Sir Joshua Reynolds: the most important English portrait painter of the late 18th century.

Sir Joshua Reynolds (1723-1792) was the most important English portrait painter of the late 18th century. The founder and first President of the Royal Academy, his Grand Manner style looked to the art of the past and created idealised portraits of the British aristocracy. Born in Devon, he was apprenticed to a portrait painter and travelled to Rome where he remained for two years studying the art of the past. With little tradition in England for homegrown artists, Reynolds and the architect William Chambers obtained royal patronage from George III for an Academy to train British artists with annual exhibitions to display British art.

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