The Royal Academy Exhibition of 1783 was the annual Summer Exhibition of the British Royal Academy of Arts. It was held at Somerset House in London from 28 April to 3 June 1783.
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The President of the Royal Academy Sir Joshua Reynolds hosted the annual Academy dinner at the opening of the exhibition, which was attended by Samuel Johnson, James Boswell and Pasquale Paoli as well as "half the cabinet". [1] Although the show drew in large audiences, Horace Walpole criticised it as "an indifferent exhibition" and felt that "Sir Joshua seems to decline since his illness". [2]
His rival Thomas Gainsborough submitted one of the most acclaimed works of the exhibition Two Shepherd Boys with Dogs Fighting. His other works also received widespread attention. [3] These included landscapes featuring mountainous scenes. [4] He also displayed a series of portrait paintings featuring George III and the Royal Family. [5]
The Swiss-born founding member of the Royal Academy Angelica Kauffman displayed several neoclassical history paintings. The American Benjamin West exhibited scenes from British history such as Oliver Cromwell Dissolving the Long Parliament as well as portrait of the king. [6] Henry Fuseli's submissions included The Weird Sisters based on a scene from William Shakespeare's Macbeth . [7]
Several references to the recently ended American War of Independence featured in the submissions including Thomas Whitcombe's The Destruction of the Floating Batteries at the Great Siege of Gibraltar and The Close of the Battle of the Saintes by Nicholas Pocock depicted a decisive victory over the French navy in the Caribbean. Critics noted with disappointment the absence of George Romney and Joseph Wright of Derby who were in dispute with the Academy. [8]
