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ours and patterns he uses in any one item of clothing. For example Mr Andrews' jacket is very 'busy' and the pattern and colour seem to clash with each other and this may be the desired effect. It would have been highly unlikely that gentlemen and ladies would have dressed in clothing from what was then known as the colonies. It is important to understand however that what one may think is African print is in fact Dutch Wax fabric, and although associated with Africa, it is in fact printed fabric based on Indonesian's batik, manufactured in the Netherlands, Britain and other countries and exported to West Africa. Shonebare said 'The tangled trans-continental history of the fabric is a metaphor of interdependence'. The cotton materials, too vibrant and theatrical for that period, does not marry up with the 18th century clothes designs and lifestyle and it therefore looks wrong, although it may well have been Shonebare's idea of playfully raising the question of race, identity, and class.

Gainsborough has subtly blended the figures and landscaped background into one harmonious whole. The couple's faces and skin look like porcelain dolls, indicating Gainsborough's consummate skill at showing delicacy and refinement of not just the couple, but also the materials. He has painted the powder blue skirt of Mrs Andrews, showing the richness of the material and he has echoed the twisting curves of the skirt on to the bench. In both pieces the dog looks very alive with his eyes portraying feelings and reality. Gainsborough has used thin brush strokes with diluted oil paint to make the hair on the dog realistic. He was the master of naturalistic landscape and this is again evident in the sheaves of corn in the foreground and middle distance which he has applied to create the illusion of depth and again there is symbolism here as corn traditionally is the symbol of fertility. I really like the manner in which he has captured the modern approach to farming by Mr Andrews, with the farm animals, in the middle and distant grounds, carefully confined to their areas, therefore demonstrating that Mr Andrews has eliminated damaged crops, or other animals infecting his animals with disease.

It is very difficult to take on an established piece such as 'Mr & Mrs Andrews', Gainsborough's most famous painting, and try to bring a new meaning to the piece. It could be argued whether a reinterpretation of such an established image can work and a new meaning be achieved. However, I feel it should be acceptable if the reinterpreted image has a new meaning, add something new, or if the artist has transformed the original piece completely and I think Shonebare has achieved this very difficult task of adding a new meaning to the subject matter by showing an alternative angle. When I initially looked at these art forms, my immediate response was they were different, but I never really realised how different they were until I started my research. Both artists have had different life experiences and stories to tell. Shonebare was born in London in 1962 and Gainsborough was born in Sudbury in 1727. Shonebare had Nigerian parents and relocated to Lagos when he was 3 years old, only returning when he was 17 years old while Gainsborough had English parents. Gainsborough was one of the founding members of The Royal Academy but he never received a title (unlike his contemporary, Sir Joshua Reynolds) and Shonebare received his MBE in 2005, letters