Thomas Gainsborough

May 14, 1727 -August 2, 1788

Thomas Gainsborough was born in Sudbury (England) May 14, 1727. His father was a trader in textiles. Thomas was not able to get the full art education, although he had a clear ability. In the 1740s, he became an apprentice French engraver Hubert Gravlo and earned a well-known publisher Boydella.

To earn a living, Thomas draws a small portraits and landscapes, which sells inexpensive. But even this is enough to him to start in 1745, his own workshop.

At that time, his work is dominated by two main lines: the beautiful landscapes, inspired by Dutch artists, portraits amid idyllic scenery.

In 1759 Gainsborough moved to Bath - aristocratic resort. It was here that he became acquainted with the work of Anthony van Dyck. Formal portraits of the famous Flemish had a strong influence on the artist.

The main genre in Gainsborough painting - a portrait, but the artist considered himself primarily a landscape painter. He often felt burdened by work on the portrait, and it is very upsetting to the landscape skepticism in academic circles.

At Gainsborough landscapes influenced the Dutch tradition of XVII century. Like the Dutch artist, he painted picturesque rural views, necessarily including them in person. Heroes are usually shown in a way ("wagon", 1767, "The Return of the peasants and the market," 17b7-1768., "River Landscape with Figures in a Boat", 1768 - 1770., Etc.). The artist almost never used field observations in his landscapes: Getting Started, he built on such a small model of the pebbles, twigs, sand, pieces of moss, and then play it on the canvas. At the same time, the colors of nature reflected in the color of his paintings. Master tried to thin and delicate undertones, soft light and shade. Gainsborough world filled with peace and harmony. Gainsborough valued in nature natural, modest beauty and sound to human experiences. He loved the forest and river views from the winding paths, free-growing trees, sometimes take strange shapes. His work has prepared the flowering of English romantic landscape in the first half of the XIX century.

"View near the village Kornard"

"Portrait Henedzh Lloyd sister"

All mixed up in the artistic culture of England at that time - the remains of the principles and traditions of the Baroque, to dictate ceremonial 'big style', inscribed in French Rococo, elegant, decorative, but not deep, Classicism, with its forms of organization, idealized nature, a strict hierarchy of art, in which the favorite Gainsborough landscape and portrait occupied the lowest rung; centimentalizm that caused by 'natural chuvctvam'; budding sharp, satirical realism.

Art galleries and museums in England there was no access to private collections had not any, but there was a great British invention - the auctions where exhibited paintings for sale. In those years he worked the famous auction Christie. Since its founding, the former seaman John Christie, later befriends Gainsborough and leave us with a portrait of him. On auction exhibitions and art reflects the struggle of opinions and tastes.

Gainsborough soon notice and begin to appreciate colleagues Hogarth himself invited him to participate in the decoration of the orphanage, and he wrote a kind of London Hospital 'Charterhouse' - powerful brick walls, the severity of which melted in the warm reddish tones and does not suppress that goes deep into the cobbled pavement, uneven lighted and therefore plays all the shades which can give a brick and stone sunbeam, in the bright spot tiny black figures of children, from left - trees, and above them - a breakthrough in the sky, foaming clouds.

Thomas Gainsborough. Portrait of Duchess Elisabeth de Beaufort. 1770s. Hermitage. St. Petersburg

Thomas Gainsborough (born Thomas Gainsborough, May 14, 1727 - August 2, 1788) - English painter, graphic artist, portraitist and landscape painter. Gabrielle D'Estrees (born Gabrielle d'Estr & 1570, Montlouis-sur-Loire - April 10, 1599, Paris), the Duchess of Beaufort and de Verneuil, the Marquis de Monceau - the daughter of the chief of artillery Antoine D'Estrees, one of the favorites of King Henry IV the Great.

At Gainsborough was a huge gift to transmit mood models and almost photographic resemblance to the original, without losing the freshness and liveliness of his artistic manner. In addition to portraits, Thomas also painted landscapes, which he will experience a passion throughout his life.

In 1774 Gainsborough gets over to London where it is chosen in Academy Council. By 1777 the artist won very solid reputation: it executes orders for the English nobility and royal persons, exposes the works in Academy. Having got acquainted with known artists, musicians and actors, he creates big gallery of portraits of these people.

Having taken pleasure in high life, in 1784 Gainsborough stops the relations with Academy and the ambassador arranges exhibitions of the works only in the gallery on Pell Mell. Now among drawings of the artist the main place is occupied by landscapes and scenes of rural life.

PICTURES

«The Kornardsky wood» (1748, National gallery, London)«Morning walk»«Robert Andrews's portrait with the wife»«The blue boy» (1770)«Portrait of king George III» (1780)«The lady in blue» (apprx. 1770, the State Hermitage, St. Petersburg)«Portrait of Mrs. Mary Graham» (1777, National gallery, Scotland)

«... If the nation made enough talents that we were honored to be called as English school of painting — Gainsborough's name would pass to posterity among foremost carriers of her being conceived glory...» Joshua Reynolds in 1788 gave such appreciation of creativity of the artist in one of the speeches in Royal academy. Into history of English painting of Gainsborough entered first of all as the portraitist though it always preferred a landscape in which felt free from will of customers and need to write for the sake of earnings. During a time of blossoming of the talent he frankly admitted to friend Johnson:« I feel sick from portraits, and I awfully would like to go to any lovely village where I could write landscapes and enjoy the last years of my life in rest and silence». This desire came true only partly. But that the artist in the field of a landscape managed to make, on advantage was estimated only after his death. Noting this paradox, the known researcher of creativity of Gainsborough E. A. Nekrasov wrote:« In obituaries it eulogized mainly as singer of the nature, almost without mentioning portraits so by the life end he at last deserved reputation of which always dreamed».