# Sir Joshua Reynolds — Table-Talk character guide

> Sir Joshua Reynolds in Table-Talk by William Hazlitt.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Sir Joshua, Sir Joshua Reynolds, Reynolds, Joshua Reynolds, himself

**First appearance:** 0012-volume-i-on-certain-inconsistencies-in-sir-joshua-reynolds-s-discourses

## Snapshot

The painter whose presence haunts Hazlitt's thoughts on genius and originality, invoked as a standard for how greatness should be seen and judged.

## Who they are

Reynolds hovers in the background of Hazlitt's reflections on intellectual superiority—the man who knew more and saw farther, and paid for it by being misunderstood. Hazlitt's essay on the disadvantages of such superiority reads like a meditation on Reynolds's fate: to stride so far ahead that you dwindle in the distance, to be treated as a foreign species by the common herd. He matters because he gives a face to the loneliness of the original mind, the very condition Hazlitt fears and defends.

## Relationships

### [William Hazlitt](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/table_talk_se/characters/william_hazlitt)

_professional_

Hazlitt, as an art critic and painter, frequently referenced and debated Reynolds' artistic theories and legacy.

### [William Hazlitt](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/table_talk_se/characters/william_hazlitt)

_professional_

Hazlitt, as an art critic and painter, frequently referenced and debated Reynolds' artistic theories and legacy.

### [William Hazlitt](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/table_talk_se/characters/william_hazlitt)

_professional_

Hazlitt, as an art critic and painter, frequently referenced and debated Reynolds' artistic theories and legacy.

## In the story

### [On the Pleasure of Painting](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/table_talk_se/chapters/volume-i-on-the-pleasure-of-painting)

Mentioned as a contrasting authority on art; Hazlitt disagrees with his view that perfection lies in general appearances without individual details.

### [The Same Subject Continued](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/table_talk_se/chapters/volume-i-the-same-subject-continued)

Referenced indirectly through the mention of Richardson's Essays, which Hazlitt cites in his argument.

### [On the Past and Future](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/table_talk_se/chapters/volume-i-on-the-past-and-future)

Cited as an example of an artist who could never be comfortable away from his painting-room and died of chagrin when unable to paint.

### [On Genius and Common Sense](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/table_talk_se/chapters/volume-i-on-genius-and-common-sense)

Quoted in support of the view that art addresses imagination and sensibility, not rational rules.

### [The Indian Jugglers](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/table_talk_se/chapters/volume-i-the-indian-jugglers)

Cited as a painter whose artistic greatness surpasses mere mechanical perfection, despite being a 'bungler' compared to a ropedancer.

### [On Certain Inconsistencies in Sir Joshua Reynolds's Discourses](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/table_talk_se/chapters/volume-i-on-certain-inconsistencies-in-sir-joshua-reynolds-s-discourses)

Hazlitt examines and critiques Reynolds's contradictory statements on genius, industry, and the nature of artistic excellence.

### [The Same Subject Continued](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/table_talk_se/chapters/volume-i-the-same-subject-continued)

Hazlitt extensively quotes and critiques Reynolds's Discourses, highlighting contradictions in his theories on imitation, beauty, grandeur, and the role of detail in art.

### [On a Landscape of Nicolas Poussin](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/table_talk_se/chapters/volume-ii-on-a-landscape-of-nicolas-poussin)

Mentioned implicitly in the context of artistic discourse; his Discourses are a touchstone for Hazlitt's critique of art theory.

### [On the Aristocracy of Letters](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/table_talk_se/chapters/volume-ii-on-the-aristocracy-of-letters)

Mentioned in connection with a picture of Mr. Tomkins the Penman, which is the only place where Tomkins now figures.

### [On Criticism](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/table_talk_se/chapters/volume-ii-on-criticism)

Referenced indirectly through the discussion of connoisseurs and mechanical criticism of art.

### [On Corporate Bodies](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/table_talk_se/chapters/volume-ii-on-corporate-bodies)

Mentioned as having to hold himself aloof from the Royal Academy's internal politics.

### [Endnotes](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/table_talk_se/chapters/volume-ii-endnotes)

Quoted and discussed in notes on art and criticism.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/table_talk_se/characters/sir_joshua_reynolds
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/table_talk_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/table_talk_se/characters