Born in Sudbury in Suffolk, Gainsborough trained in London before becoming a portrait painter in Ipswich. He moved to Bath in 1759 and acquired many wealthy patrons. His interest in painting landscapes led him to include them in the backgrounds of his portraits, frequently posing his sitters in rustic settings.
He was a founder member of the Royal Academy but he remained independent and was not always in agreement with his fellow Members. He did not exhibit at The Royalá Academyá from 1773-77 because of a disagreement over the hanging of his paintings. After another dispute in 1784 he stopped exhibiting there.
Gainsborough's chief influences were Gravelot, under whom he studied, and Francis Hayman. He studied the 17th Century Dutch landscape painters Wynants, Ruisdael and Hobbema. His later work was influenced by the work of Van Dyck and Rubens. He often diluted his oils with turpentine to the consistency of watercolours, building up layers of transparent colours.
