Discourses Delivered at the Royal Academy

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June 25, 2026

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Sir Joshua Reynolds's Discourses Delivered at the Royal Academy are a collection of lectures he gave as the first president of the Royal Academy of Arts in London. These lectures, delivered between 1769 and 1791, outline his theories on art and aesthetics. Reynolds aimed to elevate British painting by encouraging artists to study the masters of the past and to pursue the "Grand Style". His discourses cover topics such as the importance of academic training, the balance between line and color, and the principles of composition. They served as a guide for aspiring artists and significantly influenced artistic thought in 18th-century England.12

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Joshua Reynolds
Personality and criticism of Joshua Reynolds
Reynolds’s Discourses Delivered at the Royal Academy (1769–91) is among the most important art criticism of the time. In it he outlined the essence of grandeur in art and suggested the means of achieving it through rigorous academic training and study of the old masters of…
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Reynolds’s Discourses Delivered at the Royal Academy (1769–91) is among the most important art criticism of the time. In it he outlined the essence of grandeur in art and suggested the means of achieving it through rigorous academic training and study of the old masters of…
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English literature
Johnson’s poetry and prose
…Joshua Reynolds, in his 15 Discourses (delivered to the Royal Academy between 1769 and 1790, but first published collectively in 1797).
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…Joshua Reynolds, in his 15 Discourses (delivered to the Royal Academy between 1769 and 1790, but first published collectively in 1797).
Read More