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Sir Joshua Reynolds: A collection of 434 paintings (HD) Description: “As one of the most renowned portraitists of the 18th century, Sir Joshua Reynolds contributed to the founding of the Royal Academy and eventually became its president. At the height of his career, Reynolds was sworn in as court painter to the King, the most prestigious honor that could be bestowed on an artist at the time. Reynolds was born in Devon, England in 1723 as the son of a schoolmaster. He was apprenticed to portraitist Thomas Hudson from 1740 to 1743, then stayed in Italy for several years studying antique sculptures and old master pictures. Upon his return to London in 1753 he pursued his career with an unrivaled dedication, rarely taking holiday and surrounding himself with the London intelligentsia. Reynolds was a modern day polymath, a lecturer and artist simultaneously. Along with Thomas Gainsborough, George Romney, and David Wilkie, Reynolds remains one of the most accomplished British artists of the time.
