Thomas Gainsborough was an English painter, draughtsman and printmaker who specialised in portrait and landscape painting. Along with his rival Sir Joshua Reynolds, he was one of the most important British artists of the 18th century. He painted quickly, and the works of his maturity are characterised by a light palette and easy strokes. Despite being a prolific portrait painter, Gainsborough gained greater satisfaction from his landscapes. He is credited as the originator of the 18th-century British landscape school. Gainsborough was a founding member of the Royal Academy. May 14, 1727 – August 2, 1788; died at 61. Alive at the same time as Napoleon, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Ludwig van Beethoven, Immanuel Kant, and Carl Linnaeus. Wiki link