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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Lifestyle
Jonathan Jones

Fragile beauty: Thomas Gainsborough – The Painter's Daughters Chasing a Butterfly

Thomas Gainsborough, The Painter's Daughters Chasing a Butterfly
Gainsborough is a poetic genius among British painters. His wisps of colour and atmospheric light fill his portraits and landscapes with a suggestiveness that goes beyond words. Here, in about 1756, his heart is on his sleeve as he portrays his young daughters chasing the delicate passing glory of a butterfly. This is a meditation on time and beauty and fragility. Gainsborough treasures his daughters as they covet the butterfly. His art preserves the moment in a swirl of light
Illustration: The National Gallery, London
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