How did Joshua Reynolds develop an independent painting style in the 1740s?

Joshua Reynolds developed an independent painting style during the 1740s primarily through his return to London in 1744, where he began to acquire a deeper knowledge of the old masters. This period marked a departure from his earlier, less experienced work, as he cultivated a distinct approach characterized by bold brushwork and the use of impasto—a technique involving a thick surface texture of paint.1

His stylistic evolution was further influenced by his study of established masters. For instance, his work on the group portrait of the Eliot family (c. 1746/47) demonstrates that he had closely studied the large-scale portraiture of the Flemish Baroque painter Sir Anthony Van Dyck, whose influence remained significant in English portraiture throughout the 18th century. By synthesizing these technical experiments with the study of classical traditions, Reynolds began to establish the artistic foundation that would eventually lead him to dominate British painting in the following decades.1