Why did John Constable choose landscape painting instead of history painting?

Although art academies during John Constable’s time prioritized history painting as the most appropriate subject matter for students, Constable demonstrated a particular interest in landscape from the beginning of his career.1

Rather than choosing history painting, Constable dedicated himself to landscape painting because he felt a profound, personal connection to the natural world and a desire to study it directly. He believed that personal feeling was the mainspring of artistic activity and sought to capture the "light—dews—breezes—bloom—and freshness" of the English countryside with scientific precision. His commitment was so strong that in 1802, he refused a stable position as a drawing master at a military academy to focus entirely on his landscape work.12

Constable’s focus was deeply rooted in his own life; he famously stated, "I should paint my own places best," and he consistently concentrated on sites with which he had family connections or personal history, such as the banks of the River Stour. While he adopted the large-scale, laborious approach typical of grand academic painting for his exhibition works, his subject matter remained a meditation on the rural realities and natural phenomena he knew intimately.314