During his lifetime painter Sir Joshua Reynolds (1723-1792) was an important figure in London’s intellectual circles.
He immortalised the who is who of his day and incorporated metaphoric symbols in his paintings to accentuate the qualities of his portrait sitters. This idealisation wasn’t just popular amongst patrons – it was a must during this time.
Portrait sitters were incredibly vain and the only true portrait painting was considered to come from Italy or France. Sir Joshua ended up being so successful in his profession that he was appointed the first president of the recently established Royal Academy of Arts in 1768.
GoSee presents a series inspired by his work by London photographer Zena HOLLOWAY, famed for her underwater photography. The images stem from a long-term project, which is mainly dedicated to the faces and characters of the sitters, and also integrates animals into the images in Zena’s own personal interpretation of the subject.
Zena enthusiastically comments, ‘having spent the last 20 years focusing completely on underwater photography www.zenaholloway.com these images represent something new, exciting - and most importantly ‘dry’ for a change.’
