Thomas Gainsborough

Bringing it back to the 18th century of Neoclassicism, Romanticism and Rococo, Thomas Gainsborough was a leading artist of this era. Gainsborough was both a portrait and landscape artist, usually you would find a person or group of people in a landscape scene. 

The Blue Boy (1770)

The Blue Boy was an attempt at proving Joshua Reynolds and western art rules wrong regarding his statement on colour. He said that Blue shouldn’t be placed in the foreground as a focal point because it’s an ineffective strategy to creating a successful artwork. By rejecting Joshua’s “rule”, He created a new foundation for artists following him. 

Mountain Landscape with Shepherd (1783)

This painting included various types of pastel colours that softly blended into the landscape. Behind this landscape it was said that gainsborough had set up a diorama like landscape with odd materials such as cork and broccoli to serve as subjects in the painting. It was like he was a kid playing with his food, the only difference is that he was 10x the age and a master painter.

Mr and Mrs William Hallett, ‘The Morning Walk’ (1785)

Mr. and Mrs. William Hallett was painted in the later stages of his career while he was in London. The painting itself show a couple at the happiest stage of their life although this contrasts to their facial expressions. It also portrays Gainsborough’s fully developed style and knowledge on painting. This painting was popular due to the movement shown with the characters.

The Market Cart (1786)

This painting was a representation of the farmers market community. As well as this painting was one of at the peak of the agricultural revolution picturing an ideal environment almost emulating the farmers hope of selling big as the market had changed dramatically on a regular basis. 

Cottage Girl with Dog and Pitcher (1785)

Cottage Girl with Dog and Pitcher is a painting that was considered a “fancy picture”. It shows the girl, lost and it evokes pity, because his own daughter who had lost her senses. This is an example of how Gainsborough was one of the best in creating romanticized depictions of children and lovers in this setting.

Sources

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Thomas-Gainsborough

https://www.theartstory.org/artist/gainsborough-thomas/artworks/