The foundation of the Royal Academy of Arts at the end of 1768 reflected the growing ambitions of the British school of painting which had been expanding since the beginning of the century and now aimed to train true professionals, capable of competing with the most prestigious European masters, as well as to foster the development of a national artistic identity. The political and economic conditions were particularly favourable: the growing importance of the urban merchant class and of the gentry through the political revolutions of the seventeenth century, and more recently the recognition of Great Britain as an undisputed commercial and imperial power following the Seven Years’ War (1756-1763), called for new cultural expressions. While the sciences had flourished since the…
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Citation: Ibata, Helene. "English Painting 1770-1830". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 29 January 2021 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/stopics.php?rec=true&UID=19615, accessed 24 November 2024.]
