Biography for Sir Joshua Reynolds

Employment

Painter. Son of Samuel Reynolds (1681-1745), schoolmaster, and his wife, Theophila Potter (1688-1756) of Great Torrington, Devon. He is most famous for his portrait paintings and was a founder (and first President) of the Royal Academy. Reynolds' work was criticised by the Pre-Raphaelites on account of its broad, studio-based technique which lacked the clarity and detail of Quattrocento Italian and Flemish art. Reynolds died of liver disease and is buried in the crypt of St Paul's Cathedral.