JOSHUA REYNOLDS: EXPERIMENTS IN PAINT │ Wallace Collection, London → 7 June 2015

Miss Nelly O’Brien, c.1762–1764. Oil on canvas, 126.3 x 101 cm. The Wallace Collection

“Ɖz r grt pêntñz. Renldz z nt stêd at ol. H’z ɖ pwtritist v ɖ Inlîtnmnt, a dẹrñ ātist hu capčrd a dẹrñ êj. (Joṇʈn Jônz, Ɖ Gādı̣n)

Jýn s fr an xibišn ɖt pṛvîdz a freš pspctv on a târñ figr v Britiš pêntñ.

Jošua Renldz z wîdli rgādd az wn v ɖ grtst pwtritists v ɖ 18^ʈ senčri. Seḷbretd fr capčrñ ɖ līdñ figrz n gliṭrāti v hiz de, h olso helpt istabliš a dstnctv Britiš scūl v pêntñ. Hvr, Renldz’ repytešn az an istablišmntātist mascs hiz unqenčbl ʈrst fr iṇvešn n hiz xperimentl aproč t ɖ practis n mtirı̣lz v pêntñ.

Ɖs xibišn ofrz a snapšot v Jošua Renldz’ crietv prôses, n rvilz dscuvriz md jrñ a for-yir rsrčprojct intu ɖ âtstandñ c̣lẋn v hiz wrcs at ɖ Wolis C̣lẋn. W hv ṣlctd nt onli significnt pwtrits bt lesr nôn fansīpicčrz n a rer histrīpêntñ, ol v ẇč r šôn sîd bî sîd. Amñ ɖ wrcs on dsple r fems picčrz sč az Neli O’Brayn, Msz Abñtn az Mis Pru n Renldz’z ôn Slfpwtrit Šêdñ ɖ Îz.

Bî fôc̣sñ on ɖ ʈīmz v xperimentešn n iṇvešn, w três Renldz’z wrcñpractis in tu wez: on ɖ mtirı̣l levl, ʈru hiz ys v pigmnts n mīdia; n on a cnsepčl levl, ʈru hiz dveḷpmnt v comṗzišn n naṛtv. Ẇt imrjz z a vižn v Renldz az a paynirñ pêntr, hîli orijinl in hiz apročz t pictwrı̣l comṗzišn. Ɖs drîv t iṇvešn z xemplifîd in hiz ambišs alužnz t ɖ grt mastrz v ɖ past, sč az Tišn n Rembrant n hiz obsesv tendnsi t rīwrc n rvîz hiz imijz az h pêntd.

Renldz’z pwtrits nt onli dpictd ɖ culrfl ssayti in ẇč h livd, renjñ fṛm ɖ actṛs Msz Abñtn, ɖ scanḍḷs Citi Fišr n ɖ sošl clîmr Msz Nezbit, bt wr ofn ɖ product v a c̣labṛtv rlešnšp btwn ātist n sitr. Renldz xplord ɖ psbltiz v pfwmns n rôlple wɖ ɖ sitrz, ẇl at ɖ sem tîm drōñ on ɖer culrfl bîogṛfiz t prsṇlîz ɖer pwtričr.

Mrs Mary Nesbitt, 1781. Oil on canvas, 75.5 x 62.5 cm. The Wallace Collection

Spanñ most v Renldz’z c̣rir, ɖs xibišn demnstrets ɖ šir dvrṣti v hiz ātistc pṛduẋn n pṛvîdz an eḷqnt n ṣprîzñ insît intu ɖ crietv prôsesz v ɖs rmāc̣bl n imensli pṛlific Britiš ātist.”

GAḶRI WEBSAIT

ON Đ RENLDZ’ TRÊL IN Đ R.A. ĀCÎV