William Hogarth's art

William Hogarth's Art

A Rake's Progress. Plate III: The Tavern Scene - Marriage à la Mode. Plate II: The Breakfast Scene

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A Rake Progress. Plate III: The Tavern Scene

Marriage à la Mode. Plate II: The Breakfast Scene

Starting from the left ther is the servant that is walking away from the couple with a large amount of bills. He has a look of disgust towards the couple. On the right the woman is raising her arms, she seems happy and contented while the man looks bored and distracted. There is also a little dog that is sniffing at a woman's night cap, it means that the man has been with another woman during the night. On the floor there is a overturned chair, a violin (a person was playing it to her and then left quickly before the man came in), there is also a book, a scabbard with the sword with some blood on it (impotence). On the background there 3 paintings of apostles and another one that is covered but we can see only a foot (lust).The mess = problems in the couples marriage.

The scene takes place in a room in "John Bonvine at the Rose Tavern Drury Lane" (it is written on the dish held by a waiter).In the foreground there are a woman and a man. The woman is taking off her clothes while the man is sitting on a chair, he is drunk and his foot is on the table. Around him there are two women of easy virtue that are stealing his watch. There is another figure behind them . At the centre there is a couple with tender attitudes. At the door there are two musicians. On the left there is a pregnant woman, she is singing "Black Loke", a dirty and vulgar ballad. On the background, on the walls, there are pictures with Roman Emperors.

What are the features they have in common?

William Hagarth is the author of these 2 paints.Both of them represent mess, but it is considered in two different ways. In "The Tavern Scene" it represents the mess of the pubs of the age. In "The Breakfast scene"it represents the problems in a marriage. In both of them there are paints on the wall. In the first paint alle of them are covered except one (it represents Nero), in the second paint only one is covered but we can only see a foot that symbolizes "lust". The two men are both tired and distracted.

Marissa Crescenzo 4CL