The Suffolk county of England is well known for its diverse country scenery and beautiful coastal areas. It has also been the subject of great paintings, settings in literature, and the home of at least two world class artists. Thomas Gainsborough is a painter who was born in this region and his depictions of landscapes and portraits continue to hang in the top world museums. Tourists who are staying in one of the quaint Suffolk hotels will be able to witness first hand the beauty that inspired this great painter. Many of his landscapes portray the land in a particular mood or state of existence. He had an amazing ability to capture and impending storm and incorporate it into the personality of the landscape.
Gainsborough is one of the most famous portrait painters to come from the English 18th century. He was born in May of 1727 in Sudbury, Suffolk. His father worked in the wool trade and was a skilled weaver. Perhaps the creativity involved in weaving lead him to recognize the early talent Gainsborough was demonstrating with his pencil drawings. This led the father to send him to study with a trained engraver in London.
One of the greatest and most prestigious offerings for a portrait painter is to be asked to paint members of the royalty or monarchy. Gainsborough painted portraits of King George III and his queen in 1780. Following this he received many commissions and strong patronage. It also established him as a major portrait painter and gave him some influence in the Academy. It also gave him the freedom to expand on his own technique and play with styles and painting theory. He developed his technique from strong observations of the nature of physiology and the world. Some of his constant subjects were his daughters and landscapes.
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