Research Point - George Stubbs

Born in Liverpool, George Stubbs (1724-1806), had little formal training in art but developed a flair for portraiture and an interest in studying anatomy.  He rented a farmhouse in Lincolnshire and spent eighteen months dissecting horses before publishing his book Anatomy of the Horse in 1766.

  His life like paintings depicting horses and also sporting and racing scenes were considered more accurate than that of any previous painters. This was due to the many in-depth studies of musculature and movement he made before beginning to work.

 One of his most famous paintings is Whistlejacket, which now hangs in the National Gallery in London.