"But I am sure that mechanic excellence invigorated and emboldened his mind to carry Painting into the regions of Poetry, and to emulate that Art in its most adventurous flights."
A Discourse Delivered to the Students of the Royal Academy [Discourses on Art]
From 1769 to 1772 Reynolds' lectures were delivered annually, with each discourse published shortly after its delivery. After 1772, the lectures were delivered biennially. The first seven discourses were collected and published together in 1778. In 1797, the first collected edition of all fifteen appeared, with a second edition issued in 1798. See the <a href="http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/23429?docPos=1">ODNB</a>.<br>
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Text from <u>A Discourse, Delivered to the Students of the Royal Academy, on the Distribution of the Prizes, Dec. 10, 1790. By the President.</u> (London: Printed by Thomas Cadell, 1791). &lt;<a href="http://find.galegroup.com/ecco/infomark.do?&source=gale&prodId=ECCO&userGroupName=viva_uva&tabID=T001&docId=CW3306272579&type=multipage&contentSet=ECCOArticles&version=1.0&docLevel=FASCIMILE">Link to ECCO</a>&gt;