This work looks at the art of Thomas Gainsborough, widely acknowledged as one of the great masters of the 18th century. Published to accompany a major exhibition at the Tate Britain the text aims to demonstrate the sheer range, quality and originality of this artist's work. It intends to present a new angle of the artist, exploring his studio practice and innovative use of colour as well as highlighting the inventiveness and complexity of his techniques. Gainsborough shunned the theory-led practice of the Royal Academy in preference for an art based on pleasure over convention, this volume draws on the view that his work has a continuing significance for British culture today.