Thomas Gainsborough

Thomas Gainsborough, son of a Sudbury wool manufacturer, went to London at thirteen and learned from the French engraver Hubert Gravelot. He made his living with portraits, first in Ipswich and Bath and then in London, painted in a light palette with quick, feathery strokes. Landscapes were what he loved most, and he is credited with Richard Wilson as a founder of the British landscape school. He was a founding member of the Royal Academy and the great rival of Joshua Reynolds.