Thomas Lawrence

Lawrence, Thomas 

Born Apr. 13, 1769, in Bristol; died Jan. 7, 1830, in London. British artist and portraitist.

Lawrence, a self-taught painter, was influenced by J. Reynolds. In 1792 he became painter in ordinary to the king, and in 1820, president of the Royal Academy. In his early portraits Lawrence depicted the models’ individualistic traits, but his later works increasingly tended toward idealized images and superficial effects. His remarkable technical virtuosity found expression in a light palette with many highlights and a quick, fluid brushstroke.

Lawrence enjoyed wide popularity in the late 18th century and early 19th. He painted portraits of Queen Charlotte (1789, National Gallery, London), Miss E. Farren (1790, Metropolitan Museum, New York), European political and military figures (1814-19, Waterloo Chamber, Windsor Castle), M. S. Vorontsova (1821, Hermitage, Leningrad), and Sally Siddons (A. S. Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts, Moscow).

REFERENCE

Garlick, K. Sir Thomas Lawrence. London, 1954.