Thomas Gainsborough: Coastal Scene with Shipping and Cattle - Research Paper Example

Gainsborough had a unique ability to remember all landscapes that occurred around him. This gift helped him to write pictures demonstrating nature in detail. Although the artists succeeded in both portraits and landscapes, he considered the latter to be more important. That is why Thomas Gainsborough is frequently discussed together with his contribution to the depiction of landscapes. One of the best pictures of his is Coastal Scene with Shipping and Cattle. It is impossible to omit the most significant facts from Gainsborough’s biography while discussing this artist.

Thomas Gainsborough’s childhood passed in Sudbury, Suffolk. He was born here as the youngest member of the family. His father was an ordinary person – a weaver and maker of woolen goods. At the age of thirteen a boy was already able to demonstrate his penciling skills. He could easily remember the things around him and commit them into the paper. That is why the father had nothing to do but send the son to London to study. This happened in 1740. Firstly young Gainsborough studied under engraver Hubert Gravelot.

A bit later his trainer changed. It was William Hogarth (Holt, 124). Soon Thomas married Margaret Burr (1746). She was an illegitimate daughter of the Duke of Beaufort. This was a good choice because the latter gave the couple ?200 per year. The artist’s love for landscapes did not help him to earn enough money for living. That is why he decided to try painting portraits. Thomas left for Sudbury in 1748-1749. Gainsborough received more money for his portraits, but this was not enough because he already had two daughters.

This led the artist to Ipswich. Here he wrote the portraits of local squires and merchants. It is necessary to stress that Sudbury was not the last place for Thomas Gainsborough to live and search for recognition. His family moved to Bath. This event is considered as a new stage of his life and work. Thomas tried to learn more about painting with the help of Van Dyck’s portraits. Bath gave a young artist an opportunity to reach a high society clientele which could pay more money for their portraits.

In 1761 Thomas started sending his works to the Society of Arts exhibition in London. Now it is called the Royal Society of Arts. This gave him an opportunity to become one of its first members. In 1769 the artist sent his works to the Royal Academy’s exhibition. Gainsborough chose the portraits of well-known people and captured the audience’s attention. This was the first step towards success and recognition. After the exhibition Thomas Gainsborough was offered to become one of the founding members of the Royal Academy.

It happened in 1769. However, cooperation with Academy did not last for a long period of time and Thomas stopped exhibiting there his works in 1773. London was not the last home for Thomas Gainsborough and his beloved family. They moved to Schomberg House, Pall Mill in 1774. Several years Thomas exhibited his portraits in Royal Academy again. One of the most famous pictures of that time was the Duke and Duchess of Cumberland. The artists received a lot of royal commissions after he had painted the portraits of King George III and his queen.

This success gave the artist an opportunity to influence the way how his pictures were exhibited in the Royal Academy of Art. This fact means that he already had some influence. However, in 1783 Thomas Gainsborou