Hogarth and his Place in European Art

Abstract

First published in 1962, Hogarth and his Place in European Art attempts to convey the historical relevance, both in its native and European context, of perhaps the most outstanding English painter of the eighteenth century. Dr. Antal applies his method of establishing the close relationship between the political and social history and the arts and letters of the period. Thus, the book goes far beyond the limits of art historical appreciation. It gives a panoramic picture of the first half of the eighteenth century in England with all its social, literary, and artistic connotations. He shows how England, which during those years became both politically and economically the most advanced country in Europe, could provide in Hogarth, in spite of the slender native tradition, the most progressive artistic personality of his time – whose work revealed the views and tastes of a broad cross-section of society. He traces Hogarth’s stylistic origins back to their European sources and analyses his impact on contemporary European and English art as well as the influence he exerted on generations to come. This book will be of interest to students of art, art history, literature, and European history.