The Great Portraitist Thomas Gainsborough
Thomas Gainsborough is a famous English portraitist. He was born in 1727 in large family. From the early childhood the boy was attracted to painting. He has got a perfect memory, and he drew every tree, rock or ditch from his memory.
At the age of 13 Thomas goes to London. Here the boy learns from the famous portraitist Francis Hyman. French engraver and landscape artist Hubert Graveleau significantly affected his manner of painting — he taught the young Gainsborough French rococo style. But the greatest influence on the style of Thomas had painter Antoine Watteau. Firstly Gainsborough drew small landscapes, which were mostly sold for a song (за бесценок). Later he occupied with portraits.
The earliest painting signed by the author is dated by 1745. There he pictured a bullterrier with a landscape on the background, and on the other side of picture he placed an inscription «The Remarkably Intelligent Dog». At he same time a portrait of the bullterrier’s
Over time, Gainsborough began to achieve success, at the age of 18 he starts his own workshop, and a year later he married.
Soon Thomas goes back to his birthplace to carry out his father’s last journey. But happy event changed the sad one — the artist’s first daughter, Mary, was born. Some time later he moves to Ipswich, where his second daughter, Margaret, was born.
The artist earned money mostly by portraits, in which he imitated the style of Hogarth. From him Gainsborough took the immediacy of perception and painted everyday human appearance.
At the beginning of 1760 Thomas becomes very popular when his family moves to spa town of Bath. He paints portraits, fills a variety of orders of local and metropolitan aristocrats. During that period Van Dyck influences his art, but later Gainsborough produces his own style. Thomas’s portraits are light, elegant and refined.
Gainsborough’s paintings became regularly exhibited in London. «Eliza and Thomas Linl» and «Lady in Blue» are the most popular among his pictures.
Three years later, Thomas finally moves to London. Even King George the third begins to patronize the artist. It should be noted, that at works of Gainsborough the landscape plays greater role, and this feature differs him from the other portraitists. During the last years of Gainsborough’s life were created different sentimental paintings about farmers and children, landscapes and genre scenes. Thomas Gainsborough died in 1788.
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