ARTISTS
Joshua Reynolds: Experiments in Paint
Joshua Reynolds is widely regarded as one of the greatest portraitists of the 18th century. Celebrated for capturing the leading figures and glitterati of his day, he also helped establish a distinctive British school of painting. However, Reynolds鈥檚 reputation as an 鈥榚stablishment鈥� artist masks his unquenchable thirst for innovation and his experimental approach to the practice and materials of painting.
This exhibition offers a snapshot of Joshua Reynolds鈥檚 creative process, and reveals discoveries made during a four-year research project into the outstanding collection of his works at The Wallace Collection. We have selected not only significant portraits but lesser known 鈥榝ancy pictures鈥� and a rare history painting, all of which will be shown side by side. Among the works on display will be famous pictures such as Nelly O鈥橞rien, Mrs Abingdon as Miss Prue and Reynolds鈥檚 own Self Portrait Shading the Eyes.
By focusing on the themes of experimentation and innovation, we trace Reynolds鈥檚 working practice in two ways: on the material level, through his use of pigments and media; and on a conceptual level, through his development of composition and narrative. What emerges is a vision of Reynolds as a pioneering painter, highly original in his approaches to pictorial composition. This drive to innovation is exemplified in his ambitious allusions to the great masters of the past, such as Titian and Rembrandt and his obsessive tendency to rework and revise his images as he painted.
Reynolds鈥檚 portraits not only depicted the colourful society in which he lived, ranging from the actress Mrs Abington, the scandalous Kitty Fisher and the 鈥榮ocial climber鈥� Mrs Nesbitt, but were often the product of a collaborative relationship between artist and sitter. Reynolds explored the possibilities of performance and role play with the sitters, while at the same time drawing on their colourful biographies to 鈥榩ersonalise鈥� their portraiture.
Spanning most of Reynolds鈥檚 career, this exhibition demonstrates the sheer diversity of his artistic production and provides an eloquent and surprising insight into the creative processes of this remarkable and immensely prolific British artist.
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Joshua Reynolds is widely regarded as one of the greatest portraitists of the 18th century. Celebrated for capturing the leading figures and glitterati of his day, he also helped establish a distinctive British school of painting. However, Reynolds鈥檚 reputation as an 鈥榚stablishment鈥� artist masks his unquenchable thirst for innovation and his experimental approach to the practice and materials of painting.
This exhibition offers a snapshot of Joshua Reynolds鈥檚 creative process, and reveals discoveries made during a four-year research project into the outstanding collection of his works at The Wallace Collection. We have selected not only significant portraits but lesser known 鈥榝ancy pictures鈥� and a rare history painting, all of which will be shown side by side. Among the works on display will be famous pictures such as Nelly O鈥橞rien, Mrs Abingdon as Miss Prue and Reynolds鈥檚 own Self Portrait Shading the Eyes.
By focusing on the themes of experimentation and innovation, we trace Reynolds鈥檚 working practice in two ways: on the material level, through his use of pigments and media; and on a conceptual level, through his development of composition and narrative. What emerges is a vision of Reynolds as a pioneering painter, highly original in his approaches to pictorial composition. This drive to innovation is exemplified in his ambitious allusions to the great masters of the past, such as Titian and Rembrandt and his obsessive tendency to rework and revise his images as he painted.
Reynolds鈥檚 portraits not only depicted the colourful society in which he lived, ranging from the actress Mrs Abington, the scandalous Kitty Fisher and the 鈥榮ocial climber鈥� Mrs Nesbitt, but were often the product of a collaborative relationship between artist and sitter. Reynolds explored the possibilities of performance and role play with the sitters, while at the same time drawing on their colourful biographies to 鈥榩ersonalise鈥� their portraiture.
Spanning most of Reynolds鈥檚 career, this exhibition demonstrates the sheer diversity of his artistic production and provides an eloquent and surprising insight into the creative processes of this remarkable and immensely prolific British artist.
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