For our March meeting we welcomed Mahaut de la Motte, Assistant Curator of Gainsborough’s House Museum in Sudbury. We enjoyed a lively talk with beautiful illustrations on the life and art of Thomas Gainsborough.
Gainsborough was born in Sudbury in 1727, the youngest of nine children and did not have an easy start in life as his father was made bankrupt twice. He inherited £20 from a relative to learn a craft and took up painting. Landscapes were his great love but he found that painting portraits was a more lucrative way to earn a living and slowly but surely he began to make a name for himself.
He came into money on the death of his wife and moved to London where he painted a mural for the Foundling Hospital, working alongside more famous and accomplished artists before returning to Sudbury to continue painting local landscapes.
Mr and Mrs Andrews is one of his most recognisable paintings and combines portrait and landscape which at the time was unique to Gainsborough. It was thought to have been painted to pay off some of his father’s debts. He then went on to paint local dignitaries with great success and moved to Bath where the wealthy congregated and became famous for his portraits of aristocrats.
His family background in weaving may explain how he was able to portray fabrics so stunningly and the play of light on satin etc is a feature of his work.
He moved to London and was one of the Founders of the Royal Academy whose first exhibition was in 1769.
He fell out with the RA in 1784 over how his paintings were displayed but several members attended his funeral in 1788
Such a lot of information! Lots to learn and marvel at! Another excellent evening.