Thomas Lawrence
Sir Thomas Lawrence PRA FRS ( born April 13, 1769 in Bristol, † January 7, 1830 in London) was an English painter.
Life and work
Thomas Lawrence was educated in Bath by William Hoare (1707-1792) and began his career by drawing chalk portraits. In 1785 he won a prize and made it a few attempts in the history of painting. Since 1787 he was a student at London's Royal Academy of Arts. He presented this year from four female portraits, which established his reputation. In 1788 he was already six in 1789 and 13 portraits, including that of the Duke of York exhibit; 1790 was followed by the Queen Charlotte, Princess Amalia and eleven other portraits. In 1791 he painted out of ten portraits of Homer, his poems reading aloud.
In 1792, he became court painter Joshua Reynolds after death. On 10 February 1794, he was elected to the Royal Academy of Arts, which he was president from 1820 to 1830. In 1814 he went to Paris and the following year the Prince Regent George IV knighted him. 1818 portrayed Lawrence in the order in Aachen members of Congress and then in Vienna and Italy, the ruling chiefs and other important people, including the sculptor Antonio Canova. In 1820 he was elected president of the Academy. On February 28, 1822 he became a Fellow of the Royal Society. In 1825 he went to Paris to paint on behalf of the King of England Charles X. and the Dauphin.
Lawrence died at the height of his fame and was buried with great ceremony in London's Saint Paul's Cathedral.
In the eyes of his posterity, his work was considered critical. Thus, in Meyers Lexikon of 1889: " Lawrence painted elegant, but effeminate; his drawing has something Feeble, his coloring is untrue and its characteristic superficial; also missing his representations the manifold. His few history paintings are insignificant. Nevertheless, he was the most celebrated fashion painter of his time, who came to meet the sentimental taste of London society. "
Despite colossal revenue he brought it to no great fortune, because he was a passionate collector of paintings and drawings. His collection of paintings came into the possession of the National Gallery. His portraits experienced a widespread, since they were often reproduced in engravings and etchings.
Selections
- Caroline, Princess of Wales, 1804, canvas, 127 × 102 cm. London, National Portrait Gallery.
- Charles William Lambton, before 1826, canvas, 141 × 110 cm. London, Coll Earl of Durham.
- The Dauphin, canvas, 270 × 176 cm. Windsor Castle, Royal Collection.
- Elizabeth Farren, before 1791, canvas, 238 × 147 cm. New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Edward S. Harkness legacy. ( see Figure 2)
- Emily Lamb and Harriet Lamb, before 1793, canvas, 76 × 63 cm. London, Coll Lady Salmond.
- Emily and Laura Calmady ( Tondo ), before 1825, canvas, diameter 77 cm. New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art
- Pope Pius VII, 1818, London, National Portrait Gallery
- Archduke Charles, 1818-19, canvas, 270 × 176 cm. Windsor Castle, Royal Art Collection.
- Homer recites the " Iliad ," before 1792, canvas, 85 × 114 cm. Downton Castle ( Herefordshire ), Coll WMP Kincaid Lennox
Exhibition
- 2010: Thomas Lawrence, Regency Power and Brilliance, National Portrait Gallery, London