The reputation of George Stubbs has undergone profound changes over the two centuries since his death. Once neglected as 'only' an animal painter, more recent interpretations have stressed the social content and context of his art, revealing a figure whose work embodies complex attitudes towards upper-class sporting activities, the rural poor and the natural world. This book offers a refreshed picture of Stubbs, reaffirming his singular importance in the history of British art. Martin Myrone establishes Stubbs as a progressive artist, whose concerns with science and art set him somewhat at odds with the artistic establishment, and whose works provide a viable alternative to the 'aristocratic' models of the Academy. Part of Tate Publishing's British Artists series.