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How did The Hay Wain become successful in France?
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John Constable
Self-portrait by John Constable, detail of a drawing in pencil and watercolour, c. 1804; in the National Portrait Gallery, London.
Although The Hay Wain initially failed to receive significant recognition when it was first exhibited in 1821, it achieved international success after being purchased in 1824 by the French art dealer John Arrowsmith.1
Following its acquisition, the painting was exhibited at the Paris Salon, where it was awarded a gold medal by the king. The work was greatly admired by prominent French artists such as Eugène Delacroix and Théodore Géricault. Its reception in France proved highly influential on the subsequent development of landscape painting, particularly for the Barbizon school.12