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Historical Artist - Francis Hayman (1708 - 1776)
Francis Hayman, English illustrator and painter, probably first studied with Gainsborough. He
eventually became one of England’s most flexible artists, painting literature and theater
subjects, folklore scenes, and portraits. He was also deemed the best historical painter in
England before Cipriani. Hayman was also a prolific book illustrator and occasionally
collaborated with Gravelot. He was president of the Society of Artists from 1766 to 1768 and
helped found the Royal Academy in 1768, becoming the school’s librarian three years later.
A versatile artist influenced by the French Rococo style, he achieved some note during the 1740s
through decorative paintings executed for Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens in London, but could also
turn his hand to portraits, landscapes, and scenes from history and literature. Combining some
of these, he contributed 31 pictures to a 1744 edition of Shakespeare's plays by Sir Thomas
Hanmer, and later portrayed many leading contemporary actors in Shakespearean roles, including
David Garrick as Richard III (1760). He also illustrated the novels of Samuel Richardson. He was
an able teacher. His pupils included Mason Chamberlin, Nathaniel Dance-Holland, Thomas Seton and
Lemuel Francis Abbott and he was also a strong influence on Thomas Gainsborough. With Joshua
Reynolds, Hayman was actively involved in the formation of the Society of Artists, a forerunner
of the Royal Academy, during the early 1760s.
Contemporary United Kingdom Artists
Art Galleries in the United Kingdom
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