Painting in England Painting in England in the

Painting in England

Painting in England in the period of the 15 th-17 th centuries was represented mostly by foreign artists. The 18 th century was the century during which a national painting school was created in England. The portrait art at that time was the main kind of painting. The Industrial Revolution in England greatly influenced art as a whole. In the 18 th century England became a powerful country. England put forward painters of all European level and painting in particular. Such trends in painting as the genre school, realistic landscape and portraiture schools expressed the social contradictions of English life. With the 20 th century impressionism, cubism, abstractionism entered English painting and influenced it.

William Hogarth (1697 -1764) William Hogarth was the first man to raise British pictorial art to a level of importance. He was born in London. His father was a schoolmaster. His early taste for drawing was remarkable. William didn’t like to learn very much. Later he became a pupil of an engraver. He made engravings on silver and painted book illustrations. By that time he had studied in the Аrt school of Sir James Thornhill. Then he was married to his daughter. Hogarth painted his pictures in oil and then engraved them.

William Hogarth The street of beer. Еngraving on bronze “The Marriage Settlement” “The Shrimp Girl”

Joshua Reynolds (1723 -1792) Sir Joshua Reynolds , the first President of the Royal Academy, was not only a painter but the founder of a British School. He was educated by his father , a clergyman. He was very clever and friendly. Reynolds painted a lot of portraits. Reynolds’ best paintings are “ Venus and Cupid” , the portraits of the King’s family.

Joshua Reynolds

Thomas Gainsborough (1727 - 1788) The third great figure, of the 18 th century painting — Thomas Gainsborough— was born in the small market town. Gainsborough had little academic training, he learned to paint by observing the actual world. The most famous today of all Gainsborough’s portraits is ” Blue Boy”. He was the first to introduce lyrical freedom into British painting. His achievements lay in the beauty of his native landscape.

George Romney(1734 -1802) George Romney painted portraits and historical pictures. At the age of 27 he went to London and began to paint portraits. He studied art in Paris and Italy. When Romney came back to London he became a very popular portrait painter. His famous portrait – the portrait of Miss Uilloby.

Portraits of Miss Uilloby Lady Hamilton

Thomas Lawrence(1769 -1830) Thomas Lawrence continued the tradition of portrait painting. At the age of 6 he began to draw pictures of his little friends. Later he began to draw crayons which were very successful. At the age of 15 he got the prize for a crayon drawing. He was elected the President of Academy.

Thomas Lawrence Portrait of Arthur Atherley as an Etonian Frederick William Steward" 1818

John Constable (1776 -1837) The realistic landscape was represented by John Constable. He was born in Suffolk. He was sent to London to learn art. Constable was a student of the Royal Academy. He worked very hard and in a few years he exhibited his finest pictures. His life was closely connected with his mill and he painted nature as he saw it.

on On the sea of Briton The Sight on the Cathedral

Joseph Turner (1775 -1851) Joseph Turner was a landscape painter. He was born in London. His father had a small shop. Turner’s first drawings were very successful, and his customers bought them for a few shillings. Joseph Turner entered the Royal Academy Schools to study painting. He liked to draw landscapes, castles and abbeys.

Painting in Britain • Most of the famous British painting collections may be seen in museums and art galleries of London: the Tate Gallery, the National Gallery and the National Portrait Gallery and others.