Captain Philemon Pownall,

1769

Material / Technology / Carrier

Öl auf Leinwand

Dimensions of the object

239 x 148 cm

Displayed

Not on display

Department

19. Jahrhundert

Genre

Malerei

Inventory number

14932

Acquisition

1985 aus dem Kunsthandel erworben

Stock

Bayerische Staatsgemäldesammlungen - Neue Pinakothek München

Citation

Joshua Reynolds, Captain Philemon Pownall, 1769, Bayerische Staatsgemäldesammlungen - Neue Pinakothek München, URL: https://www.sammlung.pinakothek.de/en/artwork/apG90RqLZn (Last updated on 19.06.2023)

As the first president of the Royal Academy, Sir Joshua Reynolds promoted the development of a unified national school. It was to be based on the Grand Style, as explained by Reynolds in his well-known lectures titled Discourses on Art. Elevated in tone and subject matter, this style privileged idealisation over realism. A fine example in Reynolds's own principal field, portraiture, is this painting of a sea captain with its marine trappings.