William Hogarth: 88 Drawings & Studies

The book, being a collection of 88 drawings, is a good sample for a large number of artist's great work, and for those who want to know more about William Hogarth’s drawing. Actually it is a good book for those who like to study more about art: 88 sketches in a book is not a big amount of picture in a picture book, but it is still very useful for those who like drawing and want to study something from other great masters’ sketches.

William Hogarth FRSA was an English painter, printmaker, pictorial satirist, social critic, and editorial cartoonist. His work ranged from realistic portraiture to comic strip-like series of pictures called “modern moral subjects”, perhaps best known being his moral series A Harlot's Progress, A Rake's Progress and Marriage A-la-Mode. Knowledge of his work is so pervasive that satirical political illustrations in this style are often referred to as “Hogarthian”.

Hogarth was born in London into a poor middle-class family. In his youth he took up an apprenticeship where he specialized in engraving. His father underwent periods of mixed fortune, and was at one time imprisoned in lieu of outstanding debts; an event that is thought to have informed William's paintings and prints with a hard edge. His work was influenced by French and Italian painting and engraving.

Hogarth's works are mostly satirical caricatures, sometimes bawdily sexual, mostly of the first rank of realistic portraiture. They became widely popular and mass-produced via prints in his lifetime, and he was by far the most significant English artist of his generation.

The book is also good for library collection, and will be helpful for someone doing drawing studies. Reproductions are good for the richness of color. Comprehensive and the images are of good quality considering the electronic format. It's like a really good study catalog with references, perfect for learning about line, shading and composition rather than a coffee table book. This book provided the tools needed to elevate your drawing ability to a higher level and teaches how to draw both realistically and beautifully. It steps back into the best and reveals how the old masters illustrated and sculpted.