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The Life and Writings of Sir Joshua Reynolds: First President of the Royal Academy

The Life and Writings of Sir Joshua Reynolds delves into the life of the influential artist, covering his early years, artistic development, and significant works. It also examines his role in establishing the Royal Academy of Arts and his influence on the British art community during his time. more

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Joshua Reynolds
Joshua Reynolds

Joshua Reynolds was an influential English painter, recognized for his portraits and landscapes. Born on July 16, 1723, and passing away on February 23, 1792, Reynolds played a significant role in the development of the English portrait school and is often considered the first president of the Royal Academy of Arts. more

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“No art can be grafted with success on another art. For though they all profess the same origin, and to proceed from the same stock, yet each has its own peculiar modes both of imitating nature and of deviating from it... The deviation, more especially, will not bear transplantation to another soil.”

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Book:The Literary Works of Sir Joshua Reynolds: ... to which is Prefixed, a Memoir of the Author; with Remarks on His Professional Character, Illustrative of His Principles and Practice
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“If deceiving the eye were the only business of the art... the minute painter would be more apt to succeed. But it is not the eye, it is the mind which the painter of genius desires to address.”

IfsMindArtWould BeEyeDesireMinutesGeniusSucceedPainterDeceptionAddressesDeceiving
Book:The Works of Sir Joshua Reynolds: Containing His Discourses, Idlers, A Journey to Flanders and Holland, and His Commentary on Du Fresnoy's Art of Painting; to which is Prefixed an Account of the Life and Writings of the Author by Edward Malone
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“Those who are not conversant in works of art are often surprised at the high value set by connoisseurs on drawings which appear careless, and in every respect unfinished; but they are truly valuable... they give the idea of a whole.”

GivingArtIdeasWholeValuesValuableDrawingWorks Of ArtCarelessUnfinishedConnoisseur
Book:The Works of Sir Joshua Reynolds: Containing His Discourses, Idlers, A Journey to Flanders and Holland, and His Commentary on Du Fresnoy's Art of Painting; to which is Prefixed an Account of the Life and Writings of the Author by Edward Malone
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“The true test of all the arts is not solely whether the production is a true copy of nature, but whether it answers the end of art, which is to produce a pleasing effect upon the mind.”

MindArtEndsAnswersEmotionEffectsProduceArt IsTestsProductionsCopies
Book:The Works of Sir Joshua Reynolds: Containing His Discourses, Idlers, A Journey to Flanders and Holland, and His Commentary on Du Fresnoy's Art of Painting; to which is Prefixed an Account of the Life and Writings of the Author by Edward Malone
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“Our Exhibitions [The Royal Academy] have... a mischievous tendency, by seducing the Painter to an ambition of pleasing indiscriminately the mixed multitude of people who resort to them.”

PeopleAmbitionTendenciesPainterMultitudesRoyalResortsAcademySeducingExhibitionsMischievous
Book:Discourses on Painting and the Fine Arts, delivered at the Royal Academy. With a portrait
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“From a slight, undetermined drawing, where the ideas of the composition and character are just touched upon, the imagination supplies more than the painter himself, probably, could produce. And we accordingly often find that the finished work disappoints the expectation that was raised from the sketch.”

IdeasCharacterImaginationProduceExpectationsRaisedFinishedDrawingPainterTouchedCompositionDisappointSuppliesFinished Work
Book:The Complete Works of Sir Joshua Reynolds: First President of the Royal Academy : with an Original Memoir, and Anecdotes of the Author
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