Hogarth

Description

Hogarth (1697-1764) is one of the most versatile, innovative and celebrated of all British artists. He lived at a time when Britain was emerging as an increasingly urbanized, commercialized and aggressively imperial power. His work celebrates the benefits of commerce, politeness and patriotism, while simultaneously focusing on the corruption, hypocrisy and prejudice they brought in their wake. This book provides an account of the full range of his work - from portraits of aristocrats, to satiric prints commenting on the darker side of contemporary society. His work is situated within the context of the times, from the contrasting lifestyles of the rich and poor, to crime, fashion, scandal, politics and economics.

Table of contents

Introduction - "the highest and lowest life"; ink - carving out a career; paint - talking pictures; sex, disease and pity - "A Harlot's Progress"; satire and the city - the painter of modern London; charity and community - at St. Bartholomew's and The Foundling Hospital; foreign affairs - "Marriage A-La-Mode"; black and white - from "Industry and Idleness" to "The Four Stages of Cruelty"; design for life - "The Analysis of Beauty"; faction - art, politics and propaganda; exposure and retreat - the final years; afterlife - re-inventing.