When I think of Thomas Gainsborough, I think of elegance—those sweeping portraits with silk gowns and powdered wigs. Very fancy. But when I look a little deeper, I see an artist who spent his career walking the line between what the world expected and what his heart truly wanted. And as an artist in 2025, that tension feels surprisingly familiar.
Turns out, Gainsborough made his name painting society portraits—wealthy patrons in formal poses, dressed to impress. He was brilliant at it. But he didn’t love it. What he DID love—what he painted when no one was watching—was landscape. Trees, fields, quiet skies, humble country life. That, he once wrote, was where he found his "delight."
“I'm sick of portraits, and wish very much to take my viol-da-gam and walk off to some sweet village where I can paint landscapes.”
That line always makes me smile. It reminds me that many of us, even successful artists, carry a private longing to do the work that truly feeds us. Sometimes, we compromise to survive. And that’s okay. But Gainsborough shows me the importance of keeping space—somewhere—for what we genuinely love.
Even in his portraits, you can feel his sensitivity. There’s softness in the way he handled fabric, a gentle atmosphere in the backgrounds, a tenderness in how he saw his subjects. He wasn’t just capturing appearances—he was honoring presence. That’s something I try to hold on to in my own work: finding quiet ways to bring emotion and care into what I create.
He also worked with speed and intuition. Unlike some of his contemporaries, Gainsborough often painted with a kind of looseness—thin layers, visible brushwork, textures that feel almost modern. He reminds me that not everything has to be perfect or polished to feel alive.
In a world that still values polish, speed, and marketable identity, Gainsborough’s life whispers a different truth: make room for what brings you joy. Find a way to paint your landscapes, even if it’s in between commissions. Art is not just a performance—it’s a place to return to yourself. That’s what I love about it.
