Sir Joshua Reynolds : Artist of the Portrait

Sir Joshua Reynolds (1723-1792) has been hailed as one of the finest portrait-painters, and his huge body of work represents the ideals of the golden age of the English aristocracy.

This video, directed by Christopher Martin, presents a wide-ranging assessment of Reynolds' artistic and intellectual achievements, particularly in setting the agenda for the "English School" of art and in defining a newly enhanced role for the artist in society.

It shows how Reynolds set about creating an approach to portraiture based on the stylistic canons of the Italian Renaissance, which could aim for the highest levels of social recognition, with his sitters including many of the rich and powerful people of the day.