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The painting of The Blue Boy is perhaps the most well known works by Gainsborough (GAINZ burro). It is thought that it is a picture of Jonathan Buttall, who was the son of a wealthy hardware merchant. It is painted with oil paints on a canvas and is quite large; 48 inches wide and 70 inches tall. He painted it over another painting that he had already started to paint.
Thomas Gainsborough, self-portrait 1759
Gainsborough was born in England and began drawing when he was very young. He started taking lessons at the age of 15.
Sarah Siddons was a famous actress during the time that she lived. Gainsborough was one of the artists she commissioned to paint her portrait. It is said that he trouble getting her nose to look just right.He liked to paint landscapes and portraits of people. He painted many pictures in his lifetime; more than 500 paintings. About 200 of these were paintings of people. He became wealthy because the rich people wanted him to paint pictures of their families.
Focus On Artists, Grades 4-8
By Teacher Created Resources
Art broadens horizons and allows children to see and evaluate are as they see art as a piece of individual human expression. Students will learn about famous and not-so-famous artists as well as the historical periods in which they lived--Renaissance & Baroque, 19th Century and 20th Century. Each lesson provides an overview with the focus, activity and vocabulary words; the lesson includes a materials list and instructions. Extensions activities and an introduction to each artist are also included. 112 reproducible pages, softcover. Grades 4-8.
Thomas Gainsborough
biography from CGFA
Paintings by Gainsborough
at ABC Gallery
Paintings from the Huntington Art Gallery
includes The Blue Boy
Gainsborough Paintings
from CGFA
Blue Boy
at Wikipedia
Information about Gainsborough
at Humanities Web
Blue Boy
see details
The Artchive
(scroll down the left column to find Gainsborough)
Carmine's Introduction to Portraits
Art Show With the Masters
art lesson grades 7-8
Paintings by Gainsborough
at Wikipedia
Gainsborough Biography and Prints
(Spanish version)
Page Comments
Most Recent Comments ( See more comments on this page ) 2009-11-02
Absoulutely truly amazing & gorgeous. Boy Blue by TG recaptures my childhood fantasies, as our painting in our living room.
Victoria Valencia Valle (victoriaalessandra4_AT_gmail_DOT_com)
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Famous Artists in this Series
Index to Famous Paintings
Art Appreciation
Lessons for Kids
Work a Jigsaw Puzzle
Online Crossword Puzzle 
Online Word Search
Online Word Scramble
Color Picture Online
