Hogarth: Life in Progress

by Jacqueline Riding

On a late spring night in 1732, a boisterous group of friends set out from their local pub. They are beginning a journey, a 'peregrination' that will take them through the gritty streets of Georgian London and along the River Thames as far as the Isle of Sheppey. And among them is an up-and-coming engraver and painter, just beginning to make a name for William Hogarth.

Hogarth's vision, to a vast degree, still defines the eighteenth century. In this, the first biography for over twenty years, Jacqueline Riding brings him to vivid life, immersing us in the world he inhabited and from which he drew inspiration. At the same time, she introduces us to an artist who was far bolder and more various than we give him credit an ambitious self-made man, a devoted husband, a sensitive portraitist, an unmatched storyteller, philanthropist, technical innovator and author of a seminal work of art theory.

Following in his own footsteps from humble beginnings to professional triumph (and occasional disaster), Hogarth illuminates the work and life of a great artist who embraced the highest principles even while charting humanity's lowest vices.

Genres: Art, History, Nonfiction, Biography, Art History

544 pages, Hardcover

Published July 1, 2021

About the author

Dr Jacqueline Riding is an English art historian, historian, adviser and author. She specialises in British history and art of the long eighteenth century. She is an experienced adviser and consultant for museums, historic buildings and film. She was the historical and art historical consultant for Mike Leigh’s award-winning feature film Mr. Turner (2014) and his new film Peterloo (2018).

Reviews

[Toby · Rating 5 out of 5]

Magnificent! Not only an enthralling biography of an artistic genius, this book is also a fascinating social, political and military history of 18th century Britain. Absorbing, from start to finish.

[Yeesh · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an enjoyable book! A very cleverly constructed biography/art history/social history of Hogarth and his era. Well-written (that is, both diverting and scholarly) and engrossing. I had no idea that Hogarth was so civic-minded, nir that his work was so diverse. He painted many extraordinary portraits, not his favorite commissions, but compelling. Strongly recommend.

[Paul Taylor · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ms.Riding is an art historian which may be why I did not enjoy this book. More fundamentally it is neither an art book (the images are too small and often too dark to see properly; which is annoying given Ms. Riding's tendency to describe works in minute detail) nor a history book (or, for that matter, a biography. It gives incidental reference to some major historical events but in the jumble of biographical detail (and forensic description of paintings) the historical narrative & biographical detail is difficult to follow. The inclusion of the "boys' tour to Gravesend and back further disrupts the narrative flow. Ms. Riding certainly isn't an entertaining writer with over long, dense paragraphs and some stodgy, dull sentences. It's a shame because there is a lot in this book; it's just that its "packaging" is cumbersome.

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

It starts like a thrilling movie script, then gradually descends into a hyper-detailed dissertation that I couldn't end reading. This edition is cute and it looks good on a bookshelf. It encouraged me to buy a complete set of Hogarth's facsimile graphics via the Dover Publications.