ST DAVIDS.- One of the greatest masterpieces of British art, John Constable’s Salisbury Cathedral from the Meadows 1831, will be on display at Oriel y Parc Gallery and Visitor Centre in St Davids from 19 March–11 September 2016 as part of a UK-wide tour of galleries and museums.

The famous Salisbury Cathedral from the Meadows 1831 was secured for the British public in 2013 through the Heritage Lottery Fund, The Manton Foundation, the Art Fund (with a contribution from the Wolfson Foundation) and Tate Members.

At Oriel y Parc, the loan will be complemented by works from the existing collections of Tate and Amgueddfa Cymru-National Museum Wales, in particular a selection of work by Constable's great rival in paint - Joseph Mallord William Turner, who travelled to Pembrokeshire in 1795.

The display will be accompanied by a series of celebratory events and learning activities in and around St Davids including a special celebration of John Constable’s 240th birthday in June.

The exhibition is being brought to the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority-managed gallery as part of Aspire, a five-year partnership project between five partner institutions, supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund and the Art Fund. The initiative will see the work to go on almost constant view across the UK, before it returns to Tate Britain in 2018.

Salisbury Cathedral from the Meadows 1831 depicts Salisbury Cathedral against a striking background of billowing clouds and a shining rainbow viewed from across the River Nadder. The scene has been interpreted as a metaphor for political pressure felt by the Church of England as well as the emotional turmoil Constable was feeling after the death of his wife. The painting was first exhibited at the Royal Academy’s Summer Exhibition in 1831 and later in a regional exhibition in Birmingham as directed by Constable, who wanted the work to be seen by as many people as possible.

Prior to the 2013 acquisition the painting has been on view at The National Gallery on long-term loan since 1983. The masterpiece was displayed briefly in the Constable Room at Tate Britain in 2013 ahead of embarking on the UK wide tour which began at Amgueddfa Cymru-National Museum Wales in Cardiff in March 2014.

John Constable is famous for his landscapes, many of which feature the Suffolk countryside, where he was born and grew up. He made many open-air sketches, using these as a basis for his large exhibition paintings, which were worked up in the studio. His pictures are popularly accepted as masterpieces of British landscape painting today, but during his lifetime huge debate surrounded his ground-breaking techniques.

Salisbury Cathedral from the Meadows 1831 is one of a series of monumental canvases painted by the artist. This was the scale he reserved for his finest compositions, the paintings he wished to make the greatest impact with in the crowded, competitive hang of the Royal Academy exhibitions. This work is the most visually spectacular of all the ‘six footers’, the most loaded in meaning and the one of which he was most proud. Constable called it ‘The Great Salisbury’ and wrote ‘I am told I got it to look better than anything I have yet done’.

The exhibition at Oriel y Parc will explore how Salisbury Cathedral from the Meadows represents a personal, emotional approach to landscape painting which can be traced through to Graham Sutherland's Neo-Romantic interpretations of Pembrokeshire in the 20th century. The display will include interpretations of famous local landmarks including JMW Turner’s Entrance to the Great Hall of the Bishops Palace, St Davids, which he painted on a tour around South Wales in 1795.

Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority Chairman Cllr Mike James said: “We are delighted to be part of the Aspire partnership project, which has enabled us to bring one of the great masterpieces of British art to Oriel y Parc.

“The Pembrokeshire Coast National Park’s world-class landscape has inspired many artists through the centuries, just as the Suffolk landscape inspired Constable to create this colossal work of art.

“Although Constable’s masterpiece is the focal point of the display at Oriel y Parc, it will be accompanied by a range of works that explore the link between art and the inspirational qualities of the landscape, something which has drawn people to this western corner of Wales for centuries.

“This exhibition will help to cement Oriel y Parc’s growing reputation as one of the finest galleries in Wales and we hope it will inspire more people to explore the Pembrokeshire Coast during the Year of Adventure.”

Oriel y Parc Gallery and Visitor Centre is owned and run by the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority and is the home of Amgueddfa Cymru–National Museum Wales in Pembrokeshire.