Auteur: Joshua Reynolds

Sir Joshua Reynolds was a preeminent eighteenth-century English painter, specializing in portraits and promoting the Grand Style in painting which depended on idealization of the imperfect. He was born on July 16, 1723, in Plympton, Devon, England. Reynolds was one of the earliest members of the Royal Academy of Arts in London, founding it in 1768, and subsequently served as its first president, a position he held until his death. His influence on the art of his time is significant. He authored “Sir Joshua Reynolds” Discourses, ” a compilation of fifteen lectures delivered to the Academy”s students after its annual prize-giving ceremonies. These discourses cover a range of subjects, from the importance of the study of the old masters and nature to the development of a distinctive English school of painting. Through his discourses, Reynolds sought to instill a classical discipline in the Academy”s curriculum that was based on a breadth of historical and cultural knowledge, advocating for a fundamental set of principles that artists should strive to emulate. Reynolds was renowned for his portrait work, capturing the social and cultural elite of his time and elevating the genre with the sophistication of his technique and the insights of his sitters” characters. His contributions to the theory and practice of art were fundamental in shaping the aesthetic judgments and educational standards of the period. Sir Joshua Reynolds passed away on February 23, 1792, leaving behind a legacy as a towering figure in British art and art education. His discourses remain a seminal work in the understanding of art criticism and academic art practice during the Enlightenment in England.