Richard Parkes Bonington

1802 (Nottingham, England) – 1828 (London)

A shooting-star in the French art-world, Bonington died of tuberculosis at 25; his handling of light and form anticipated the Impressionists. His father illegally exported lace-making machinery to Calais, and based his family there. Moving on to Paris, where he studied under Gros, Bonington met Delacroix, who was making studies in the Louvre, and who described Bonington as a tall adolescent in a short coat. The two visited London, where they sketched armour, then shared a studio in Paris. Géricault became, through Delacroix, another close friend.