Hogarth and James Gillray: a Comparison
February 3rd, 2013
Final Assignment – Hogarth and James Gillray: A Comparison
While years apart, two of the greatest characterture artist in history are both British artists similar in many a way. Since both are huge influences on political art, characterture itself, and even fine artists of the time period, they both had strikingly similar sense of self, and inspiration. However, both contributed their own specific flavor to satire itself, and have gained the fame as two of the greatest characterture artists of all time.
For instance, William Hogarth, well rounded in skill as a painter, and a satirical artist he began his career more well known for doing portraiture then what others at the time considered “conversation pieces” Hogarth gained fame through his near comic-motion engravings that went in series, and his sequenced prints like A Rake’s Progress are considered some of the first the stepping stones for the sequential arts. Hogarth was a progressive, and created the Engravers Copyright Act that has led to almost all forms of documentation and law that protect artist nowadays, and has produced many prints analyzing beauty, characterization, and the meanings behind it all in a Da Vinci like process.
Thus it’s not too hard to see some similarities as Hogarth is one of the most important influences in James Gillray’s life, and subsequently influenced him to begin life as a characterture artist. I his early life, the younger artist looked up to the near-dead man, and figured maybe he could do something about it. His early charactertures are more engravings then characterture, and soon focused on the war, Gillray takes to crude humor and exaggerated figures quickly after realizing their effect on the public.
This is why the most important differences in their life were perhaps translated through their work. To Hogarth everything was focused on strict moral lessons and a firm belief in physiognomy. The man himself believed social order would come to an end
Final Assignment – Hogarth and James Gillray: A Comparison
While years apart, two of the greatest characterture artist in history are both British artists similar in many a way. Since both are huge influences on political art, characterture itself, and even fine artists of the time period, they both had strikingly similar sense of self, and inspiration. However, both contributed their own specific flavor to satire itself, and have gained the fame as two of the greatest characterture artists of all time.
For instance, William Hogarth, well rounded in skill as a painter, and a satirical artist he began his career more well known for doing portraiture then what others at the time considered “conversation pieces” Hogarth gained fame through his near comic-motion engravings that went in series, and his sequenced prints like A Rake’s Progress are considered some of the first the stepping stones for the sequential arts. Hogarth was a progressive, and created the Engravers Copyright Act that has led to almost all forms of documentation and law that protect artist nowadays, and has produced many prints analyzing beauty, characterization, and the meanings behind it all in a Da Vinci like process.
Thus it’s not too hard to see some similarities as Hogarth is one of the most important influences in James Gillray’s life, and subsequently influenced him to begin life as a characterture artist. I his early life, the younger artist looked up to the near-dead man, and figured maybe he could do something about it. His early charactertures are more engravings then characterture, and soon focused on the war, Gillray takes to crude humor and exaggerated figures quickly after realizing their effect on the public.
This is why the most important differences in their life were perhaps translated through their work. To Hogarth everything was focused on strict moral lessons and a firm belief in physiognomy. The man himself believed social order would come to an end
Citations: • Goethe and Caricature: From Hogarth to Töpffer, David Kunzle, Journal of the Warburg and Courtauld Institutes, Vol. 48, (1985), pp. 164-188, Published by: The Warburg Institute, http://www.jstor.org/stable/751215 • New Hogarth Studies, William Hogarth by Matthew Craske; The Other Hogarth: Aesthetics of Difference by Bernadette Fort; Angela Rosenthal; Hogarth by Mark Hallett, Review by: Timothy Erwim, Eighteenth-Century Studies, Vol. 36, No. 2, False Arcadias (Winter, 2003), pp. 304-308, Published by: The Johns Hopkins University Press. Sponsor: American Society for Eighteenth-Century Studies (ASECS), http://www.jstor.org/stable/30053376 • James Gillray. London, Review by: Frédéric Ogée, The Burlington Magazine, Vol. 143, No. 1183 (Oct., 2001), pp. 644-645, Published by: The Burlington Magazine Publications Ltd. //www.jstor.org/stable/889303