George Romney: 215 Plates (Colour Plates)

By Maria Peitcheva

George Romney (1734 - 1802) was an English portrait painter. He was the most fashionable artist of his day, painting many leading society figures - including his artistic muse, Emma Hamilton, mistress of Lord Nelson. Romney is generally ranked third in the hierarchy of 18th-century society portrait painters, after Joshua Reynolds and Thomas Gainsborough. His art is characterized by great refinement, sensitivity of feeling, elegance of design and beauty of color. Romney was a prolific painter and produced about 2,000 paintings and 5,000 drawings during his lifetime.Romney studied art as an apprentice to Christopher Steele, whose clean, neat style can be seen in Romney's early works. Romney left his wife and children in the north of England to pursue a career in London. He was reasonably successful in London, but then embarked on a grand tour of France and Italy to study the Old Masters. His painting style matured in this time and his skills were much in demand when he returned to London.Romney became obsessed with the beauty of Emma Hart, the mistress of Sir William Hamilton. He painted her in various poses and used her as a model for a number of his historical and Shakespearean paintings. At the end of his life, in failing health, Romney returned to his wife in the north of England after an absence of almost 40 years. She nursed him until he died.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1523607696
• ISBN13: 9781523607693
• Release Date: January 2016
• Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
• Length: 60 Pages
• Weight: 0.46 lbs.
• Dimensions: 11.0" x 0.1" x 8.5"