PLYMOUTH CITY MUSEUM AND ART GALLERY

SIR JOSHUA REYNOLDSTHE ACQUISITION OF GENIUS

TEACHERS PACK

About this pack 3

Visiting the exhibition 4

Who was Sir Joshua Reynolds? 5

The 18th Century 6

The Royal Academy 8

Reynolds and celebrity 9

Portraits by Sir Joshua Reynolds 10-19

CONTENTS

ABOUT THIS PACK

This pack is intended as an introduction to theexhibition for teachers, educators, and olderstudents. It covers some of the broad themesincluded within the exhibition, and looks atfive works in depth. It offers ideas and startingpoints for visiting teachers to use with all agegroups. Some of the activities can be used aspreparation for a visit, and others are moresuited to class work after your visit.

Note:Images of thepaintings areincluded for useon a whiteboardor with a projectorin the classroom.

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VISITING THE EXHIBITION

The Learning Team are able to provide staff-led sessions for visiting schools. We believethat enjoyment, inspiration and creativityare central to learning within a museum orgallery environment.

All educational visits are free of charge, butneed to be booked in advance. To book a visit,please email museumvisits@plymouth.gov.ukor alternatively call 01752 304774.

Please have some potential dates for your visitready when you call.

Remember to bring pencils and sketchbookswith you for yor visit!

Note:A book will alsobe available forpurchase fromour shop.

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WHO WAS SIR JOSHUA REYNOLDS?

Note:Plymouth Dockbecame Devonportin 1824. So far,historians havebeen unable topinpoint the exacthouses whereReynolds lived ineither Plymptonor Dock.

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Sir Joshua Reynolds was born in Plymptonon 15 July 1723. His father Samuel Reynoldswas a clergyman, and Master of PlymptonGrammar School, which later became Hele’sSchool. Reynolds’ passion for art was clearfrom his childhood. At the age of nineteen,he began to study painting with the London-based artist Thomas Hudson, who washimself a successful portrait painter. Afterlearning how to paint portraits that flatteredhis subjects, he returned to Plymouth Dockand began to paint portraits of well-off localpeople and their families.

In terms of his career opportunities,Plymouth Dock was an important areafor Reynolds to have relocated. Separateto Plymouth, Stonehouse and Plympton,Plymouth Dock was a new town basedaround the naval dockyard. The navalofficers who lived in Plymouth Dock begancommissioning portraits from Reynolds -the first of which to bring any notice was aportrait of Captain John Hamilton, who hadmarried into the Eliot family of St Germans.This early recognition paid dividends in thefuture, as Reynolds continued to paintportraits of Admirals, Commodores andCaptains for the rest of his life.

In May 1749, aged 26, Reynolds travelledto Italy with Captain Augustus Keppel, andfor the first time saw works by the greatItalian painters, which were to become theinspiration for many of his later paintings.He stayed in Rome for two years, makingdetailed copies of work by the masters thatinspired him. He travelled to Florence for sixmonths, Venice for six weeks, and Bolognaand Palma for a few days.

In 1753, Reynolds returned home to Devon.After three months he moved to London andset up a studio at St Martin’s Lane. His risein popularity amongst London’s wealthy elitesecured 125 sitters in 1755 alone. This ledto Reynolds, like most other artists of the day,employing an assistant to paint this backgroundsand ‘block in’ his figures, while he was left tofinish off important details such as the faceand clothing of his sitters. Among his assistantswere Guiseppe Marchi, whom he had met inRome as a 15 year old, and JamesNorthcote, another Plymouth-born artist.

In 1768, Reynolds became the first presidentof the Royal Academy (see page 8 for moreinformation), and secured his reputation overthe next few years with a series of high profilepaintings, such as ‘The Ladies Waldegrave’,and ‘Three Ladies Adorning a Term of Hymen’.

By the end of his life, Reynolds had thereputation of being the greatest portraitpainter in England, and considered anequal to the great European painters suchas Velasquez, Rembrandt and Rubens.He never truly lost his Plymouthian accent either!

Not bad for a lad from Plympton, eh?

THE 18TH CENTURY6

Britain was at war for a large part of the 18thCentury, most notably involved in the AustrianWar of Succession, the Seven Years War andthe American War of Independence. Britain’svictories in the Seven Years War deliveredsignificant territorial gains and concreted itsposition as master of the high seas and theworlds leading colonial power. The loss of theAmerican colonies on the other hand was asevere blow. Plymouth played an importantrole in the protection of the country and itsinterests as a naval garrison town and thelocation of the growing naval dockyard. Manyof the naval officers who were stationed inPlymouth would have been among Reynolds’early client base; the commissions frommilitary officers would continue throughout hiscareer and serve to celebrate Britain’s heroesin true patriotic fashion.

London had become the major European portas a result of Britain’s increasing trade withits colonies. The city grew and many of itsinhabitants were involved with the port;merchants, shipping agents and clerks,customs officers, marine insurers and thosewho worked in the financial institutions.These occupations swelled the ranks of the‘middling classes’, joining the doctors,solicitors and clergymen. Sugar, tobacco andcotton from plantations in Britain’s colonieswere among the most profitable imports - theproduction of these commodities relied heavilyon the transatlantic slave trade.

London was also the political centre; therewere two political parties that held thebalance of power during the century -the Tories and the Whigs. The Whig politicianRobert Walpole became the first person tohold the powers of a Prime Minister in 1721.The Tories were traditional and tended tocome from the old landed families whilst theWhigs were popular with the up and comingmerchant class and professionals and weremore liberal in their beliefs. Only about 5% ofthe population were eligible to vote andqualification was by property. Members ofParliament were another source of commissionfor Reynolds and he painted Charles Fox andLord Rockingham among others. The cartoonsof James Gillray offer an interesting contrast toSir Joshua’s portraits and an insight intocontemporary political issues.

Many of Reynolds’s clients came from wealthylanded families, many of whom had residencesin the new and fashionable areas of the city aswell as country homes; they would have beenattracted by the many pleasurable pursuitsand society that London offered. The theatresof Drury Lane and Covent Garden, the operaand the art exhibitions would be the in placesto be seen and the fashionable ladies of theday would display their fine and fancygarments. The popularity of the theatretranscended class - even the Prince Regentwas an avid theatre goer - and Reynoldspainted the popular stars of the day.

THE 18TH CENTURY contd

The scientific discoveries of the enlightenmentled to inventions such James Watt’s steamengine and Arkwright’s spinning frame whichkick started the industrial revolution thatoccurred in the latter half of the century.The first cotton mill opened in Derbyshirein 1771 although it wasn’t until the 19thcentury that industrialists ranked among thewealthiest classes. Enlightenment philosophershad applied rational thinking to big questionssuch as the nature and existence of God andabout how society should be structured.Adam Smith’s major work The Wealth ofNations applied enlightenment logic to theeconomy and with its theory on free tradewas the herald of today’s capitalist society.

Many of these new ideas received an airing tothe populace through the expansion of printinghouses. Pamphlets and newspapers becamemore widely read, and would have beenavailable to read in coffee houses. The Times,which first appeared as the Daily UniversalRegister in 1785, is the only daily newspaperthat has survived from the 18th century tothis day. Debating societies were formed tomull over these ideas, topics such as ‘whetherthe current peace would last’, new inventionssuch as the steam engine or the contentiousissue of slavery would have been discussed.There might also be criticism of the latestgovernment decision on taxation or the PrinceRegent’s spending habit and a good deal ofgossip thrown in. At the top end of thespectrum The Literary Club, of whichReynolds was a founding member, met at theTurk’s Head; they had a restrictedmembership of 30 and only the most learnedmen of the literary and liberal professionswere invited to join, this ensured that allaspects of debates could be fully understood.

Of course there was another side of society,the large underclass who worked on the landas labourers or in the new factories - the label‘working class’ had not yet been adopted.Many ordinary people lived in poverty andhad no vote and therefore no way of improvingtheir lot, some took solace in drinking ginwhich was cheap and widely available.Justice was harsh and the death penaltywas given for relatively minor offences;James Boswell recorded watching hangingsat Newgate Prison in his journals and suchevents would draw a large crowd. The disparitybetween the rich and the poor was not asubject covered by Sir Joshua Reynolds whosesitters were taken from the upper echelons ofsociety - try comparing the work of Hogarthfor a different view of the 18th century.

Those who were ineligible to vote oftenmade their grievances heard by rioting, theseriots did not have the violent connotationsthat we associate with the word today andwere, more often than not, a protest about asingle localised issue. After the FrenchRevolution in 1789 many of those in powerfeared that a similar event would happen inBritain. Edmund Burke was particularly vocalin his condemnation and wrote hisReflections on the revolution. Others such asCharles Fox applauded the fall of the Bastille,equating it with France’s attempt to gain thesame liberties as the English but opinionswere later to change dramatically with theonset of the terror.

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THE ROYAL ACADEMY

The Royal Academy exhibitions werefamously hung with paintings from floor toceiling. Try hanging your own ‘Royal Academy’display in school of paintings from floor toceiling. Can you see the paintings at the topof the display properly? Do you think weshould have hung the paintings in ourexhibition this way?

Note:Engravings byBartolozzi andpaintings byKauffmann canbe seen in theCottonianCollection

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The Academy was founded by George III in1768. The 34 founding Members were a groupof prominent artists and architects who weredetermined to achieve professional standing forBritish art and architecture. They also wantedto provide a venue for exhibitions that would beopen to the public; and to establish a school ofart through which their skills and knowledgecould be passed to future generations of artists.

Among the founding members were artists suchas Thomas Gainsborough, John Zoffany,Francesco Bartolozzi and Angelica Kauffmann.Other artists with strong South West connectionsjoined later - among them John Opie and James Northcote.

Sir Joshua Reynolds was the first president of the Royal Academy, a position he held from it’sformation in 1768 until his death in 1792. As President, Reynolds was expected to lecture tothe other members and students of the Academy. His Discourses on Art, delivered between1769 and 1790, are still available to read today.

The Academy today continues to aspire, in the words of its eighteenth-century founders, ‘topromote the arts of design’, that is: to present a broad range of visual art to the widest possibleaudience; to stimulate debate, understanding and creation through education; and to provide afocus for the interests of artists and art-lovers.

REYNOLDS AND CELEBRITY9

Can you think of a celebrity that you haveseen face-to-face? Now think of all thosecelebrities that you have seen on television,or in magazines or newspapers. Try makingyour own Hello - style magazine, filled withportraits of those celebrities. You couldcollage these, or have a go at drawingthem from memory. Why not try onlyusing celebrities from Plymouth?

When we think of celebrities today, we think of countless magazines and newspapers - Hello,OK, Now, The Sun, The Mirror - devoted on the whole to reporting on the activities of thissmall section of society. We watch television programmes such as Hell’s Kitchen, CelebrityBig Brother, and I’m a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here. We buy their autobiographies, perfumes,and clothing ranges.

Celebrity was just as important in the 18th century as it is for us, possibly more so.There obviously weren’t television programmes to watch, perfumes or clothing ranges to buyback then, but being seen in the right place at the right time was paramount. One way to dothis was to have your portrait painted by one of the greatest artists of the land - ThomasGainsborough, Allen Ramsey or Joshua Reynolds. Not only would your portrait have beenon display at one of the artists’ private galleries, a public gallery or a London townhouse,but more than likely it would have also been reproduced as an engraving and published widely.

This also worked both ways - actors, courtesansand scholars were keen to promote themselvesto gain recognition - and also the artists wereable to further their reputation by publishingwidely. In the same way that Sam Taylor-Woods’ 2004 film of David Beckhamsleeping was widely covered by newspapersand television when it was displayed at theNational Portrait Gallery in London, so tooReynolds’ portraits would have stirred thepublic interest - keen to see the latestfashions, famous visitors or Royal portraits.

PAINTINGS BY SIR JOSHUA REYNOLDS

Portrait of Rev. Samuel ReynoldsOil on canvasc.1745-46© Plymouth City Museum and Art Gallery: Cottonian Collection

This portrait shows Reynolds father, Rev.Samuel Reynolds, sitting almost in profile.

Samuel Reynolds became Master ofPlympton Grammar School in 1715, whichlater became Hele’s School. The schoolsurvives today as one of the largest secondaryschools in the city, though has now movedfrom the Old Grammar School in PlymptonSt Maurice to a new site.

As Samuel died on Christmas Day 1745,this portrait is thought to have paintedposthumously. The death of his fathercaused Reynolds to return home for 4 years,only leaving when the opportunity to travelto Italy with Captain Keppel arose.

Have a go at painting a portrait frommemory, without making drawings or usingphotographs first. Try and paint one of yourfamily members - make sure they are notin the classroom with you (we know someparents are also TA’s)! Did you find itdifficult? Why was it so difficult? Did yourpainting resemble that person?

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Portrait of Rev. Samuel ReynoldsOil on canvasc.1745-46© Plymouth City Museum and Art Gallery: Cottonian Collection

PORTRAITS BY SIR JOSHUA REYNOLDS

Imagine you are either Anne Bonfoy, or herhusband Hugh, posing for Sir JoshuaReynolds. What pose would you have held foryour portrait, and what clothes, jewellery andaccessories would you have chosen foryourself to wear for this important occasion?

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Portrait of Lady Anne BonfoyOil on canvas1754© Plymouth City Museum and Art Gallery: Port Eliot Collection

This is a painting of Anne Bonfoy, a member of one of Reynolds most important local patrons,the Eliot family. The family had lived at Port Eliot, a large house in St Germans since the mid16th Century.

Reynolds received many commissions to paint members of the Eliot family and their relations,and was to remain on close terms with them throughout his life. Edward, 1st Lord Eliot, wasone of the pallbearers at Reynolds’ state burial in the crypt of St Paul’s Cathedral on 3 March 1792.

Anne had married Hugh Bonfoy, a captainin the Royal Navy in 1751. Reynolds was ina prime position whilst based in Plymouth tocapitalise on the abundance of wealthy RoyalNaval officers in the city. They were willingto pay good money for themselves and theirfamilies to be painted by artists such asReynolds, and also often paid for copies tobe made to hang in their friends’ houses.

Reynolds’ reputation was secured bypainting this kind of work. The portraits wouldhave been seen by the great and good of thetime, both in the South West and London, andwould have been appealing for both the artistand the sitter - gaining a reputation for thesitter as a fashionable lady of the time, andfor Reynolds in helping to secure morecommissions for new portraits.

Portrait of Lady Anne BonfoyOil on canvas1754© Plymouth City Museum and Art Gallery: Port Eliot Collection

PORTRAITS BY SIR JOSHUA REYNOLDS

David Garrick between Tragedy and Comedy1760 -61Waddesdon Manor,The Rothschild Collection (Rothschild Family Trust)

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David Garrick was the most celebrated British actor of the 18th century. His rise to fame wasfast. Critically acclaimed performances - particularly as Shakespeare’s Richard III - writing andproducing plays, and co-owning the Drury Theatre all helped to establish him on the Londonsocial scene. Garrick regularly socialised with Reynolds, and was invited to join the Literary Club- home to some of the greatest thinkers of the day.

Members of ‘The Club’, as it came to be known, included leading figures in the artistic,literary and intellectual world such as Samuel Johnson, Oliver Goldsmith and Edmund Burke.

The Club’s reputation soon eclipsed otherleading societies and clubs of the day, and soto become a member meant instantrecognition and fame.

Garrick, like Reynolds, was no stranger to theidea of self-promotion, and appeared in manyother leading artist’s paintings and engravingsof the time.

This painting is one of the most importantworks that Reynolds produced in his career.

Reynolds drew inspiration for this paintingfrom an ancient Greek story - Ovid’s Amores.Using a modern story (and some children aswilling actors and actresses!), set up a threeperson pose for the rest of the class to draw.Can they represent an entire modern story byjust posing?

David Garrick between Tragedy and Comedy1760 -61Waddesdon Manor,The Rothschild Collection (Rothschild Family Trust)

PORTRAITS BY SIR JOSHUA REYNOLDS

Self PortraitOil on canvasc.1764/65© Plymouth City Museum and Art Gallery: Cottonian Collection

Sir Joshua Reynolds painted manyself portraits during his artistic career;a selection of these can be seen in theexhibition from different periods of his life.The portrait from our collection would havebeen painted when Reynolds was around40 years old.

Despite Reynolds having a very busyprofessional life - he was said to workseven days a week for nine months of theyear - the artist was able to regularly paintimages of himself. Perhaps he waited untilthe summer when his appointment bookwas usually empty. Reynolds used this timeto experiment with new techniques andcompositions for his work.

Clearly, Reynolds worked hard for his success.Putting in long hours from as early in hiscareer as the 1750’s helped to establish hisreputation as the greatest portrait painter inthe land.

Try painting a self portrait. Use differentmaterials to create robes such as the oneworn by Reynolds in this painting. This willhelp you to concentrate on painting your face,rather than your clothes or jewellery. Howdifficult did you find it when you werepainting your self portrait? Did the modelfidget too much?!

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Self PortraitOil on canvasc.1764/65© Plymouth City Museum and Art Gallery: Cottonian Collection

PORTRAITS BY SIR JOSHUA REYNOLDS

Portrait of Charles Rogers FRS FSAOil on canvas1777© Plymouth City Museum and Art Gallery: Cottonian Collection

Charles Rogers was an important collector ofbooks, paintings and prints. He inherited partsof his substantial collection from WilliamTownson, a colleague at the Customs Housein London. He also added to the collectionwhenever he could, even employing peopleto collect on his behalf overseas. The portraitshows Rogers in his fine clothes and holdingpapers, implying a well-off and professionalindividual. This portrait was commissioned byRogers, and was the only painting by Reynoldsin his collection at the time.

Rogers’ collection forms a key part of theCottonian Collection held by Plymouth CityMuseum and Art Gallery, having been left tohis brother-in-law William Cotton I. The otherReynolds paintings in the Cottonian Collectionwere added later by William Cotton III, andwere donated to the city on his death.

Using the internet, can you discover anyimportant patrons for British artists today?Have any of these patrons had their portraitspainted or photographed?

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Portrait of Charles Rogers FRS FSAOil on canvas1777© Plymouth City Museum & Art Gallery: Cottonian Collection

Cover

image:

Self-Portrait,c1772-3©Philip

Mould

Ltd