Edward Swinburne 1785

Thomas Gainsborough created this portrait of Edward Swinburne using oil paint on canvas, a typical medium for portraying the British elite. However, Gainsborough brings an interesting sensibility to the work. He was born into a family involved in the woolen trade, and there's a softness to his application that is reminiscent of textiles. See how the layering of tones and hues creates subtle gradations, with each stroke like a thread in a rich fabric. It seems that painting for Gainsborough was a tactile process, just like the handling of cloth. This is particularly evident in the rendering of Swinburne’s coat. You can almost feel the nap of the material. Gainsborough had a successful career painting the aristocracy, but he never lost touch with the material realities that made their privileged lives possible. By examining the materiality of this portrait, we recognize that the aesthetic value of the artwork is intrinsically linked to the labor and production systems of the time.