Thomas Gainsborough Biography

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  Thomas Gainsborough Posters

In 18th Century one great landscape and portrait painter was born named Thomas Gainsborough. He was born in 1727 in a family of a schoolteacher in Suffolk, England.  When Thomas Gainsborough was only 14 years old his father was very impressed with his drawing skills. He sends Thomas to London for a proper training of arts in 1740. Engraver Hubert Gavelot was his first trainer in London. Later he came into the contact of William Hogarth and learned many skills of drawing. Francis Hayman was also one of the mentors of Thomas Gainsborough. Under the supervision of his mentors he decorated the place which is now famous as Thomas Coram Foundation for children. He also contributed in making drawings at Vauxhall Gardens.

He got 200 pounds of annuity from the father of her wife the Duke of Beaufort in 1740s. Although he was mainly a landscape painter but due to lass sale of his paintings he came back to his home town in 1748 and painted many portraits.
Thomas Gainsborough’s family included his 2 daughters. In 1752 they moved to Ipswich but their financial condition was not very good. Thomas painted many individual portraits but due to poor clientele his popularity has not increased. Then he moved to Bath in 1759 with his family. There his study of Van Dyck’s portraits allowed him to gain some good and high society clients. After that he became very popular and in 1761 his works were exhibited in Society of arts exhibition in London and in 1769 he send his paintings to Royal Academy of arts also. He now understood that known clients are very much able to gain recognition for him. His national status and reputation made him to become the member in the founding committee of Royal Academy of Arts in 1769. But association with the Academy was not long lasting and it ended in 1773.

Gainsborough had started living in Schomber House in London in the year 1774. Again in 1777 Thomas Gainsborough associated himself with Royal Academy by exhibiting his work in the form of the portraits of the celebrities of royal family and this time association lasted for six long years. He painted many members of royal family and this gave him chance to settle his terms with the Academy about the exhibition of his works. After the death of Allan Ramsay , the painter of royal family in 1784 the job was not given to Gainsborough but to Joshua Reynolds who was the president of the Academy at that time. But then also Thomas Gainsborough maintained his position of being the favorite painter among the royal family.

In his last years he painted many landscape paintings all from his own imaginations rather then by seeing any picture. He was a very sensible artist and his individuality and uniqueness were his qualities. This great artist died on 2nd August 1788 due to cancer. Some of his famous works are Portrait of Mrs. Graham, Cottage girl with Dog and pitcher, Morning walk etc.