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His work was extremely fashionable in its day. He oversaw the growth of one of Britain’s most popular sports and he counted many famous celebrities as his friends and confidants. Yet the facts surrounding John Wootton’s life, his studies and personal history are sadly lacking with only his work remaining as a testament to this assured and skilled animal portraitist. Even experts can't agree as to where John Wootton was born but the general consensus seems to be that he first saw the light of day in Snitterfield, Warwickshire in 1682-3. Very little has been written about his family or early childhood but it is known that he studied in London under the Dutch equine artist Jan Wyck as well as being taught by Lambert and Siberechts. He later gained the patronage of the powerful third Duke of Beaufort who sent his protégé to Rome in order to study Italian painting in 1710. His later work would show his lasting admiration of the Italian landscape. Horse racing or the Sport of Kings quickly gained in popularity in the England of the 18th century and Wootton was poised to take advantage of the aristocracy’s obsession with their pedigree livestock. He quickly became a popular painter of racehorses and his name would become closely associated with the Newmarket racecourse. His patrons were from among the wealthier members of the aristocratic class in England and he even counted members of the Royal Family amongst his clientele including King George II and his estranged son Frederick, Prince of Wales. A founder member of the illustrious Royal Academy Wootton was known to have associated with many of the leading intellectual forces of his day. John Gay, Alexander Pope and Jonathan Swift as well as William Kent (for whom he illustrated “Guy’s Fables”) were included amongst his close personal friends. Several of them would later own his paintings. Although horses were his most popular subject Wootton was also known to have painted dogs, as well as racing, hunting and military scenes. In later life he became especially interested in landscape painting, using the inspiration he gained from his earlier Italian studies to create classical scenes. However painting the wonderfully spirited thoroughbred horse would remain the reason he is remembered today with his work being found in the Tate Gallery as well as many other prestigious collections around the world. John Wootton died in London, England in 1764 at 82 years of age. ©Jen Longshaw 2001-2006 Please do not copy in any manner, print or electronic, without permission from the author. Subscribe to a FREE Newsletter. |
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