William Hogarth was one of the founders of a satire that led all the way to the modern comic book and was described as the grandfather of the political cartoon. Martin Rowson revisits Hogarth’s most political details such as Gin Lane.
The works of William Hogarth, currently the subject of Tate Britain's 'Hogarth' exhibition, provide an exceptional record of life in Hanoverian England. To complement this major exhibition, we present the biographies of some of his sitters, associates, and well-known figures from the period. Read the lives behind the portraits for a glimpse of Hogarth's world—from charity and politeness to corruption and vice.
A Harlot’s Progress burst onto the London scene just after an official crackdown on prostitution had begun, focussed specifically on Covent Garden. The most prominent figure in this initiative was Justice John Gonson, whose missionary zeal in ‘cleaning up’ the streets was regularly reported in the London press. Prostitutes working in brothels and on the streets tended to be characterised as vain, artful temptresses who were directly responsible for moral corruption and the spread of disease. By the 1730s the emphasis on blame and revulsion was partially tempered by a journalistic convention that presented the prostitute as an innocent country girl who arrives in the city, alone and vulnerable, and is tricked into prostitution by a devious brothel keeper.
Hogarth's complex approach was at once topical and journalistic and also one that made frequent reference to elevated artistic subject matter. One indication of this is Hogarth’s use of pictures within his pictures, in particular history paintings. These not only drive the narrative forward but establish a visual correlation between the sophisticated programme of symbols, allusions and gestures employed in Hogarth’s modern moral subjects and that found in history painting itself, then appreciated as the most intellectually and artistically rigorous of all pictorial genres.
London’s unique mixture of districts, communities and activities generated an exceptionally vibrant and diverse urban culture – one that Hogarth depicted and drew upon constantly in his art. Select a location on the map below to view works set in that area:
Witty, satirical, subversive and hugely talented, William Hogarth remains one of the most fascinating and innovative artists from the eighteenth century. This superb exhibition is the most comprehensive showing of the artist’s work in a generation and incorporates the full range of Hogarth’s work.
William Hogarth war ein englischer Maler und Grafiker der mit schneidender Satire die Gesellschaft des 18. Jahrhunderts kommentierte. Die Biographie von Hogarth ist genauso ungewöhnlich wie seine Grafiken.
The eighteenth issue of Cabinet features a themed section on "Fictional States." Includes George Pendle on upstart countries, Tony Wood on made-up maps, and a portfolio of self-declared nations. Also carries a new column, Black Pyramid, by Peter Lamborn Wilson, Christine Wertheim on Shea Zellweger's Logic Alphabet, Jonathan Ward on corporate musicals, as well as artist projects by Sasha Chavchavadze, Craig Kalpakjian, Lynne Roberts-Goodwin, Patrick Pound, Invertebrate, and Glexis Novoa. Free erratum included!