Tag Archives: Eighteenth century history

Hogarth: Life in Progress is Sunday Times Art Book of the Year 2021

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Reviews for Hogarth: Life in Progress

Linda Colley, author of Britons and The Gun the Ship & the Pen: ‘In this marvellous and timely new biography, Jacqueline Riding makes sensitive and imaginative use of a wide range of often difficult and neglected sources, offering in the process a vivid and compelling reconstruction of the settings of Hogarth’s life and artistic achievements, and of the nature of the man.’

Gus Casely-Hayford, V&A East, Sky Arts: ‘If you are not familiar with the particular genius of Hogarth, this is the book through which to discover it. And if you are a fellow Hogarth fanatic then you are in for an exquisite treat. This is a special book that drops you heart first into Hogarth’s world – like the great man’s canvasses, it is full of richness, originality and considered humour, unafraid to shock with thrilling new insight.’

Michael Prodger, Sunday Times: ‘deft’, ‘perceptive and richly detailed.’

Kathryn Hughes, Mail on Sunday: ‘Hogarth understands that life is never one thing or another but always in progress’: Jacqueline Riding’s new biography is excellent.’

George Goodwin, London Historians: ‘[Hogarth] was far more than a mere depicter of his age and an artist of skill and talent. He was also a complex and active human being who was living within the society he drew. As such, he is worthy of a thorough and considered biography that captures the man of the time as well as the artist. That is exactly what Jacqueline Riding has brilliantly provided … ‘This book … is of the highest value in showing there was so much more to Hogarth than “Gin Lane”, but in also explaining exactly why he was able to create such a lasting image of his times.’ Read the full review here

Peterloo – “Excellent” Zadie Smith

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On Peterloo: The Story of the Manchester Massacre

‘Gripping … quite simply magnificent: splendidly researched, thoroughly well written, and very difficult to put down.’ John Barrell The Guardian

‘A superb account of one of the defining moments in modern British history.’ Tristram Hunt.

‘Peterloo is one of the greatest scandals of British political history … Jacqueline Riding tells this tragic story with mesmerising skill.’ Professor John Bew, author of Citizen Clem.

‘Fast-paced and full of fascinating detail.’ Tim Clayton, author of Waterloo.

‘This is the best single account of the massacre of August 1819. A brilliant piece of historical research that sets the event in the wider political and social context and which brings to life the tragic events of August 16. This is the book to turn to for anyone interested in learning what happened in Manchester on that day and why Peterloo continues to resonate today.’ Michael Powell, Chetham’s Library

‘Vivid, engrossing and well-research’, ‘an evocative account’, ‘gripping and intellectually robust’, ‘[Mike Leigh’s] film and Riding’s excellent accompanying book will rightly heighten public awareness of the events of 16 August 1819’. Professor Ted Vallance, BBC History Magazine

‘Jacqueline Riding lets the evidence speak for itself, and in doing so produces a cool and even-handed indictment of the authorities and the soldiers at St Peter’s Field that is far more devastating than any emotional rant,’ ‘cleverly structured’, ‘the sequence of events that Riding lays out in forensic details is shocking’, ‘The Peterloo story … is one that deserves to be remembered as a less than glorious chapter in our island history. No one has told it better.’ Saul David, Literary Review

‘Careful, closely researched … a fascinating and moving story … [Riding] does a fine job of putting the event into context.’ Dominic Sandbrook, The Sunday Times

‘An Englishman in Paris: Joseph Highmore at the Académie Royale’ Journal18, Fall 2016

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In the early 1730s the painter Joseph Highmore (1692-1780; Fig. 1) made two foreign journeys. His voyage in 1732 to the Low Countries was his first visit to continental Europe and, as stated by Highmore’s son-in-law John Duncombe, was undertaken chiefly to view the Elector Palatine’s Gallery at Düsseldorf “collected by Rubens, and supposed the best in Europe.” Duncombe continues, regarding Sir Peter Paul Rubens: “At Antwerp also he had peculiar pleasure in contemplating the works of his favourite master.”[1] Highmore returned to the continent two years later, this time to Paris, and his journal for this trip survives.[2]

Fig.1. Joseph Highmore, Self-portrait, c.1730. Oil on canvas, 126.4 x 101 cm. Felton Bequest, 1947, National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne. Image Courtesy of the National Gallery of Victoria.

Highmore spent eleven weeks away from London, departing from the Tower on Sunday 13 June 1734 and returning on Tuesday 24 August.[3] A majority of this time was spent in Paris itself and its environs. Highmore’s unguarded reactions to what he saw, as recounted in this unedited and private format, are by turns extremely admiring and highly critical. Further, the journal recalls what captured Highmore’s particular attention, either in the moment or soon after, and as such the references fluctuate between structured sentences and enigmatic single-word jottings. The prominence of Flemish art, specifically Rubens, in his choice of itinerary and corresponding notations suggests that the Paris trip acted, in part, as an adjunct to his earlier experiences in the Low Countries. However and crucially, given the focus of the present collection of essays, Highmore’s itinerary also demonstrates a specific interest in meeting prominent members of the Académie Royale (located in the Louvre from 1692 onwards) and viewing examples of recent “modern” and contemporary French art. This second strand is my focus here. I will conclude by briefly considering how Highmore’s time in Paris may have influenced his art practice on return.

To read the whole article click here.