1769
unspecified
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
Portrait of George Pitt, First Baron Rivers is a 1769 unspecified by Thomas Gainsborough, a Rococo painting work, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.
A man in a bright red military coat stands against a misty green forest. His pose is calm, one hand resting on his hip, the other holding a walking stick. Gainsborough painted this portrait between the man’s diplomatic trips, but you’d never guess he was a rough, unkind person. The artist softened his edges—cool colors and loose brushstrokes make the scene feel peaceful, not harsh. Even the uniform’s bold red looks elegant, not aggressive. If you like this quiet style, look up *sfumato*—the way Gainsborough blurred edges to create mood.
Although George Pitt reputedly led a life of debauchery and was a cruel husband, Thomas Gainsborough’s portrait endows him with an aura of dignity and refinement. This work was painted between Pitt’s appointments as ambassador to Turin, Italy, and Madrid, Spain, but he is very much the English gentleman at home on his country estate. Gainsborough balances the deep scarlet and green facing of Pitt’s military uniform with the cool, woodland landscape painted with wide, liquid brushstrokes of mauves, grays, and silvers.
Gainsborough was famous for his portraits, but he especially loved painting landscapes.
Read the full account in the museum source.
Thomas Gainsborough (; 14 May 1727 (baptised) – 2 August 1788) was an English painter, draughtsman and printmaker who specialised in portrait and landscape painting.
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