The shock of the new: William Hogarth (1697-1764) and the influence of Isaac Newton (1642-1727) and his followers

Cowley focuses on painter William Hogarth (1697-1764), and discusses the influence of Isaac Newton (1642-1727) and his followers. In 1732, Hogarth painted and then published a series of six scenes, A Harlot's Progress. The story is of a young female immigrant who comes to London England from th...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inThe British art journal Vol. 22; no. 3; p. 8
Main Author Cowley, Robert LS
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published London Art Journals Ltd 01.12.2021
Subjects
18th century
Artistic expression
British culture
Gravity
Hogarth, William
Influence
Newton, Isaac (1642-1727)
Physicists
Portraits
Prints and printmaking
Visual artists
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Summary:Cowley focuses on painter William Hogarth (1697-1764), and discusses the influence of Isaac Newton (1642-1727) and his followers. In 1732, Hogarth painted and then published a series of six scenes, A Harlot's Progress. The story is of a young female immigrant who comes to London England from the provinces. Hogarth was drawing attention to the nature and effects of what many of his subscribers would have called the new-fangled force of universal gravity. Before Isaac Newton's followers spread his ideas widely, things simply fell over, collapsed or tumbled. But Newton declared with mathematical certainty that all falling things were pulled towards the center of the earth by a mysterious force, to be known as gravity. Cowley concludes that some pictures are clearly influenced by Newtonianism, as in the second picture of A Harlot's Progress, the Conduitt family-piece, the later plates of A Rake's Progress, the frontispiece to Clubbe's Physiognomy, Frontis-piss, and some portraits.
ISSN:1467-2006