First Published: 2023
This is a non-fiction book about satire and caricature in England in the eighteenth century. This book has been a present, and I have to say that I follow Alice Loxton online, and I love her videos about British history.
Alice introduces us to Tom Rowlandson in 1772, who is accepted in the Royal Academy Schools in the Strand in London.
Thomas Rowlandson (13 July 1757 – 21 April 1827) was an English artist and caricaturist of the Georgian Era, noted for his political satire and social observation.
The Royal Academy Schools form the oldest art school in Britain, and have been an integral part of the Royal Academy of Arts since its foundation in 1768.
Rowlandson did a picture of some of his fellow students, among whom was William Beechey and Charles Reuben Ryley.
Sir William Beechey (12 December 1753 – 28 January 1839) was a British portraitist during the golden age of British painting.
Charles Reuben Ryley (1752?–1798) was an English painter.
Rowlandson went to Paris to study, sponsored by Jean Baptiste Pigalle. Jean-Baptiste Pigalle (26 January 1714 – 20 August 1785) was a French sculptor whose work was influenced by both baroque and neo-classical trends.
Two of his most important sculptures are Mercury and Voltaire.
Another important artist who Rowlandson befriended was James Gillray. James Gillray (13 August 1756 – 1 June 1815) was a British caricaturist and printmaker famous for his etched political and social satires, mainly published between 1792 and 1810. Many of his works are held at the National Portrait Gallery in London.
His father fougth in the Battle of Fontenoy, where he lost an arm. The Battle of Fontenoy took place on 11 May 1745 during the War of the Austrian Succession, then part of the Austrian Netherlands, now in Belgium. A French army of 50,000 under Marshal Saxe defeated a Pragmatic Army of roughly the same size, led by the Duke of Cumberland.
Gillray’s parents belonged to the Moravian Church. The Moravian Church is one of the oldest Protestant denominations in Christianity. Their creed was very strict, and Gillray decided to escape the tight family circle.
Francesco Bartolozzi was Gillray’s mentor. Francesco Bartolozzi (21 September 1727, in Florence – 7 March 1815, in Lisbon) was an Italian engraver, whose most productive period was spent in London. He is noted for popularizing the “crayon” method of engraving.
In 1780 the Royal Academy held an art exhibition. The main attractions were Reynolds’ portraits of George III and Queen Charlotte.
The author of the book outlines a brief history of caricature and authors who can be considered satirical.
The first one she mentions is Bosch and his Garden of Earthly Delights. Hieronymus Bosch (c. 1450 – 9 August 1516) was a Dutch/Netherlandish painter from Brabant.
Leonardo Da Vinci drew grotesque figures in an attempt to explore the human body.
Giuseppe Arcimboldo did portraits using fruits and vegetables. Giuseppe Arcimboldo (1526 or 1527 – 11 July 1593) was an Italian painter best known for creating imaginative portrait heads made entirely of objects such as fruits, vegetables, flowers, fish and books.
Annibale Carraci was also considered a satirical painter. Annibale Carracci (November 3, 1560 – July 15, 1609) was an Italian painter and instructor, active in Bologna and later in Rome.
Gian Lorenzo Bernini was also satirical, and this can be seen in the sculptures of Cardinal Sapioni Borghese or the Captain of the Papal Guard of Urban VIII. Gian Lorenzo Bernini (7 December 1598 – 28 November 1680) was an Italian sculptor and architect. In addition, he was a painter (mostly small canvases in oil) and a man of the theatre.
Pier Leone Ghezzi was a humorous illustrator. Pier Leone Ghezzi (28 June 1674 – 6 March 1755) was an Italian Rococo painter and caricaturist active in Rome.
Father and son Giovanni Battista Tiepolo and Giovani Domenico Tiepolo also did caricatures. Giovanni Battista Tiepolo ( 5 March 1696 – 27 March 1770) was an Italian painter and printmaker from the Republic of Venice who painted in the Rococo style, considered an important member of the 18th-century Venetian school. Giovanni Domenico Tiepolo (August 30, 1727 – March 3, 1804) was an Italian painter and printmaker in etching. He was the son of artist Giovanni Battista Tiepolo.
The first step for caricature in Britain came from the part of Arthur Pond, a printmaker. Arthur Pond (c. 1705–1758) was an English painter and engraver.
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