Royal Academy Exhibition of 1837

Arundel Mill and Castle by John Constable

The Royal Academy Exhibition of 1837 was an art exhibition held in London between 1 May and 22 July 1837. It was the sixty ninth annual Summer Exhibition of the Royal Academy of Arts and the first to be held at the National Gallery following a move from Somerset House, the Academy's home since 1780. The new gallery was designed by the architect William Wilkins in Greek Revival style. When the exhibition began it was not fully completed. Designed for the Academy to share the building with the recently established National Gallery, critical reaction to the new building was almost universally negative. [1] While the Exhibition was ongoing the reigning monarch William IV was succeeded by his niece Victoria on 20 June, beginning the Victorian era.

The exhibition was the first time in 34 years that Constable had not appeared due to his death on 31 March. However his friend Charles Robert Leslie submitted the artist's final major work Arundel Mill and Castle on his behalf. [2] Constable's former rival J.M.W. Turner was on the hanging committee and submitted four works of his own.[3]

David Wilkie displayed a portrait painting of William IV while Martin Archer Shee, the President of the Royal Academy, exhibited his Portrait of Queen Adelaide. Wilkie also displayed history paintings including The Escape of Mary Queen of Scots from Lochleven Castle and Josephine and the Fortune-Teller [4] George Frederic Watts made his debut at the Academy with The Wounded Heron.[5]

In sculpture John Gibson submitted Hylas Surprised by the Naiades, now in the Tate Britain.

References

Bibliography

  • Bailey, Anthony. John Constable: A Kingdom of his Own. Random House, 2012.
  • Hamilton, James. Constable: A Portrait. Hachette UK, 2022.
  • Hamilton, James. Turner - A Life. Sceptre, 1998.
  • Hermann, Luke. Turner: Paintings, Watercolours, Prints & Drawings. University of California Press, 1975.
  • Tromans, Nicholas. David Wilkie: The People's Painter. Edinburgh University Press, 2007.
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