5-minute meditation

Constable's 'The Cornfield'

Imagine walking through Constable's countryside, in this slow look at 'The Cornfield' with Dr Christina Bradstreet

Dr Christina Bradstreet

We recommend finding a quiet spot and watching on 'full screen' to get the most out of the experience:

About the painting

The artist John Constable had a great love for the landscape he lived and grew up in. This scene, painted not long before he turned 50, recalls Fen Lane – the route he took in his childhood on his way to school from the village of East Bergholt in Suffolk to Dedham on the Essex border.

It includes details of hedgerow plants he had observed through a lifetime of sketches and studies: broad-leafed butterbur, cow parsley, bramble and a scattering of red poppies as well as oak trees, elms and a silver birch. These, along with the light and sense of space, contribute to a landscape that feels so true that it almost evokes sound – the calls of birds, leaves rustling, sheep bleating, the buzz of summer insects and the men at work in the field.

Zoom in and read more about the painting.

Image: John Constable, 'The Cornfield', 1826

5-minute meditations are supported by the John Armitage Charitable Trust.

Dr Christina Bradstreet

Dr Christina Bradstreet is our Courses and Events Programmer. She is the author of ‘Scented Visions: smell in nineteenth-century art’. Her passion is promoting adult engagement with art and art history through innovative teaching approaches, including pioneering work in the field of art and mindfulness.