 In the opinions then current at the Royal Academy and among critics , the most prestigious form of painting was considered history painting , in which an artwork illustrated a story . It was thought that such works enabled British artists to show themselves as equal or even superior to those European artists active at the time , as well as to the Old Masters . Other forms of painting such as portraiture and landscapes were considered lesser styles , as they did not give the artist as much opportunity to illustrate a story but instead were simply depictions of reality . Nonetheless , even the most eminent artists would often devote time to portrait painting , as portraits were generally commissioned by the subjects or their families , providing a guaranteed source of income to the artist ; two of the first three presidents of the Royal Academy ( Joshua Reynolds and Sir Thomas Lawrence ) had made their names as portrait painters . Owing to a lack of patrons willing to commission history paintings , by the early 19th century history painting in England was in serious decline . 
