Constable painting hung in South Tyneside shopping centre

An oil painting by one of England's most celebrated artists has been hung in an empty store at a shopping centre.

The Cornfield was painted by John Constable in 1826, five years after his The Hay Wain masterpiece, and depicts the Suffolk countryside in summer.

Owned by the National Gallery, it is on display at the Viking Shopping Centre in Jarrow as part of the museum's tour.

It has attracted a number of art fans, among them James Hays from Gosforth who described it as "real life".

"I don't like modern art, I've tried to study it and make something of it and I can't - but this is looking at life, it's real," added Mr Hays.

The work was painted in January to March in the artist's London studio. The lane winding into the cornfield is based on Fen Lane, where Constable had often walked as a boy from his own village of East Bergholt to Dedham, where he went to school.

Although it was exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1826, it failed to sell.

It was presented to the National Gallery in 1837 as a tribute to the artist after his death, by a committee of friends and admirers who eventually bought it.

Bernadette and Frank Amos did not have to travel far to see the picture in their local shopping centre, finding it in the vacant Bright House unit.

Mrs Amos said: "I just love the countryside and the feeling it gives you of freedom, I just love the outdoors."

Exhibition manager Gracie Divall from the National Gallery said it was great to see people embracing the opportunity.

She said she had met people who had previously seen the painting in London and had taken the chance to see it on their "doorstep".

Pam Stewart, visiting with her husband Joe from Sunderland, said: "He's done all of this from memory which is really clever. We all take photographs now and can look back at them but if you ever do paint you never get it quite right - but he's got it and it's fabulous."

David Forbes from North Shields added: "I saw it was coming on the news and the chance to see something as exquisite as this you can't pass that by. My favourite bit is the little lad drinking water with his head in the pool, it's amazing."

The painting can be viewed in the shopping centre each afternoon until Sunday.

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