Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
This episode of The Great Artists tells the story of the life and work of the man who is considered to be the head of the English school of painting. His name was Joshua Reynolds, born the son of a clergyman at Plympton Earls, near Plymouth, England. A master of portraiture, which is famous for their expressiveness and the beauty of its colouring, Reynolds also founded the Literary Club, members of which included Johnson, Garrick, Boswell and Sheridan. Knighted in 1769, Reynolds was the first president of the Royal Academy. Ill health prevented him from working during his later years and when he died in 1792 he was buried in St. Paul’s Cathedral.
This episode of The Great Artists tells the story of the life and work of the man who is considered to be the head of the English school of painting. His name was Joshua Reynolds, born the son of a clergyman at Plympton Earls, near Plymouth, England. A master of portraiture, which is famous for their expressiveness and the beauty of its colouring, Reynolds also founded the Literary Club, members of which included Johnson, Garrick, Boswell and Sheridan. Knighted in 1769, Reynolds was the first president of the Royal Academy. Ill health prevented him from working during his later years and when he died in 1792 he was buried in St. Paul’s Cathedral.
