William Hogarth
William Hogarth (1697-1764). British painter and engraver. After serving his apprenticeship to a silver-smith, he began to engrave book illustrations. He then studied painting at St Martin’s Lane Academy and be-came an oil painter. In the 1730s Hogarth began a series of paintings satirizing contemporary society, including A Harlot’s Progress (1732), A Rake’s Progress (1735), and Marriage a la Mode (1745), from which he also made engravings. The Copyright Act (1735) was passed to prevent imitation of these works, which proved very popular. Hogarth also painted portraits, including the Shrimp Girl. His treatise The Analysis of Beauty (1753), in which he criticized the art ‘establishment, aroused much controversy.
