Engravings by Hogarth

Hogarth is the best. His rich images of the moral underbelly of London are as resonant today as they ever were. The level of draftsmanship is high. The many symbolic details are superb. The plotlines combine moral outrage with lurid vouyerism with smirking satire - Bret Easton Ellis should have spent forty years as a Hogarth scholar before attempting to write his first book. This edition is cheap and large, with commentary that is a pleasure to read. I recommend it to anyone.

The large size of the pages (11X14)allows the reader to appreciate the quality and detail of Hogarth's work. Beyond the artistic merit of the engravings, I have found them to be of great value in understanding England of the 1700's. As it is said, "a picture is worth a thousand words". This is especially true with Hogarth, who was as much a humorist and social commentator as he was an artist. Sean Shesgreen provides the (absolutely) necessary background and explanitory information to understand the pictures.