"Thomas Gainsborough (1727-1788) is the most perennially popular of British artists, admired for the grandeur of his society portraits and his sumptuous pastoral landscapes. In his life and his art he wished to project an image of effortless accomplishment, demonstrated by a dazzling painting technique and an immense personal charm. Among the most innovative and enigmatic artists of his age, he was also competitive, opinionated and possessed of a finely tuned business brain. The true nature of his achievement is at once greatly appreciated yet insufficiently understood." "This book traces Gainsborough's career from his boyhood in rural Suffolk to the pinnacle of commercial success at the Court of George III. Martin Postle reassesses the artist's attitudes towards the central aspect of his art - landscape and portraiture. He also examines the tremendous impact upon his career of the Royal Academy and the Court of St. James's."--BOOK JACKET.