View Towards the Rectory, East Bergholt 1813

John Constable created this landscape study with oil on canvas. Constable’s painting might seem straightforward, but it is in fact deeply entangled with the modes of production of its time. Consider that the pigments he deployed were newly available, a product of industrial chemistry. And the canvas itself, woven in a factory, prepared with layers of gesso: each a testament to the increasingly mechanized world that Constable inhabited. The artist's quick brushstrokes and close observation of natural light might appear spontaneous. Yet, they relied on a network of supply chains, labor, and technologies. The beauty we see here is not just a reflection of nature, but also a complex interplay of materials, processes, and social context. It urges us to expand our understanding of art history beyond the singular genius of the artist.