Blathers on Art : The Basic Painting

Good Day, esteemed visitor and welcome to another edifying instalment of art history as presented by yours truly.

In today’s exploration we will be considering the Basic Painting, formally known as The Blue Boy ‌by English 18th century painter, Thomas Gainsborough. A clever idea, by yours truly and inspired by the royalty-core themes in this month’s fanzine.

Gainsborough, a founding member of The Royal Academy enjoyed painting landscapes although it was his works of portraiture - predominantly in the Rococo style that brought him the most acclaim as an artist.

Gainsborough was known to be a fast painter as is common among artists who are inclined towards landscape painting. This skill translated into many of his works including The Blue Boy, with its lively and light brushstrokes. The artist’s treatment of the landscape surrounding the subject suggested his passion for the land and landscape painting.

As his career evolved and his portraiture work became more in demand than his well-loved landscapes, Gainsborough began to develop his own unique style of placing his subjects in beautiful natural settings thus allowing him to incorporate his love for landscape work into the preferences of his clientele. This can be seen in the above painting, Frances Browne, Mrs. John Douglas.

The artist, besides incorporating other techniques such as print making into his repertoire, would continue to paint successfully until his death in middle age.