George Stubbs

George Stubbs was born in Liverpool, August 25, 1724 and died in London, July 10, 1806.

The son of a Liverpool currier, Stubbs gained distinction as a painter of animals, but today he is also known for his anatomical analysis and experimentation with new media. Largely self-taught, he worked primarily as a portrait painter in various northern cities between 1741 and 1756, and around 1745 he studied human anatomy at York Hospital. His eighteen-month intensive study of horses' anatomy (conducted in Lincolnshire near tanneries that supplied him with dead horses for dissection) culminated in the publication of The Anatomy of the Horse (1766). Around 1758 Stubbs settled in London, where he acquired the patronage of wealthy and important men such as the Duke of Richmond. He exhibited regularly at the Society of Artists and the Royal Academy, but his election as a Royal Academician was voided when he refused to submit a diploma picture. Although his portraits of horses, dogs, and other animals are testaments to his skilful realism, his series of paintings of lions attacking horses reflect aesthetic theories of the sublime and had great impact on the Romantic movement.