Self-Portrait (1750), Oil on canvas, (25 in x 18.74 in), Yale Center for British Art

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sir_Joshua_Reynolds_-_Self-Portrait_-_Google_Art_Project_(2315517).jpg

Sir Joshua Reynolds (1723-1792) was born in Plymption, Devon and was not only a accomplished painter, but made many honorable contributions to the fine arts that still carry on to this day. Reynolds studied in a apprenticeship for 4 years with Thomas Hudson who was a conventional portrait painter. After finishing his apprenticeship he traveled back to Devon in 1743 but was dismayed by his lack of experience in painting. In search of a way to refine his craft, Reynolds studied the old masters and learned about the bold brushwork and use of impasto (laying on thick layers of paint). Over the years Reynolds studied other Venetian painters such a Titian, Jacopo Tintoretto, and Paolo Veronese; being inspired by their compositions and colours of the Renaissance period.

Multiple people came in daily (around 5-6 people a day) to get a portrait done by Reynolds, sitting for around a hour per client. He had many studio assistants helping him paint portraiture’s and was known at the time to be a very popular portrait painter.

It was around the time of 1760 where Reynolds helped found the Society of Artists that helped hold art exhibitions in London. Leading up to 1768 and with the patronage of George III, the Royal Academy of Arts was created. Voted as president of the new academy, Reynolds would contribute greatly to art criticisms in the academy with his discourses (talks about Reynolds thoughts and aspirations to painting) as well as uphold the Academy with a great upstanding.

In 1781, Reynolds visited Flanders and Holland, studying the works of Peter Paul Rubens and incorporating some of Ruben’s techniques into his own style. With Reynolds holding a vast amount of knowledge from the studies that he did, Reynolds was able to vary his poses and styles so much that Thomas Gainsborough would say the famous line “Damn him, how various he is!”. This was indeed not a overstatement, as Reynolds’ ability to incorporate many styles and techniques into his work was admirable. Although his techniques for painting were admirable, Reynolds was poor at managing pigments and materials for his paints. The result of this was that most if not all of his paintings began to lose their color in his lifetime.

The Age of Innocence

1788, Oil on canvas, (765 mm x 638 mm), Tate, London.

https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/sir-joshua-reynolds-444

Colnel Acland and Lord Sydney: The Archers

1769-1770, Oil on canvas, (94 in x 72.5 in), Tate, London

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colonel_Acland_and_Lord_Sydney:_The_Archers

Sarah Siddons as the Tragic Muse

1784, Oil on canvas, (94 in x 58 in), Huntington Art Gallery, San Marino, California

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarah_Siddons_as_the_Tragic_Muse

Lady Elizabeth Delmé and Her Children

1777-1779, Oil on canvas, (94 in x 58 in), National Gallery of Art, Washington DC

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lady_Elizabeth_Delm%C3%A9_and_Her_Children

citation:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joshua_Reynolds
https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/artists/sir-joshua-reynolds
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Joshua-Reynolds
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Impasto