Masterpiece Story: Journey of Blue Boy by Thomas Gainsborough

Thomas Gainsborough

Thomas Gainsborough was a British landscape painter active in 18th century England. As with many talented artists, Gainsborough showed an early affinity for painting and established his portfolio in the Rococo style. He developed a unique aesthetic that presented a departure from the academic tradition and became a source of inspiration for the artists of Romanticism. Although Gainsborough was greatly renowned for his portraiture, he considered it a means of his livelihood. Landscapes were truly his passion.

The Painting

The Blue Boy is a large painting about 48 inches (120 cm) wide and 70 inches (180 cm) tall. It is believed that this painting wasn’t commissioned, but was created expressly for the Royal Academy exhibition of 1770.

Standing in the center is an ostentatiously dressed young boy with dark wavy hair and dark eyes. In his right hand is a black hat and his left supports a cloak. His cheeks and lips are flushed pink. His left foot is advanced to emphasize his captivating clothing. The boy is set within a backdrop of typically Gainsborough-esque stormy skies and there is a slight illumination over the low horizon to the left.

It has long been speculated that the subject of this painting was its early owner, Jonathan Buttall, however, this has never been conclusively established. There have also been speculations that suggest the sitter may have been Gainsborough’s nephew, Gainsborough Dupont.

The Blue Clothing

This painting is a historical study in costume with the subject observed in fanciful knee-breeches and a slashed doublet with a lace collar. The tunic, breeches, and cloak are of a brilliant blue satin rendered in a spectrum of colors including ultramarine, smalt, Prussian blue, and azurite. A white shirt is visible underneath.

The blue is accented by a silver braid, silver buttons, and garters. The shoes are accented with a silver braid as well. The clothing is inspired by the work of 17th century Flemish painter, Anthony van Dyck.

Rivalry with Sir Joshua Reynolds

A part of the allure of this painting was a supposed controversy surrounding Gainsborough’s motive behind creating this work. It is believed that the choice of color may have been a deliberate attempt at refuting a statement made by Gainsborough’s rival Sir Joshua Reynolds. As President of the Royal Academy, Reynolds had lectured publicly on the use of warm and cool colors in his Discourse VIII that was presented in 1778.

This highlighted the artists’ two opposing views. Unlike Reynolds, who was a disciplined advocate of academic styles, Gainsborough remained removed from any academic decorum. However, it is unlikely that Gainsborough’s motivation was to contradict Reynold’s discourse, as The Blue Boy came eight years after Gainsborough completed this painting. The story of a rebuke was, however, repeated erroneously and played a role in The Blue Boy’s acclaim.

Repurposed Canvas

X-rays have revealed that The Blue Boy was painted over an incomplete painting of an older man. Further, Gainsborough had originally painted a dog to go alongside the boy that was covered up by a pile of rocks.

Ownership of The Blue Boy

The painting was in the possession of hardware merchant, Jonathan Buttall until he filed for bankruptcy in 1796. It passed through the hands of a politician, John Nesbitt, and a portrait painter, John Hoppner. In 1809, The Blue Boy entered the collection of Earl Grosvenor and remained with his descendants until 1921. The Grosvenor family played an enormous role in the popularity of The Blue Boy. They frequently exhibited it at public events and even admitted visitors to their residence in London to view the painting.

Purchase by Henry E. Huntington

Henry Edwards Huntington was an American railroad tycoon and an avid collector of art and rare books. He purchased The Blue Boy for over $720,000, which is believed to be equivalent to about $9.3 million today. Leading up to its departure to California in 1922, there was an international publicity campaign that popularized the painting. The Blue Boy was briefly put on display at the National Gallery in London, where it was seen by about 90,000 people. The director of the National Gallery at the time, Charles Holmes, wrote his farewell to The Blue Boy with a note scribbled on its back that read, “Au Revoir, C.H.”

The painting made its way to the Huntington estate in Southern California to add to the impressive collection. It is currently on display at the Thornton Portrait Gallery at The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens in San Marino, California.

Cultural Influence

The popularity of The Blue Boy transcended onto the silver screen. It makes an appearance in The Naked Gun (1988), Batman (1989), and Joker (2019). Parodies of the blue clothing appear in Ghostbusters 2 (1989), Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (1997), Teacher’s Pet (2004), and Cinderella III: A Twist in Time (2007). Perhaps the most famous inspiration is in recent history in Quentin Tarantino’s 2012 film Django Unchained. In this movie, the anti-hero Django wore an outfit heavily inspired by The Blue Boy on his quest for vengeance.