Morland, George

George Morland (26 June 1763 – 29 October 1804) was an English painter. His early work was influenced by Francis Wheatley, but after the 1790s he came into his own style. His best compositions focus on rustic scenes: farms and hunting; smugglers and gypsies; and rich, textured landscapes informed by Dutch Golden Age painting. Much of his work was intended for reproduction in prints, from which his publishers made a good deal more money than he did. Despite being a heavy drinker who enjoyed a rackety lifestyle, he was enormously prolific, though the quality of his work increasingly suffered. After many troubles with debts in his last decade, he died at the age of 41.