Famous Devonians

Sir Joshua Reynolds was the most successful portrait painter of his era and became a founder and first president of the Royal Academy.

He was born in Plympton St Maurice, just outside Plymouth, on 16 July 1723, the son of a clergyman.

He quickly displayed artistic talents, and served his apprenticeship in London under Thomas Hudson - who was also from Devon.

The young Joshua went to London at the age of 17, but only stayed there for two years before returning home.

Cliff top garden, by Sir Joshua Reynolds

He worked at Plymouth waterfront, where he painted portraits. He went backwards and forwards between London and Plymouth before setting off on his travels in 1749 to the Mediterranean and then to Italy.

He didn't have the best of luck. First, he fell off his horse and sustained a scar for life on his lip. And, while in Italy, he had an awful cold which caused him to go deaf.

When he returned to England in 1753, Joshua set up base in London, where his well-to-do contacts enabled him to paint portraits of leading figures and wealthy families.

But in those days paintings by major artists weren't really accessible to the general public, so Joshua had an idea to open a museum with the help of other leading artists.

King George III also thought it was a great idea and he gave it backing, and so The Royal Academy was born in 1768.

Joshua was a founder and the first president - and he was knighted by the King.

Sir Joshua was later appointed as the King's painter, before he was struck by ill-health. He began to lose his sight and he suffered a severe stroke.

He died in 1792 and his body is buried at St Paul's Cathedral.

Reynolds was never rated right at the top - he wasn't in the same league as the likes of Rubens or Rembrandt, for example.

He experimented a lot with pigments, which is why so many of his paintings have faded badly with time. He dabbled with different mixtures, in order to find the rich texture and colours which characterise his paintings.

His connections with the Royal Academy mean he's still an important figure in art in this country - and his best work is often displayed free of charge at the Academy.

Plymouth Museum and Art Gallery also has a major collection of Reynolds' works in the Cottonian Collection.

The works were donated to the people of Plymouth in 1852 by William Cotton, from Ivybridge, who was a huge admirer of Reynolds.

Images courtesy: Royal Academy of Arts