How did Hubert Gravelot influence Thomas Gainsborough’s early artistic style?

When Thomas Gainsborough moved to London at age 13 to pursue his artistic training, he worked as an assistant to the French painter and engraver Hubert Gravelot.1

Gravelot was a significant figure in London’s art circles, and his mentorship introduced Gainsborough to the French Rococo idiom, which profoundly influenced the development of the young artist's style. This influence is particularly evident in many of Gainsborough’s early landscapes, where he incorporated Rococo design elements alongside a sensibility for the French pastoral tradition.1

Furthermore, this stylistic foundation manifested in his portraiture and group compositions. For instance, while some of his works remained grounded in Dutch influences, others—such as Lady and Gentleman in Landscape—exhibit the vivacious, rhythmic qualities characteristic of the Rococo style he learned from Gravelot.1