Wednesday, February 13,2008
Share
Hogarth: Vice and Virtue
Art Review
An exhibition
of etchings by William Hogarth at the Haggerty Museum (through April
13) shows an artist proudly exerting the ideals of English liberty by
deftly holding his society up to scorn. Despite the didactic tone of
much of the work in this exhibit, it’s clear the artist held no human
virtue to be entirely incorruptible.
Take patriotism, for example. We know Hogarth to have been boisterously pro-English and opposed to the importation of foreign art and fashion, evident in his Battle of the Pictures (1745). His wit was most keenly sharpened against the foibles of the French, whose famished faces he rubs into a sizable hunk of “roast beef of old England” in The Gate of Calais (1748-49). In The Invasion, Plate I (1756) he offers more of the same: hollow-cheeked French soldiers roasting frogs for sustenance. Yet the second plate in the same series shows an English rabble lolling about idly and appearing just as over-sated as the French look malnourished.
Moreover the rabble brazenly lampoons those of a higher station. A figure in the far left paints a caricature of a monarch on the wall, and himself parodies the regal pose, brandishing his brush like a staff, a makeshift cape cast around his shoulders. A similar irreverence is apparent in Canvassing for Votes (1755-58), where a figurehead of the British lion consumes a French fleur-de-lis. This symbol of English valor is quickly negated by the woman seated carelessly on the figurehead, counting money that we can safely assume is earned by illicit means.
This is not to say Hogarth’s scorn was reserved only for the lower echelons of society. British soldiers are seen in The Invasion as applying arbitrary methods to enlist new recruits. In The Cockpit (1759) gentleman rub shoulders with those of low social standing, together slaking their thirst for bloody spectacle. The Four Stages of Cruelty (1750-51) extends this criticism to the wardens of the oppressed who are clearly failing to do their job. This particular series seems to go against Hogarth’s ideal of the self-made man in command of his own fate. The destiny of Tom Nero, the subject of the series, seems preordained. In the first plate Hogarth suggests such crimes are embedded in man’s very nature, “the tyrant in the boy.” What’s more, near the foreground a young boy draws a picture of a man hanging in the gallows and labels it Tom Nero. In the second a lawyer ignores the name of notorious felon James Field emblazoned on a playbill and instead makes note of Tom Nero flailing his horse. In the third plate Nero’s apparent victim points significantly to the words “God’s revenge against murder.”
The cycle of justice completes its revolution in the last plate where Nero’s dead body is subjected to the same torments as the animals in the first plate, and a dog feeds on his vital organs in the foreground. Even the infamous James Field seems to get his just desserts, his skeleton occupying the upper left side of the etching. Yet between the two felons occupying the extreme poles of the image, there are a host of gross inequities unfolding whose purveyors seem to escape the heavy hand of justice.
Take patriotism, for example. We know Hogarth to have been boisterously pro-English and opposed to the importation of foreign art and fashion, evident in his Battle of the Pictures (1745). His wit was most keenly sharpened against the foibles of the French, whose famished faces he rubs into a sizable hunk of “roast beef of old England” in The Gate of Calais (1748-49). In The Invasion, Plate I (1756) he offers more of the same: hollow-cheeked French soldiers roasting frogs for sustenance. Yet the second plate in the same series shows an English rabble lolling about idly and appearing just as over-sated as the French look malnourished.
Moreover the rabble brazenly lampoons those of a higher station. A figure in the far left paints a caricature of a monarch on the wall, and himself parodies the regal pose, brandishing his brush like a staff, a makeshift cape cast around his shoulders. A similar irreverence is apparent in Canvassing for Votes (1755-58), where a figurehead of the British lion consumes a French fleur-de-lis. This symbol of English valor is quickly negated by the woman seated carelessly on the figurehead, counting money that we can safely assume is earned by illicit means.
This is not to say Hogarth’s scorn was reserved only for the lower echelons of society. British soldiers are seen in The Invasion as applying arbitrary methods to enlist new recruits. In The Cockpit (1759) gentleman rub shoulders with those of low social standing, together slaking their thirst for bloody spectacle. The Four Stages of Cruelty (1750-51) extends this criticism to the wardens of the oppressed who are clearly failing to do their job. This particular series seems to go against Hogarth’s ideal of the self-made man in command of his own fate. The destiny of Tom Nero, the subject of the series, seems preordained. In the first plate Hogarth suggests such crimes are embedded in man’s very nature, “the tyrant in the boy.” What’s more, near the foreground a young boy draws a picture of a man hanging in the gallows and labels it Tom Nero. In the second a lawyer ignores the name of notorious felon James Field emblazoned on a playbill and instead makes note of Tom Nero flailing his horse. In the third plate Nero’s apparent victim points significantly to the words “God’s revenge against murder.”
The cycle of justice completes its revolution in the last plate where Nero’s dead body is subjected to the same torments as the animals in the first plate, and a dog feeds on his vital organs in the foreground. Even the infamous James Field seems to get his just desserts, his skeleton occupying the upper left side of the etching. Yet between the two felons occupying the extreme poles of the image, there are a host of gross inequities unfolding whose purveyors seem to escape the heavy hand of justice.
Also in Art:
..Search Shepherd Express
- Mon
1 - Tue
2 - Wed
3 - Thu
4 - Fri
5 - Sat
6 - Sun
7
Search in Events
2008-12-01 7 pm
Entertainment
The most exotic of all wines, they´re wonderful to celebrate with, indulge in, and make beautiful unique gifts. From Sauternes to Eiswein to Port we will taste a wide assortment of delicious dessert wines. Bring your sweet tooth! 7 PM $25 Reservations Appreciated.
Location: North Milwaukee
Although separated by an ocean and multiple time zones, the Australian Outback bears remarkable resemblance to the American West. Both encompass mesas towering over rocky, dusty deserts shimmering like a mirage under unforgiving sunlight. Whip-snapping co
It can't touch Harry Potter for scope of popularity but in some pockets of pop culture, the Twilight series has reached Beatlemania in intensity. The "young adult" novels about a handsome teenage vampire boy and the mortal girl who loves him have sold 17
No, we didn't ask for an album featuring another recording of "Breathe," leading into "Time," leading into "Breathe (Reprise)," as happens on tracks two through four on Live in Gdansk. But Pink Floyd completists (we are legion) will want it anyway. Howeve
Jorge "El Guero" Hernandez may be the best-known regional Mexican artist with Milwaukee roots. Most of a decade has passed since he and brother Rogelio moved to San Antonio, but El Guero's Banda Centenario still nurtures a unique take on the often-manic D
The last decade has not been kind to Milwaukee’s German restaurants, as names like Ritter’s Inn, the Bavarian Wurst Haus and even the venerable John Ernst have all closed their doors. In fact, only two of the old-timers remain: the oldest, Mad
If you’re not from Waukesha, you’ll want to check MapQuest for directions, but it’s worth the ride. The Rochester Deli (143 E. Broadway, 262-522-9611), wedged within the labyrinth of downtown Waukesha across from the Freeman offices, is
Free Classifieds
Free Coupons
See Jim Gaffigan FREE
..Search Shepherd Express
