A Rake's Progress I: The Heir - William Hogarth - Framed art Print

Meet William Hogarth (1697 - 1764), the preeminent British artist of his era. Not just an English painter, he was also an engraver, social commentator, editorial cartoonist, and an occasional art theorist. Famous for his 'modern moral subjects' series, Hogarth sold engravings of these works by subscription.

In the early 1720s, after training as a silver plate engraver, Hogarth launched his own business in London. Meanwhile, he studied painting at the St Martin's Lane Academy under the mentorship of Sir James Thornhill, whose daughter he eventually married in 1729. Hogarth pioneered the concept of using sequential, anecdotal images to satirise social misconduct and underscore moral lessons, infusing his work with a potent blend of wit and hard-hitting directness.

Hogarth described his approach as akin to a dramatist, with his canvas as his stage and his subjects as his actors. However, his art extended beyond sermonizing, wielding satire to critique pedantry, affectation, and immorality. In 1735, he founded an academy in St Martin's Lane, a precursor to the Royal Academy.

Hogarth remains a towering figure in British art, his impactful work and his vibrant personality helped British artsists to break through the domination by foreign artists at the time.