Books
Hogarth France and British Art
Written by Robin Simon
Hogarth has long been viewed as a chauvinist, with a particular aversion to all things French. On the contrary, while Hogarth himself liked to project this image, his effective invention of British art was founded upon a profound knowledge of contemporary French art and theory. Robin Simon argues that British culture in Hogarth’s time habitually defined itself in relation to the art and aesthetic theories of France, and he conjures up the French and wider European context within which Hogarth’s art was formed. William Hogarth was known in his own day as ‘the Shakespeare of painting’. He invented an entirely new kind of pictorial narrative and is still best known for engravings such as A Rake’s Progress, Beer Street and Gin Lane. However he also painted some of the best-loved canvases of the British School, including The Shrimp Girl, The Graham Children, Garrick as Richard III and Self-portrait with Pug. Robin Simon examines the ways in which Hogarth interacted with and influenced his contemporaries not only in painting and print-making, but also in sculpture, poetry, the novel, the theatre, public life, art education, copyright law, music and opera. In this wide-ranging but richly detailed book, the author opens a window on to one of the formative periods in British life.Published by; Paul Holberton Publishing/Hogarth Arts Ltd (15 Jan 2007)
ISBN: 0955406307