Joshua Reynolds (1723–1792) for almost the entire 18th century has been developing and implementing the principles of creating the perfect portrait. By the age of 45, he becomes so recognized a master and art theorist that he is elected president of the Royal Academy. Joshua Reynolds studies tirelessly, gaining knowledge in areas far from painting. After graduating at 51, Oxford, he paints his portrait in the mantle of a doctor of law.
Joshua Reynolds: biography
Joshua was the third child of Rev. Samuel Reynolds of Plympton, who worked in college. The elder sister of the father, noting the boy’s abilities and attraction for drawing, paid for his training in the workshop of the portrait painter T. Goodson in London, and then in Italy. Viscount Keppel, whom he met, offered to go with him on a trip to the Mediterranean Sea. On the way, the ship visited Lisbon, Cadiz, Algeria. So Joshua Reynolds got to Rome. The beginning artist was decisively influenced by Michelangelo, Raphael, Titian, Veronese, Correggio and van Dyck.
First portrait
Returning to England in 1752 through Florence, Bologna and Paris, Joshua Reynolds settles in London. His sister Francis becomes his housekeeper, and the artist has already begun work that will immediately bring him great fame. He wrote "Portrait of Admiral Keppel" in the pose of Apollo Belvedere (1753). The young admiral is handsome and well-built, and his portrait is full of romance.
A thick shadow envelops the left side, and ships sway on the waves under the cloudy bright sky on the right. August Keppel - perfection itself: regular facial features, beautiful scattering of eyebrows over big eyes, straight nose, lips, which were slightly touched by a smile. He threw his right graceful hand forward, and the second holds the hilt of the sword. The figure is not static, but full of dynamics. August Keppel is depicted against the backdrop of cliffs and a rippling sea, with foamy crests of waves. The silver-pink shades of the sky are strikingly beautiful, the reflections of which fall on the admiral's vest and camisole. I liked the portrait so much that orders began to come immediately.
Charming courtesan
Free and full of ease, which marks the work of the master in the sixties, a portrait of Nelly O'Brien. This is one of Reynolds' favorite models.
At this time, Nelly was the beloved of the Viscount Bolinbrock, whom she gave birth to a son in 1764. The seated figure of a young woman is shown in close-up. Behind it are dense bushes through which the rays of the sun penetrate. The light is reflected by the figure of the model and the curly white dog that she holds in her hands, and her face is hidden in the shadow of the hat. It is it - calm, pleasant, friendly - that attracts attention most of all.
Club
Working a lot and spending time in his studio, Reynolds was still a sociable person. To meet friends, customers, intellectuals, military and political figures, he founded the club in 1764. At first there were very few of them, but Sheridan also entered, then this elite society grew to 35 people. And today on the building for its meetings there is a memorial plaque.
Royal Academy
A member of the Royal Society of Arts, the painter took up the organization of the Society of Artists of Great Britain, and in 1768 became president of the Royal Academy. In it, he lectured. William Blake, who vehemently criticized the chairman, was received there. They were very different people - William Blake and Joshua Reynolds. The works of these authors even in all concepts diverged in exactly opposite directions, not to mention the vision and reflection of the world. It was during these years that Reynolds became, after the death of Allan Ramsey, the chief artist of King George III.
The heyday of creativity
By this time, the portrait painter almost abandoned allegories, and he puts his soul into creating images. He writes a portrait of actress Sarah Siddons in the form of a muse of tragedy.
Painted in golden brown tones, the portrait shows how the actress, resting in an armchair, draws inspiration from the predictions of two sybilles, standing behind the back of the model on both sides of the chair.
He paints a custom portrait of Captain George Kussmiker. This work is striking in its beauty and exceptionally delicate work.
Leaning against a tree, a young captain is standing in a riding suit. The color of his horse is saturated, brown, indicating good endurance of the animal. The horse's pose - it almost wraps around a tree - is amazing. No wonder they posed for the artist 21 times! The portrait is unusually showy and romantic. The captain paid a lot of money for him at that time - 205 pounds and 10 guineas outside the frame.
Portrait of "Lady Elizabeth Delme with the Children" (1779)
Majestic young lady hugs two children. A fluffy dog sits next to his feet. Compositionally, they represent a classic triangle, a very balanced figure. The painter in this reception was guided by Raphael's Madonna and Carduelis. And the background painted in brown tones resembles both Titian and even Rembrandt.
Lady Delme is elegant and beautiful with pure English beauty. Her face is oval and her eyes are with beautiful heavy eyelids. The hairstyle of the lady is high raised and slightly powdered. Her white dress covers a satin cloak of the color of a red rose. The baby is dressed in a suit of the same color, and the dress is white on the girl, as on the mother. All colors of the picture are strictly balanced. This work can be called a magnificent group portrait. This method was also used by Joshua Reynolds. Pictures of this type to some extent flatten customers, without departing, however, from a true image.
The master’s historical paintings are weaker than his portraits. But it was them, commissioned by Catherine the Great and Prince Potemkin, that Joshua Reynolds wrote. Pictures with the names “Baby Hercules, suffocating a serpent” (glorifies the victories of Russia), “Abstinence of Scipio” (generosity) and “Cupid, untying the belt of Venus” are in the Hermitage.
Fall of life
By the age of 66, the artist began to hurt. He no longer sees with one eye and stops working. Beloved sister (and Reynolds lived a bachelor) still performs the duties of a housekeeper. Treatment of the eye with bloodletting was unsuccessful. The general condition of the artist only worsened, and as a result, he died in the 69th year of his life.
In 1903, a monument was erected to him in the courtyard of the Royal Academy.