Joshua Reynolds

Joshua Reynolds
PRA FRS FRSA
Self-portrait, c. 1750
Born
Joshua Reynolds

(1723-07-16)16 July 1723
Plympton, Devon, England
Died23 February 1792(1792-02-23) (aged 68)
Leicester Fields, London, England
Resting placeSt Paul's Cathedral
NationalityBritish
EducationPlympton Free Grammar School
Notable workThe Age of Innocence

Sir Joshua Reynolds RA FRS FRSA (16 July 1723 – 23 February 1792) was an English painter of portraits. He helped to start the Royal Academy of Arts and was its first president.[1] King George III made him Sir Joshua Reynolds in 1769.

Some critics disliked Reynolds and the Royal Academy. The Pre-Raphaelites called him "Sir Sloshua" and William Blake published a savage pamphlet Annotations to Sir Joshua Reynolds' Discourses in 1808. On the other hand, Turner was a strong supporter, and asked to be buried at Reynolds' side.

Reynolds has over 1000 portraits in the National Portrait Gallery, London. Despite Blake's criticisms, Reynold's Discourses had a lasting impact on the theory and practice of art.[1]

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 Sir Joshua Reynolds, National Portrait Gallery, London, accessed September 2009