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Course: Europe 1300 - 1800 > Unit 12
Lesson 1: British art in the eighteenth century- Hogarth, A Rake's Progress
- William Hogarth, Marriage A-la-Mode (including Tête à Tête)
- Hogarth, Marriage a la Mode
- Thomas Gainsborough, Mr. and Mrs. Andrews
- Wright of Derby, A Philosopher Lecturing on the Orrery
- Reynolds, Lady Cockburn and Her Three Eldest Sons
- Sir Joshua Reynolds, Mrs. Siddons as the Tragic Muse
- Sir Joshua Reynolds, Portrait of Syacust Ukah
- Wren, Saint Paul's Cathedral
- Room: 1650-1730
- Room: 1730-1765
- Room: 1760-1780
- Room: 1780-1810
- Wedgwood factory, The Pegasus Vase
- Mary Delany and cut flowers
- A map of Kolkata in 1785
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Room: 1730-1765
This video brought to you by Tate.org.uk
Curator Tim Batchelor explores the period 1730-1765.
Learn more about the art featured in this video:
- William Hogarth, The Painter and his Pug, 1745
- Thomas Gainsborough, Wooded Landscape with a Peasant Resting, 1747. Created by Tate.
Curator Tim Batchelor explores the period 1730-1765.
Learn more about the art featured in this video:
- William Hogarth, The Painter and his Pug, 1745
- Thomas Gainsborough, Wooded Landscape with a Peasant Resting, 1747. Created by Tate.
Want to join the conversation?
- "And he would return to landscape painting...as a break from the stresses of portraiture..."
What is stressful about portraiture?(3 votes)- In one of the earlier videos about Gainsborough, there was some mention that his portraits were too lifelike. People didn't want their warts immortalized in their very expensive portrait.(5 votes)
- The pug in the painting shows how much pugs have changed over time. Wow. History with pugs!(2 votes)
- Good observation. Now, do the same with Dachshunds or other breeds. This could be an interesting project for a high-school term paper (when you're free to choose your own topic). Go to it, nugget!(2 votes)
- I Want to know about Richard Collins and his painting " A Family of three at tea"(2 votes)
Video transcript
This gallery covers the period of around 1730 to 1765. This is a period when Britain is really emerging as a world power on the world stage growing economically, politically and militarily. It's also a period of cultural growth for Britain. The earlier period is dominated by artists who are born and trained overseas who have practiced their work here. This period sees the emergence of native born British artists of a national and international stature. This painting shows the self portrait of Hogarth, considered by many to be a founding father of the National School of British Painting. His likeness is shown depicted in this oval canvas shown within the frame. X-rays of the painting reveal that he originally intended himself to be shown wearing a wig the attire of a true gentleman but he decided during the course of painting this work to reject that approach and to show himself simply with his close-cut hair and wearing a cap. He presents himself as an artisan, rather than a gentleman painter. He's shown with his pet dog, Trump, a pug, which refers to his pugnacious character. This iconic work by Hogarth is shown alongside an early landscape by Thomas Gainsborough. This was produced when the artist was about 20 years old in his apprentice years in London and shows a wooded landscape in his native Suffolk. It's not a scene of an actual place, it's not topographically accurate but it shows his remembrances of a landscape that he's left behind. It also shows the influences of the Dutch Old Masters that he's referring to. Artists such as Ruysdael and Hobbema, that he looks towards and gains influence from. Gainsborough would go on to gain fame and success with portraiture painting society portraits in London and Bath but landscape was his true love and he would return to landscape painting as a break from the stresses of portraiture.