Thomas Gainsborough was born in 1727 in Sudbury, England. He received some art training but was not able to have a full formal education. He began his career drawing portraits and landscapes to earn a living. By 1745 he had opened his own workshop. His work was influenced by Dutch landscape artists and he became known for his portraits set within idyllic landscapes. Later in his career, he focused more on portraiture but considered himself primarily a landscape painter. His landscapes were inspired by 17th century Dutch paintings and depicted rural English scenes with figures. Gainsborough helped establish landscape painting as a respected genre in England.

2. Thomas Gainsborough was born in
Sudbury (England) May 14, 1727.
His father was a trader in textiles.
Thomas was not able to get the full
art education, although he had a
clear ability. In the 1740s, he
became an apprentice French
engraver Hubert Gravlo and earned
a well-known publisher Boydella.
To earn a living, Thomas draws a
small portraits and landscapes,
which sells inexpensive. But even
this is enough to him to start in 1745,
his own workshop.
At that time, his work is dominated
by two main lines: the beautiful
landscapes, inspired by Dutch
artists, portraits amid idyllic scenery.

3. In 1759 Gainsborough moved to Bath -
aristocratic resort. It was here that he became
acquainted with the work of Anthony van Dyck.
Formal portraits of the famous Flemish had a
strong influence on the artist.
The main genre in Gainsborough painting - a
portrait, but the artist considered himself
primarily a landscape painter. He often felt
burdened by work on the portrait, and it is very
upsetting to the landscape skepticism in
academic circles.

4. At Gainsborough landscapes influenced the
Dutch tradition of XVII century. Like the Dutch
artist, he painted picturesque rural views,
necessarily including them in person. Heroes
are usually shown in a way ("wagon", 1767,
"The Return of the peasants and the market,"
17b7-1768., "River Landscape with Figures in
a Boat", 1768 - 1770., Etc.). The artist almost
never used field observations in his
landscapes: Getting Started, he built on such
a small model of the pebbles, twigs, sand,
pieces of moss, and then play it on the
canvas. At the same time, the colors of nature
reflected in the color of his paintings. Master
tried to thin and delicate undertones, soft light
and shade. Gainsborough world filled with
peace and harmony. Gainsborough valued in
nature natural, modest beauty and sound to
human experiences. He loved the forest and
river views from the winding paths, free-
growing trees, sometimes take strange
shapes. His work has prepared the flowering
of English romantic landscape in the first half
of the XIX century.

5. "View near the village Kornard"
"Portrait Henedzh Lloyd sister"

6. All mixed up in the artistic culture of England at that time - the remains of the principles and traditions of the
Baroque, to dictate ceremonial 'big style', inscribed in French Rococo, elegant, decorative, but not deep,
Classicism, with its forms of organization, idealized nature, a strict hierarchy of art, in which the favorite
Gainsborough landscape and portrait occupied the lowest rung; centimentalizm that caused by 'natural
chuvctvam'; budding sharp, satirical realism.
Art galleries and museums in England there was no access to private
collections had not any, but there was a great British invention - the
auctions where exhibited paintings for sale. In those years he worked
the famous auction Christie. Since its founding, the former seaman
John Christie, later befriends Gainsborough and leave us with a portrait
of him. On auction exhibitions and art reflects the struggle of opinions
and tastes.
Gainsborough soon notice and begin to appreciate colleagues
Hogarth himself invited him to participate in the decoration of
the orphanage, and he wrote a kind of London Hospital
'Charterhouse' - powerful brick walls, the severity of which
melted in the warm reddish tones and does not suppress that
goes deep into the cobbled pavement, uneven lighted and
therefore plays all the shades which can give a brick and
stone sunbeam, in the bright spot tiny black figures of
children, from left - trees, and above them - a breakthrough in
the sky, foaming clouds.

7. Thomas Gainsborough. Portrait of Duchess Elisabeth de
Beaufort. 1770s. Hermitage. St. Petersburg
Thomas Gainsborough (born Thomas
Gainsborough, May 14, 1727 - August 2, 1788) -
English painter, graphic artist, portraitist and
landscape painter.
Gabrielle D'Estrees (born Gabrielle d'Estr &
1570, Montlouis-sur-Loire - April 10, 1599,
Paris), the Duchess of Beaufort and de Verneuil,
the Marquis de Monceau - the daughter of the
chief of artillery Antoine D'Estrees, one of the
favorites of King Henry IV the Great.