(July 16, 1723-February 23, 1792)
Born in Plympton, England, United Kingdom
Portrait artist
Founding member and first president (1768-92) of the Royal Academy of Arts

His upper lip was permanently scarred after he fell off a horse in Minorca, Spain.
His detractors called him 'Sir Sploshua' for his thick applications of paint.
His attempt to imitate the styles of Titian and Tintoretto resulted in the fleshtones in many of his paintings fading noticeably even during his lifetime.
His sister, who lived with him as his housekeeper, called him 'a gloomy tyrant.'

He went partially deaf in his 20s.
He retired from painting after losing the sight in his left eye (1789).
William Makepeace Thackeray wrote, 'Of all the polite men of that age, Joshua Reynolds was the finest gentleman.'
J.M.W. Turner so admired him that he asked to be buried next to Reynolds.

Credit: C. Fishel

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