Tempered Tempest

The LORD sits enthroned over the flood; the LORD sits enthroned as king for ever. May the LORD give strength to his people! May the LORD bless his people with peace! (Psalm 29:10–11) This enormous work on canvas was painted in the aftermath of the death of John Constable’s wife, Maria Bicknell. Salisbury had become a place of friendship for the artist, through his association with John Fisher, one of the cathedral’s resident clergy. But for a loyal Tory and member of the Church of England like Constable, it was a time of political anxiety. The year 1829 had brought Catholic Emancipation and the Reform Bill would be enacted in 1832. It was Fisher who suggested The Church Under a Cloud as a subject. When the painting went on to three regional exhibitions following the first showing at the Royal Academy in 1831, the rainbow had been added, with the subtitle Summer Afternoon—A Retiring Tempest. The heavy storm clouds have receded behind the cathedral. In the foreground, a carter and his horses begin to cross the stream, a boatman unties his boat, and another tiny figure is visible on the bank behind the cart. A sheepdog in the foreground among tree stumps looks alertly towards the cathedral. The leaning trunks of the trees to the left of the cathedral have learned to live in all weather. At the upper right, the sky is clearing and light falls on the meadow. The cathedral’s enormous spire pierces the storm clouds to reveal more blue sky, while a rainbow arcs leftward from the Cathedral Close over the building itself. Ordinary, peaceful activity suggests another kind of resolution, underpinned by motifs bearing strongly biblical associations. The crossing of water from untidy growth towards the Cathedral Close recalls the salvific crossings of the Red Sea (Exodus 14:21–22) and the Jordan (Joshua 3–4). The rainbow evokes God’s covenant with Noah after the Flood (Genesis 9:12–17). Emblematic of the Established Church, the cathedral stands secure as the agent of light. In a certain sense, God is enthroned over the flood (Psalm 29:10) and God’s people are blessed in their Church and their surroundings. References Evans, Mark with Stephen Galloway and Susan Owens. 2014. John Constable: The Making of a Master (London: V&A Publishing) Vaughan, William. 2015. John Constable (London: Tate Publishing)