Sir Joshua Reynolds 82

Author: DeAgostini Publishing Company (UK)
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2002-06-01
Features: When Gainsborough moved to Bath to seek development, the city was in its heyday, attracting wealthy and fashionable tourists from all over Britain for leisure. Except for London, no city was more suitable for portrait painters than Bath. Within a few years, Gainsborough transformed from an obscure rural painter into one of the most revered portrait masters of the time. New buildings appeared one after another in the city, and the surrounding environment was increasingly beautified. Social activities took place in this atmosphere. Through the efforts of architect John Wood and his namesake son, Bath became a fairy-tale kingdom filled with Palladian architecture (a classical style imitating the Renaissance architect Palladio). Queen Square, the two promenades (North and South), and the new assembly hall were all the work of this father-and-son duo. The crescent-shaped Royal Crescent, a famous residential area in the corner of the city, was also a masterpiece of the Woods. When Gainsborough arrived in Bath, the city was undergoing the rapid development mentioned above, and he quickly discovered it was an ideal working environment. Almost every version of the New Bath Guide included information about artists active in the city, detailing their addresses and specialties. Gainsborough soon became the top name on that list.