Head of a boy 

Joshua Reynolds painted this oil sketch, "Head of a Boy," in England, sometime in the late 18th century. Reynolds was the first president of the Royal Academy, and his work embodies the institution's aspiration to elevate British painting to the level of the Old Masters. In this sketch, we see his attempt to ennoble the genre of portraiture by modeling his figures on classical sculpture and the great masters of the Renaissance. The loose brushwork and warm palette give the boy a cherubic appearance, reminiscent of religious paintings. By idealizing the boy's features, Reynolds elevates him to a symbol of innocence and beauty. To fully understand Reynolds' work, we need to examine the visual culture of his time, looking at the prints, sculptures, and paintings that circulated in 18th-century England. These sources help us understand the social and institutional context in which Reynolds operated and the values he sought to promote through his art.