Lesson 3 william hogarth

William Hogarth is one of the greatest English artists of the XVIII century. He made his name as an artist painting «conversation pieces».

These little pictures were very popular in England during the XVIII century. They represented members of the same family or close friends having tea, playing cards or simply talking to one another. Hogarth said that his picture was his «stage», and men and women were his «players».

Later two ideas came to Hogarth’s mind. One idea was to paint moral drama of life in a series of pictures. The second one was to make engravings. His first successful moral series was «The Harlots Progress». It showed a country girl in London.

The masterpiece of the series was the famous «Marriage a la’ Mode». This set of pictures describes а marriage between the daughter of a rich man and a young 1ord, the son of old Earl. Their children are together but apart. The young man is watching himself in the glass, the girl is listening to a young counselor. The pictures round the room help understand the situation. In one of the pictures Madame sits listening to the young counselor, whose portrait hangs in his room. Other pictures in the series show the Lord who amuses himself with a bad company. He returns home tipsy.

Madame wastes her money at auctions. The end is known. The Lord attacks the counselor, who kills him and is executed.

Moral:

Don’t listen to counselors;

Don’t marry a man for his rank or

A woman for her money;

Don’t visit auctions unknown to your husband;

Don’t have bad friends.

Otherwise you will be ruined.

Hogarth’s fame is, in fact, based on these «moral» engravings. They are full of humour. You must read them, and not 1o¤k at them like other works of art.

All through his life, though, Hogarth could also paint pieces of

superb painting, f

Topical vocabulary

to make one’s name as - прославиться как;

conversation pieces - «разговорные картинки»;

to come to one’s mind - прийти.в голову кому-либо;

a series of pictures - серия картин;

an engraving - гравюра;

a moral series - «моральная серия»;

a set a pictures - серия картин;

to be together but apart - быть вместе и не вместе;

counselor - советник;

to amuse oneself with a bad company - развлекаться в плохой компании;

tipsy - пьяный;

to waste one’s money at auctions - транжирить деньги на аукционе;

to marry a man for his rank - выходить замуж из-за положения мужа;

to marry a woman for her money - жениться из-за денег;

a work of art - произведения искусства;

pieces of superb painting - великолепная живопись.

Answer the questions:

1. How did Hogarth make his name as an artist?

2. What is a «conversation pieces»?

3. What ideas came to Hogarth’s mind?

4. What does the first picture of «Marriage a la ’Mode» series describe?

5. What do other pictures in this series describe?

6. What is a moral of the series?

7. What is Hogarth’s fame based on?

Translate into English:

1. Люди для Хогарта - актеры, а картина - сцена.

2. Хогарт, один из величайших художников Англии, сделал имя, рисуя «разговорные картинки».

3. Шедевром «моральных серий» был «Модный брак», изображающий историю брака между молодым лордом и дочерью 6oгaтoгo лондонца.

4. Молодой лорд развлекается в плохой компании.

5. Мадам транжирит деньги на аукционах.

6. Слава Хогарта базируется на этих «моралистских» гравюрах.