William Hogarth: The First Modern Artist (Part 1)
How did William Hogarth transcend his humble origins to become one of the wealthiest artists in 18th century Britain? And in doing so, did he invent a new kind of art? Join Alastair and James as they chart the life and times of that most English of artists - William Hogarth.
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Artworks in this episode: William Hogarth, The Painter and his Pug, 1745, Tate, London William Hogarth, Hogarth's Shop Card, 1720 Marcellus Laroon, Sir James Thornhill, c.1712-15, National Maritime Museum, London Sir James Thornhill, The Painted Hall, 1707-26, Old Royal Naval College, Greenwich, London William Hogarth, Self Portrait, c.1735, Yale Center for British Art, New Haven William Hogarth, Falstaff Examining his Recruits, 1730 William Hogarth, The Cholmondeley Family, 1732, Private Collection William Hogarth, A Harlot's Progress, Plates 1-6, 1732 William Hogarth, A Midnight Modern Conversation, c. 1732, Yale Center for British Art, New Haven
Recommended Reading: Jenny Uglow, William Hogarth: A Life and a World, 1998 Mark Hallett, Hogarth, 2007 Jacqueline Riding, Hogarth: Life in Progress, 2022
Dr James Fox is a Cambridge art historian, bestselling author and multi award-winning broadcaster. He is Director of Studies in History of Art at Emmanuel College, Cambridge, and Creative Director of the Hugo Burge Foundation. His critically-acclaimed books on art and culture have been translated into fourteen languages. His most recent title and best-seller Craftland: a journey through Britain’s Lost Arts and Vanishing Trades (2025) has been named Waterstones Book of the Year, BBC’s book of the week and shortlisted for the Nero Book Prize. James is perhaps best known for his many arts documentaries for the BBC, including A History of Art in Three Colours, The Art of Japanese Life The Age of the Image and Nature and Us: a history through Art
Alastair Sooke is an author and broadcaster, and chief art critic at The Telegraph, for which he has been covering art since 2003. He has presented more than 60 hours of television and radio for the BBC (Modern Masters, Treasures of Ancient Egypt, An Art Lovers’ Guide) and written several books, including studies of Henri Matisse and Georges Seurat, and a history of Pop art. He is a trustee of The Ampersand Foundation and was educated at the University of Oxford and the Courtauld Institute of Art.
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