John Constable's "Hay Wain" is probably the most popular of all British paintings, and Constable is loved and revered as the early-nineteenth-century artist who first painted the fresh beauty of the verdant English countryside. Michael Rosenthal clears away the myths to reveal the aims and motives behind the paintings, showing how and why they changed so dramatically, in intentions and appearance, throughout a career which never proceeded smoothly, and which was remarkable for its singular dedication to the art of the painting. From sketchy to finished, from minutely detailed to expressionistic, Constable's paintings, watercolors and drawings are discussed against the background of one of the more turbulent periods of British history and integrated with their broader cultural milieu. 191 illus., 48 in color.