Joshua Reynolds

Sir Joshua Reynolds was an English painter who created beautiful portraits during the 1700s. He was born on July 16, 1723, and passed away on February 23, 1792. Many people think he was one of the best painters of his time and even called him "the leading portrait artist of the 18th century."

Reynolds believed in a style called the "Grand Style", where he would make his subjects look their very best, even if it meant changing small imperfections. He helped start the Royal Academy of Arts and was knighted by George III in 1769 for his amazing work.

He painted more than 2,000 pictures! One of his most famous works is Portrait of Omai, which some say is one of the greatest paintings ever made in Britain. Another famous painting is The Marlborough Family. His paintings are so valuable that one sold for £50 million in 2023, which is more than any other painting from the 1700s has ever sold for.

Early life

Sir Joshua Reynolds was born on 16 July 1723 in Plympton, Devon. He was the third son of Reverend Samuel Reynolds, who was the head teacher at the Plympton Free Grammar School. One of his older sisters, Mary Palmer, loved drawing and helped Reynolds by paying for his training with the artist Thomas Hudson.

As a young boy, Reynolds was influenced by the ideas of Zachariah Mudge. He read and wrote about many famous thinkers and writers, including Theophrastus, Plutarch, Seneca, Marcus Antonius, Ovid, William Shakespeare, John Milton, Alexander Pope, John Dryden, Joseph Addison, Richard Steele, and Aphra Behn. He also studied art theories by Leonardo da Vinci, Charles Alphonse Du Fresnoy, and André Félibien. A book by Jonathan Richardson called An Essay on the Theory of Painting had a big impact on him.

Career

Sir Joshua Reynolds began his journey as an artist by learning from a painter named Thomas Hudson in London. After some time, he traveled to places like Italy, where he studied famous old artworks and developed his own style called the "Grand Style." This style focused on making imperfect things look ideal and beautiful.

Reynolds became very famous for painting portraits, especially of important people and children. He believed children should look innocent and graceful in his paintings. One of his well-known works is a portrait called Age of Innocence, showing a child full of purity. Reynolds also taught many students and shared his ideas about art through speeches at the Royal Academy, which he helped start and led for many years.

Later life

In 1789, Reynolds lost the sight of his left eye and had to stop working. In 1791, a writer named James Boswell dedicated a book about Samuel Johnson to Reynolds. Reynolds believed that France had problems because it focused too much on looking beautiful instead of taking care of important matters like trade and manufacturing.

Later in 1791, Reynolds became very ill and had to be treated by doctors. By November, he was so weak that he could hardly see out of his remaining eye. In early 1792, Reynolds got very sick and could not keep any food down. He passed away on February 23, 1792, at his home in London.

Many people admired Reynolds for his art. After his death, a famous writer named Burke praised him highly. Reynolds was buried in St Paul's Cathedral. In 1903, a statue was built in his honor at Burlington House, home of the Royal Academy. The area around the statue has special lights and fountains arranged to look like a star chart from the night Reynolds was born.

Personal characteristics

Sir Joshua Reynolds was not known for a very striking appearance. He was about 5 feet 6 inches tall and had dark brown curls and a broad face. His skin showed marks from smallpox, and he had a small dent on the bridge of his nose. Even with these features, people thought he looked like a well-born and well-bred English gentleman when they first met him.

Reynolds was known for being calm and friendly. He liked to talk and was a kind host to his guests. Some thought he was a bit too calm and unfeeling, which may be why he never married. He did not have any known children, but his sister and niece lived with him and helped take care of him.

Reynolds spoke out against the unfair treatment of people based on their skin color. He agreed with ending the cruel trade that forced people to work without pay. He even had a servant who came from Africa and worked in his home.

Reynolds Research Project

In 2010, the Wallace Collection began the Reynolds Research Project. With help from the Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art, the National Gallery, and the Yale Center for British Art, they worked to protect and study Reynolds's portraits. This helped people see and understand the paintings better.

An exhibition in 2015, called Joshua Reynolds: Experiments in Paint, showed what they found. It highlighted how Reynolds tried new things with his painting materials throughout his career. The exhibition also looked at how Reynolds worked with people who asked him to paint, how he followed or changed painting rules, and how he showed his work in displays. They also studied how the Seymour-Conway family, who helped start the Wallace Collection, collected Reynolds's paintings.