A Striking Likeness

This title was first published in 2000: In their stunning simplicity, George Romney's portraits of eighteenth-century gentry and their children are among the most widely recognised creations of his age. A rival to Reynolds and Gainsborough, Romney was born in 1734 on the edge of the Lake District, the landscape of which never ceased to influence his eye for composition and colour. He moved in 1762 to London where there was an insatiable market for portraits of the landed gentry to fill the elegant picture galleries of their country houses. Romney's sitters included William Beckford and Emma Hart, later Lady Hamilton. An influential figure, one of the founding fathers of neo-classicism and a harbinger of romanticism, Romney yearned to develop his talents as a history painter. Countless drawings bear witness to ambitious projects on elemental themes which were rarely executed on canvas. Richly illustrated, this is the first biography of Romney to explore the full diversity of his oeuvre.

Autorentext

David Cross

Inhalt

1. From Woodcarver to Portraitist 1734-62 2. In London: Architect of His Own Fortune 1762-4 3. Great Newport Street 1764-73 4. 'Egad George, We're Bit!' Italy and Neo-classicism 1773-5 5. Growing Reputation and 'The Hermit of Eartham' 1775-86 6. 'The Man in Cavendish Square' 1775-86 7. Patterns of Friendship 1775-86 8. John Boydell and the Closet Romance 1786-90 9. Prisons and Philanthropy 1790-92 10. The Fall of a Rebel Angel: Years of Decline 1793-6 11. 'An Owl in the Desert' 1796-1802