author
Sir Joshua Reynolds
1723–1792
A brilliant portrait painter who helped define British art in the 18th century, he turned likenesses of writers, nobles, and public figures into something grander and more theatrical. His influence reached far beyond the canvas through the Royal Academy and his widely read lectures on art.
3 Audiobooks
Seven Discourses on Art
by Sir Joshua Reynolds
Fifteen discourses
by Sir Joshua Reynolds
Sir Joshua Reynolds' Discourses Edited, with an Introduction, by Helen Zimmern
by Sir Joshua Reynolds
About the author
Born in Plympton, Devon, in 1723, Sir Joshua Reynolds became the leading English portrait painter of his age. After early training in London and a formative trip to Italy, he developed a style that brought a new sense of dignity and scale to portraiture, drawing on Renaissance and Baroque art while still capturing the personality of his sitters.
Reynolds moved at the center of British cultural life and painted many of the best-known figures of his time. He was a founding figure of the Royal Academy of Arts and became its first president in 1768, a role that made him one of the most important voices in British art. His Discourses on Art, delivered to Academy students, argued for ambition, study, and a broad understanding of great painting.
He was knighted in 1769 and remained a major public figure until his death in London in 1792. Today he is remembered not only for memorable portraits but also for helping raise the status of artists and shape the direction of British painting.