Landscape with Figures

Thomas Gainsborough 1727 - 1788

Summary

A freely painted wooded landscape scene. In the centre foreground is a horse and cart travelling along a country lane, flanked by prominent rocky outcrops and trees. Two figures are seated in the cart, which is viewed from behind, with a third figure following on foot. The foreground rocks and trees serve to frame the open landscape as it stretches into the distance, a landscape of undulating hills and trees.

Display Label

Gallery text panel Face and Place Portraiture and Landscape in the 18th Century A dramatic growth in Britain's wealth during the 1700s brought about an increased demand for art and design. Hundreds of grand houses were built or improved and many were filled with impressive private collections. The prominent display of paintings and decorative arts demonstrated their owners' status and taste. Portraiture became particularly fashionable, leading to rising numbers of 'face painters' and to an increase in the quality of their work. The ability to capture a likeness was most important but artists could also enhance a sitter's image with qualities such as prestige, wisdom or power. New public exhibitions gave artists a shop window and the Royal Academy, founded in 1768, organised the most important annual show. Amid this developing climate of enthusiasm for art, landscape painting also began its remarkable evolution. Landscape arose from a need to accurately record views and was first thought to be of little artistic merit. But as painters grew in confidence during the later 1700s it was treated with more creativity and seriousness, establishing a distinctive tradition in British art.