Raeburn, << RAY buhrn, >> Sir Henry (1756-1823), was the leading Scottish portrait painter of his day. Raeburn painted straightforward portraits that captured the character of the subject. Most of his subjects were fashionable and upper-class Scottish people. Raeburn rarely sketched his subjects before painting them. Instead, he worked directly on the canvas, using bold, vigorous brushstrokes. Many of his portraits show strong color contrasts and dramatic lighting effects.
Raeburn was born in Edinburgh and lived there most of his life. He was largely a self-taught artist. In 1785, Raeburn met Sir Joshua Reynolds, an English portrait artist. He was influenced by Reynolds’s style but painted in a more romantic manner.
