I was greatly relieved today, looking thorough Apollo magazine, to come across an article about the new John Constable exhibition at the Royal Academy, and to discover that he was prone to messing about with his pictures well after they were supposedly finished. It seems that his Leaping Horse (1825) gave him great anxiety. “I must say that no one picture ever departed from my Easil with more anxiety on may part.” After it was returned to him from the Royal Academy’s summer exhibition he moved the tower of Dedham church and a willow tree. I wonder on how many other occasions his pictures of Dedham Vale featured retrospective rearrangements of the landscape.
I have to say that I receive this news with great relief. I do recognise the fact that retrospective fiddling with a picture does not always entail its improvement. I’ve ruined more than one piece by attempts to improve it. Nevertheless, it is a bit of a relief to learn that however well-established one is in an artistic career the task of deciding whether a piece is finished does not necessarily become easier.