Thomas Gainsborough Outstanding portrait painter and landscape painter

Thomas Gainsborough is an English artist of the 18th century. A fashionable artist who painted portraits of the aristocracy, amazingly painted both draperies, and fabrics of dresses and camisole, and lace, he loved the English landscape most of all, which he studied all his life. His paintings are close to us, people of the XXI century, as they were close to people of the XVIII century.

London and study time

Thomas Gainsborough was born in 1727, studied in London with a French engraver and artist, and gradually developed his own exquisite style of drawing, which approaches Rococo. He preferred landscapes. But they sold poorly, and the artist switched to portrait painting, combining portrait and landscape in “Portrait of the Andrews couple”, whose images are close to the images of works of English sentimental literature.

He tries to create a fusion of the portrait with the environment. At the same time, he married, and he had two daughters.

Bath - fashionable resort

Having become a fashion artist, Thomas Gainsborough moved to Bath with his sisters. Best of all, he turns out portraits. This is what he begins to do. They, whether they are daughters, whether they be a duchess or a courtesan, succeed him splendidly. He very well conveyed the portrait resemblance, as well as the luster of silk, the softness of velvet, the airiness of scarves and plumes. The artist received all the basic earnings from painting portraits. By the age of 32, he “lined up” from those who wanted him to paint their portrait. In addition, Thomas Gainsborough managed to paint and landscapes.

Portrait painting

Technically, the painter has grown a lot, and his favorite landscapes work out to him with splendor. His technique is light and virtuoso. One of the most famous works that Thomas Gainsborough wrote at the time is Portrait of a Boy in Blue.

In color, this pictorial work is symphonic. It harmoniously contains lilac, pearl gray and olive tones. Exquisite teenager in a blue satin, which plays flares that emphasize the luster of the fabric, is depicted in full growth. He holds in his hand a large hat with a white plume. It stands against the backdrop of an evening landscape made in olive and brown tones.

In the capital

By the age of 47, Thomas was already a member of the Royal Academy of Arts in London, but performed his duties so poorly that he was expelled. But this did not overshadow the artist’s life. He exhibited his paintings in his own workshop. Refinement and freedom of performance is one of the main features of the artist’s manner of work.

Landscape painting

One of the best landscapes, “Return from the Harvest”, was written under the influence of Rubens, but it is more lyrical and romantic.

In that work, Gainsborough combined the seemingly unconnectable. The realism of Rubens, to which he worshiped, and the French pictorial lightness, the Rococo style with its winding whimsical lines. His painting was not written in a dense, but fluid layer of paint, so the writing style becomes easy. In the crowns of the trees, light shimmers, sometimes imposing deep shadows, then sparkling in the sun. That is how Thomas Gainsborough painted his best landscape. Description of the picture leads to the idea that the artist became a landscape painter, as he wanted. But Thomas Gainsborough continues to paint portraits, especially for women.The color of the painting "Lady in Blue" is built on bluish, pearl gray noble colors. On the face a slight blush, brown eyes seriously look. A tall powdered wig completes the look. The whole appearance of the lady is refined and noble. The light color of the appearance stands out against a dark background, playing with shadows. In places they deepen or, conversely, become lighter. A lot of portraits passed through his hands, in which he tries to achieve maximum resemblance, and not to convey the social position of a person. "Portrait of Sarah Siddons" emphasizes her charm and daydreaming. She sits amid lush burgundy draperies in a blue dress that shades them, and in a black hat with feathers. A yellow scarf is thrown over his shoulders, a fur clutch is in his hands. Posture emphasizes the greatness of the actress.

Thomas Gainsborough died in London when he was 61 years old. He worked hard until his death. There were no dramatic collisions in his life. She was filled with her favorite work. The accuracy of the smear is amazing, the rich saturated colors used by Thomas Gainsborough, whose biography is made up of his paintings that convey all the beautiful.