William Hogarth's paintings with descriptions and titles

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

Hogarth, William (1697-1764) - an outstanding English engraver, painter and art theorist. The paintings of William Hogarth, made in a lively realistic style, revealed the vices of contemporary society. These are the cycles of paintings "Life of a libertine", "Fashionable marriage", "Happy wedding", "Elections". In addition, he painted many genre scenes as well as portraits. Below will be given other paintings with the names of William Hogarth. To begin with, we will introduce the artist himself at the height of his creativity.

"Self-portrait with a dog" (1745). Tate Gallery, London

In addition to this painting by William Hogarth with his beloved pug, there is also a self-portrait at the easel in a wig. But we will focus on the canvas with the dog Trump, since the artist has collected in it everything that is dear and sweet to him. Firstly, the beloved dog, who was a faithful friend of the painter. Secondly, three volumes of favorite books written by Milton, Shakespeare and Swift. William Hogarth drew the ideas of his paintings from the works of these geniuses. The description of the portrait we started will be continued below. The artist was very friendly with Swift, who supported the artist's aspirationscrush the vices of society with satire. The artist, who believed that at that time he had no equal in England, approached his portrait with irony. He does not ex alt himself, but portrays him in home clothes: without a wig, with a warm hat and dressing gown. His face is completely calm. This strong-willed man with rather ponderous facial features has achieved everything in his life himself and is justifiably proud of it. Before him in the foreground is a palette with a wavy line, which he called the line of beauty. The eyes of the artist look attentively and openly at the viewer. He peers at us, studying his characters. His composition is very unusual: a picture in a picture. The style of this self-portrait is still life with baroque elements, as it is enclosed in an oval, which was widely used until the end of the 17th century.

Creativity

Six paintings and engravings (not all the paintings survived, some remained only in engravings) make up a cycle about the life of a girl from the provinces, who in the capital became a special person of easy virtue. They were performed in 1730-1731 ("The Career of a Corrupt Woman"). The engravings became popular. They were sold in almost every bookstore. The founder of the English school of painting was glorified by the cycles of his paintings, which we have already mentioned, as well as portraits, impressive satires on the church - "The Asleep Flock" (1728-1729), on creative people - "The Tormented Poet", and judges - "The Denunciation "(1729) and" Judgment "(1758). In the last picture, it's just scary to look at the face of the judge, which resembles the muzzle of a bulldog.

Such a strangleholdwill cling to the defendant and sue regardless of guilt. At first, the artist irritated the public and critics with the brightness of his works. The paintings of William Hogarth were attacked because of the brightness of color, the exquisite beauty of the palette, the unusual freshness of themes, and he was an innovator and reformer in English painting. If the portraits were group portraits, then the master lined them up in front of us as if on a stage, considering the plots like a writer, sharpening the images of his characters. The paintings of William Hogarth indicate their vulgarity, depravity, rudeness of morals. Art, according to Hogarth, should develop the soul and mind, and not just entertain, as Rococo did.

Shrimp Girl (circa 1760s)

It is impossible to pass by this canvas, radiating the joy of life. Light comes from within this portrait. Here, as in Portraits of Servants, the painter ceases to be a satirist. He is full of admiration for a young girl who, like a crown, carries a dish of shrimp on her head. The half-turned model is illuminated by the sun's rays. The work is written in dynamic powerful strokes. It does not have subtle color transitions. Complex coloring, which combines golden, brownish and pinkish tones, is decomposed into simple components. Therefore, it seems that the picture is born by itself in front of the viewer. This instant impression of the artist is a breakthrough through the centuries to impressionism. In this work, love for a simple person from the people was manifested. The image of the saleswoman is extremely charming. This is one of the most famous paintingsartist, in which he demonstrates to everyone the natural basis of a person living without a mask.

Portraits of the master

Both men's and women's and children's portraits Hogarth almost never painted by order. His heroes are people close to him in spirit. It's either his family or friends. Therefore, they are colored with respect and sympathy for the models. In them we will not find the effeminacy and affectation of Rococo. On the contrary, the integrity of the nature of the depicted person is revealed to us. Hogarth also shows their earthly full-bloodedness.

Examples are "Miss Mary Edwards" (1740, private collection, New York), "Children of the Graham Family" (1742), "Mrs. S alter" (≈ 1741 or 1744). Both recent paintings are exhibited at the Tate Gallery (London).

History of the creation of the satirical series

In 1743-1745, Hogarth painted a cycle of six paintings. They ridiculed high society. The son of an impoverished aristocrat decided to marry the daughter of a we althy bourgeois and improve his financial situation. Hogarth's paintings "Fashionable Marriage" are a parody of high society, which, forgetting about honor and dignity, from the desire for material we alth, sought to approach them in any way, even unequal marriage. Each painting of William Hogarth's "Fashionable Marriage" carefully and consistently traces its evolution until the death of all the main characters. Their marriage did not bring not only happiness, but also destroyed their hopes for a normal human life.

William Hogarth, "Fashion marriage": description of the painting

• Beginning of the series -signing a marriage contract, in which only the parents of future spouses are interested. Young people don't even look at each other. The groom examines himself in the mirror, the bride flirts with the lawyer.
• Picture two. This late morning of the spouses, rather the day. The husband spent the night away from home, and the wife spent the night playing cards. They sit side by side, at the same table, but do not pay attention to themselves or their half.



Wife, stretching, ugly, obscenely spread her legs. The husband in prostration collapsed on a chair and barely keeps on it. A woman's cap sticks out of the pocket of his camisole, which the lap dog is trying to get. The picture with Cupid, who has no arrows of love, became a symbol of an unsuccessful marriage.

• Action three. The viscount and his young mistress come to the doctor to be cured of a venereal disease. Judging by the scandal that broke out, the previous treatment did not bring any benefit.
• Fourth episode. In the boudoir of the countess, filled with bored guests, her morning toilet is performed. She is trying to copy the "big exits" of the French king. Here is the lawyer who was in the first picture. In this house, he is his own person, who is favored by the countess. A Negro servant brings a figurine - a deer with horns. This is one of the allusions to the wife's infidelity, which are many on the canvas.
• The fifth picture. The husband found his wife with her lover, challenged him to a duel and received a mortal wound.



Half-naked amant runs out the window. The Countess, on her knees, begs forgiveness fromhusband.

• The end of the cycle. Having learned from the newspaper, which is thrown on the floor, about the execution of her lover, the countess takes poison. They bring her daughter to say goodbye, who is marked on her face with a spot of syphilis. There were no other children in the family. This means that the genus of graphs will soon end.

This is how Hogarth spoke about the mores of his contemporary society.

Summing up, we emphasize once again that the painter was an innovator who, in the spirit of the Enlightenment, showed the flaws and shadow sides of society.