting the family's long connection to art.

One of the highlights of the exhibition is a drawing by Valya Constable, Sasha's son. When Valya was just six years old, he drew a picture of his grandmother's feet. The drawing, called Portrait of Nana, was created when his grandmother was sitting across the room. Valya said he started drawing her, but he ran out of space on the paper, so the picture ended at her feet. He said it was a happy accident, and he likes how it turned out. This drawing was also shown at the Royal Academy Young Artists' Show and in an exhibition about John Constable's life at the Ipswich Museum. The exhibition also features Richard Constable's colorful print called Blue Ribbon and Sasha's black and white woodcut called Kettle Bridge.

The Constable family's connection to Dorset goes back a long way. John Constable was born in Suffolk, but he and his wife Maria Bicknell spent their honeymoon in Osmington, near Weymouth, in 1816. Sasha shared that John and Maria were not allowed to marry at first because people thought John was not suitable for Maria. After seven years of courting, they finally got married and spent three weeks in Dorset. During their honeymoon, John Constable painted some of his first seascapes, including views of Weymouth Bay and Osmington Mills. Sasha moved to Dorset in 2018 after living in Somerset and overseas. She said she loves living in the southwest of England, where her famous ancestor once walked and painted. The exhibition is free to visit and will be open until 8 August.