Admiring the art of mezzotint of great paintings

IN THE 18TH CENTURY, PRINTS MADE ART MORE ACCESSIBLE TO ALL, SAYS JO CLARKE

- JO CLARKE

MOST of Plympton-born Sir Joshua Reynolds' (1723-1792) were made to be dispaintings played in private homes for the benefit of the household and their guests.

He would display a small selection of them in the summer exhibition at the Royal Academy, where the public could catch a glimpse of the latest contemporary art.

Aside from this, in the 18th century prints were the main way the wider public learned about works of art and the lives of the people and stories they depicted.

Prints were affordable. They were published in newspapers and books, pasted onto the walls of taverns, pubs and inns, and displayed in private homes. At his studio, Reynolds' clients might have looked through prints of his previous works to get inspiration for their own portraits.