Joshua Reynolds

Sir Joshua Reynolds was born in Plymouth, Devon, July 16, 1723 and died in London, February 23, 1792.

Through his advocacy of "Grand Manner" style and the supremacy of history painting, Reynolds transformed the conventions of portraiture and elevated the status of the artist in Georgian England. After studying with Thomas Hudson in London between 1740-43, Reynolds completed his training with a 1750-52 trip to Italy, which exposed him to the works of the Old Masters. Throughout his career, he consciously borrowed poses and compositions from these prestigious models as part of his campaign to elevate the tone of portraiture. Unsuccessful in his attempts to gain royal patronage on his return to London, Reynolds nevertheless established a thriving portrait practice and rose to prominence within aristocratic and intellectual circles. Social as well as professional distinction made him the inevitable choice as first President of the Royal Academy on its founding in 1768. Reynolds gave yearly Discourses to the students of the Academy in which he emphasized the importance of studying the Old Masters. These collected lectures remain one of the most important texts of eighteenth-century art theory in Britain.