1734-1802 George Romney Galleries By 1757 he was becoming well-known as a portraitist. He fell ill during his apprenticeship and was nursed back to health by Mary Abbott, daughter of his landlady. In 1762, by which time he was married with two children, he went to London, and saw early success with a painting, The Death of General Wolfe which won a prize from the Royal Society of Arts. Romney soon had a thriving portrait business in Long Acre. Despite his great success George Romney was never invited to join the Royal Academy nor did he ever apply to join. While there has been much speculation about his relationship with the Academy there is no doubt that he normally remained aloof maintaining that a good artist should succeed without being a member. His own career certainly supported this belief and it was only towards the end of his life that he expressed the slightest regret for his views Portrait of Miss Juliana Willoughby, 1781-83 (National Gallery of Art, Washington DC) Emma Hamilton as a bacchante by George Romney, 1785In 1773 he travelled to Italy with fellow artist Ozias Humphrey to study art in Rome and Parma, returning to London in 1775 to resume business, this time in Cavendish Square (in a house formerly owned by noted portraitist Francis Cotes). In 1782 he met Emma Hamilton (then called Emma Hart) who became his muse. He painted over 60 portraits of her in various poses, sometimes playing the part of historical or mythological figures. He also painted many other contemporaries, including fellow artist Mary Moser. After an absence of almost forty years, he returned to his family in Kendal in the summer of 1799. He was greeted by his loyal, devoted and unquestioning wife. George Romney is a kinsman of Mitt Romney, U.S politician.  Related Paintings of George Romney :. | THe Leigh Family | Barbara, Marchioness of Donegal, third wife to Arthur Chichester, 1st Marquess of Donegall | Melancholy-Il Penseroso | Portrait of Miss Willoughby | Lady Hamilton as Circe |
Related Artists:
ES, Jacob van
Flemish painter (b. ca. 1596, Antwerpen, d. 1666, Antwerpen) Flemish painter. Together with Osias Beert and Clara Peeters, he was one of the leading representatives of the archaizing trend in Flemish still-lifes. His birthplace is known from the text on an engraving by Wenceslaus Hollar after a painting by Jan Meyssens (1612-70). Van Es became a master in Antwerp in 1617 but did not join the Guild of St Luke until 1645. Jacob Gillis and Jan van Thiene were his pupils in 1621 and 1623 respectively. He enjoyed a certain esteem among fellow artists, for Jacob Jordaens, Cornelis Schut the elder and Deodaat del Monte were godfathers to his children. Numerous mentions of works by van Es in inventories of 17th-century Antwerp collectors further testify to his success
ALLORI Cristofano
Italian Baroque Era Painter, 1577-1621 Allori was born at Florence and received his first lessons in painting from his father, Alessandro Allori, but becoming dissatisfied with the hard anatomical drawing and cold coloring of the latter, he entered the studio of Gregorio Pagani (1558-1605) who was one of the leaders of the late Florentine school, which sought to unite the rich coloring of the Venetians with the Florentine attention to drawing. Allori also appears to have worked under Cigoli. His pictures are distinguished by their close adherence to nature and the delicacy and technical perfection of their execution. His technical skill is shown by the fact that several copies he made of Correggio's works were thought to be duplicates by Correggio himself. His extreme fastidiousness limited the number of his works. Several specimens are to be seen at Florence and elsewhere. The finest of his works is his Judith with the Head of Holofernes. It exists in two copies in the Pitti Palace in Florence and in the Queen's Gallery in London. The model for the Judith was his mistress, the beautiful Mazzafirra, who is also represented in his Magdalene; and the head of Holofernes is generally supposed to represent himself.
Frederick Coffay Yohn
American , 1875-1933.