William Hogarth Scholars at a Lecture.
William Hogarth Scholars at a Lecture.
A scene in an Oxford University lecture hall. A crowd of ugly, foolish looking students listen to the lecturer, who reads from a large ledger headed Datur Vacuum, meaning ‘Leisure time is given for…’ and is a pun on the vacant expressions of the auditors. The lecturer is supposed to be William Fisher of Jesus College, Registrar of the University, who agreed to be drawn by Hogarth. Paulson 143 II/III.
William Hogarth
William Hogarth, (born November 10, 1697, London, England—died October 26, 1764, London). The first great English-born artist to attract admiration abroad. Best known for his MORAL and satirical engravings and paintings—e.g., A Rake’s Progress (eight scenes,1733).
His attempts to build a reputation as a history painter and portraitist, however, met with financial disappointment. His aesthetic theories had more influence in Romantic literature than in painting.
