Genre

Connoisseurs admired the painstaking finish and astonishing detail of Dutch artists. Such skill was not, however, respected in academic circles, where imagination and invention was valued above manual dexterity. Exacerbating this lack of intellectual rigour was the subject matter, which was considered vulgar and too low for the elevating nature of artistic practice. This was particularly true of genre painting, which focused on everyday events in the lives of ordinary people, rather than drawing on edifying moments from the Bible or mythology. Such attitudes did not dampen enthusiasm for such work, however, and even inspired a raft of imitators, the most illustrious being Sir David Wilkie, a favourite of George IV.