Francis Hayman
 |
Dancing milkmaids, c. 1735. |
Francis Hayman (
1708 -
2 February 1776) was an
English painter and
illustrator who became one of the founding members of the
Royal Academy in
1768 and later its first
librarian.
Born in
Exeter,
Devon, Hayman begun his artistic career as a scene painter in
London's Drury Lane theatres (where he also appeared in minor roles) before establishing a studio in St Martin's Lane.
A versatile artist influenced by the French
Rococo style, he achieved some note during the 1740s through decorative paintings executed for Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens in London, but could also turn his hand to
portraits,
landscapes, and scenes from history and literature.
Combining some of these, he contributing 31 pictures to a
1744 edition of
Shakespeare's plays by Sir
Thomas Hanmer, and later portrayed many leading contemporary actors in Shakespearean roles, including
David Garrick as Richard III (1760). He also illustrated the novels of
Samuel Richardson.
He was an able teacher. His pupils included
Mason Chamberlin,
Nathaniel Dance-Holland and
Lemuel Francis Abbott and he was also a strong influence on
Thomas Gainsborough.
