Thomas Gainsborough: A Country Life (Art & Design S.) [Hardcover]

Hugh Belsey (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 2002 | Series: Art & Design S.

This study on Thomas Gainsborough concentrates on the early life and works of the great 18th-century artist. Gainsborough's talent was evident at a young age, and before he established himself as one of London's leading portrait artists he was able to indulge himself in his true passion, landscapes, as well as to provide portraits for a provincial clientele. Graced with the light and gentle shadows of the English countryside, these early works provided the foundation for much of Gainsborough's later work. However many of them, including the renowned "Mr and Mrs Andrews", and "His Daughters Chasing a Butterfly", can be called masterpieces in their own right. It was in Suffolk that the artist developed a naturalistic approach to portraiture by abandoning "conversation pieces" and painting instead a number of straightforward head-and-shoulder portraits. This volume features 80 colour and black-and-white reproductions of Gainsborough's paintings, etchings and drawings. They not only shed light on the development of one of England's most revered painters, but also offer an intimate look at the work of a young painter in the thrall of his subjects, and just beginning to realise his full talents.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

Thomas Gainsborough (1727-1788) studied art in London, where he later moved and became a favorite painter of the Royal Family. His work was influenced by Dutch landscape painting, van Dyck and Rubens, but his landscapes, portraits and fancy pictures show the work of an independent and original genius.

About the Author

Hugh Belsey is a leading authority on the work of Thomas Gainsborough. He is curator of Gainsborough’s House in Sudbury, Suffolk, England, the artist’s birthplace and the museum which displays more of his paintings, drawings, and prints than any other.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 96 pages
• Publisher: Prestel Publishing (October 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 3791327844
• ISBN-13: 978-3791327846
• Product Dimensions: 10.7 x 8.9 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,186,709 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Belsey Offers a Compelling Portrait of Early Gainsborough, September 3, 2003

By 

Building Envelope Expert (Honolulu, Hawaii United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Thomas Gainsborough: A Country Life (Art & Design S.) (Hardcover)

This is an engaging book focusing on the earlier landscape paintings and portraits completed in Ipswich and Bath. The observations on the details of the paintings are acute and perceptive. The author illuminates with a thorough knowledge of the social mores and conventions of 18th Century England. For painters and artists, the insights on formal composition and color are instructive.

The narrative text is laced with a wit, humor, and irony that perhaps one can only find in an English art historian writing about a consummate English artist. The book is also mercifully focused and short, alleviating some of the bludgeon like tediousness of many art history tomes.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Thomas Gainsborough: A Country Life by Hugh Belsey, December 19, 2002

By 

ms g m a clayton (edinburgh Scotland) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Thomas Gainsborough: A Country Life (Art & Design S.) (Hardcover)

Mr Belsey has truimphed with this book - it is packed with detail that is conveyed in an accessible style of writing that enables the reader to absorb information whilst, at the same time, enjoying the whole experience.