Collection of the University of Pittsburgh Art Gallery, Pittsburgh, PA.
72.1.159
Before
1736 (Date created)
Etching and Engraving
14.125 in W
x
18.063 in H
(Paper)
British
This disturbing etching depicts a man and woman in a richly decorated bedroom chamber. The man, who sits upon a bed, pulls at the woman’s skirt as she attempts to escape his hold. The room, full of movement and symbolic references, is illuminated from a light source entering from the upper left corner. The gestures and expressions on their faces are indicative of their intentions and expectations, and thus add to this work's narrative. His sexual excitement can be recognized through his crooked cap and garb, and her disinterest is suggested by her averted gaze. In his essay The Analysis of Beauty, Hogarth declared, “For when the head of a fine woman is turned a little to one side… it is always looked upon as more pleasing.”[1] This seemingly minor detail reflects beauty ideals of the eighteenth century that Hogarth himself helped to define.
Part of a diptych depicting the Before and After of this violent scene, this print was adapted from a pair of oil paintings made five years earlier. An early biographer of William Hogarth asserted that these paintings were “made at the particular request of a vicious nobleman, whose name deserves no commemoration.”[2] They may be a depiction of Chief John Willes – a prominent member of the British Parliament and a notorious womanizer.[3] Hogarth was able to reach a wide audience with this set of prints.[4] To sell his prints to a broader public, Hogarth made many changes to the more explicit original images. For example, the addition of sexual symbols replaced the man’s exposed genitals, included in the original works.[5] It has been recognized that these prints are less offensive than the earlier paintings, but Hogarth himself claimed to regret producing them.[6]
Much like a modern comic strip, the temporal cues are integral to the effect of narrative works such as this.[7] After, the counterpart to Before, is a scene that reflects the moments after the sexual event. In the space between Before and After, one can imagine a brutal encounter. It is much more about what is implied, a violent rape, that differentiates this set of prints from its earlier painted versions. As a pair, these works have been described as a “comic portrayal of contrasting sexual moods,” but they should more properly be understood as part of the long history of sexual violence against women achieved through images and in reality.[8]
William Hogarth, an English painter, printmaker, pictorial satirist, social critic, and editorial cartoonist is well known for his satirical caricatures that are often bawdily sexual.[9] Hogarth is one of many artists involved in producing images of women in a sexualized manner. But in contrast to the image of a prostitute on display for the pleasure of surrounding men in Thomas Tegg’s A Cruize to Covent Garden, a print in the collection of the University Library System, Hogarth’s scene is intimate and private. The painting Before has been claimed to represent the woman’s “last minute resistance with her prior inclinations and preparations.”[10]
In the Before etching, however, it seems even more clear that the event that is about to occur in this scene is a rape.[11] There are many symbolic references within this print that indicate a non-consensual act. The decorum next to the bed, which conveniently titles the print, shows a cupid-like figure lighting what has been described as a “phallic rocket,” meant to denote male excitement.[12] The woman’s loyal dog is coming to her aid, as seen in its jumping gesture. The dressing table is topped with a mirror in motion, indicating that a fall is about to occur. After shows the fallen table, and the resulting broken mirror of the dressing table.
While the image shows the woman resisting the advances of the male suitor, details in the etching also indicate the artist’s negative attitudes towards women. Christine Riding and Mark Hallett, the curators of the William Hogarth retrospective at Tate Britain in 2007, have explained that Before represents the woman as “reluctant prey” and the man as a “heartless predator.”[13] The dark beauty mark on the woman’s cheek – a common convention for Hogarth in his portrayal of “loose women” – is meant to remind viewers of venereal disease.[14] In addition, the inclusion of the book of erotic poems on her vanity alludes to the woman being “not so innocent.”[15]
Before and After reinforce stereotypical gendered roles – man as dominant, woman as submissive – in unambiguous ways. Before shows a philanderer actively looking at a woman with a devious smile, and treating her as an object to be used for his pleasure. She not only physically repels his touch, but she diverts his gaze. Though she resists so mightily, Hogarth’s fantasy still presents its female subject as ultimately powerless.
Author: Amanda N. Bartko - Spring 2018
Part of a diptych depicting the Before and After of this violent scene, this print was adapted from a pair of oil paintings made five years earlier. An early biographer of William Hogarth asserted that these paintings were “made at the particular request of a vicious nobleman, whose name deserves no commemoration.”[2] They may be a depiction of Chief John Willes – a prominent member of the British Parliament and a notorious womanizer.[3] Hogarth was able to reach a wide audience with this set of prints.[4] To sell his prints to a broader public, Hogarth made many changes to the more explicit original images. For example, the addition of sexual symbols replaced the man’s exposed genitals, included in the original works.[5] It has been recognized that these prints are less offensive than the earlier paintings, but Hogarth himself claimed to regret producing them.[6]
Much like a modern comic strip, the temporal cues are integral to the effect of narrative works such as this.[7] After, the counterpart to Before, is a scene that reflects the moments after the sexual event. In the space between Before and After, one can imagine a brutal encounter. It is much more about what is implied, a violent rape, that differentiates this set of prints from its earlier painted versions. As a pair, these works have been described as a “comic portrayal of contrasting sexual moods,” but they should more properly be understood as part of the long history of sexual violence against women achieved through images and in reality.[8]
William Hogarth, an English painter, printmaker, pictorial satirist, social critic, and editorial cartoonist is well known for his satirical caricatures that are often bawdily sexual.[9] Hogarth is one of many artists involved in producing images of women in a sexualized manner. But in contrast to the image of a prostitute on display for the pleasure of surrounding men in Thomas Tegg’s A Cruize to Covent Garden, a print in the collection of the University Library System, Hogarth’s scene is intimate and private. The painting Before has been claimed to represent the woman’s “last minute resistance with her prior inclinations and preparations.”[10]
In the Before etching, however, it seems even more clear that the event that is about to occur in this scene is a rape.[11] There are many symbolic references within this print that indicate a non-consensual act. The decorum next to the bed, which conveniently titles the print, shows a cupid-like figure lighting what has been described as a “phallic rocket,” meant to denote male excitement.[12] The woman’s loyal dog is coming to her aid, as seen in its jumping gesture. The dressing table is topped with a mirror in motion, indicating that a fall is about to occur. After shows the fallen table, and the resulting broken mirror of the dressing table.
While the image shows the woman resisting the advances of the male suitor, details in the etching also indicate the artist’s negative attitudes towards women. Christine Riding and Mark Hallett, the curators of the William Hogarth retrospective at Tate Britain in 2007, have explained that Before represents the woman as “reluctant prey” and the man as a “heartless predator.”[13] The dark beauty mark on the woman’s cheek – a common convention for Hogarth in his portrayal of “loose women” – is meant to remind viewers of venereal disease.[14] In addition, the inclusion of the book of erotic poems on her vanity alludes to the woman being “not so innocent.”[15]
Before and After reinforce stereotypical gendered roles – man as dominant, woman as submissive – in unambiguous ways. Before shows a philanderer actively looking at a woman with a devious smile, and treating her as an object to be used for his pleasure. She not only physically repels his touch, but she diverts his gaze. Though she resists so mightily, Hogarth’s fantasy still presents its female subject as ultimately powerless.
Author: Amanda N. Bartko - Spring 2018
William Hogarth (1697-1764)
Before, 1736
Etching and Engraving; Third State
72.1.159
These prints depict the moment before and after a brutal sexual assault. On the left, a woman attempts to escape the grasp of her attacker. On the right, a toppled vanity and shattered mirror symbolize her ruined prospects. Her only recourse is to plead with her rapist for marriage, or at least discretion.
(See also 72.1.160) (This is Not Ideal, Fall 2018)
In Collection
This is not Ideal: Gender Myths and their Transformation. Pittsburgh: University of Pittsburgh University Art Gallery. 2018. Exhibition catalogue.
Published on the occasion of the student-curated exhibition This is not Ideal: Gender Myths and Their Transformation at the University Art Gallery, University of Pittsburgh, October 26-December 7, 2018.
University Art Gallery. Frick Fine Arts Building, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh PA 15260
ISBN: 978-1-7329013-0-8
Published on the occasion of the student-curated exhibition This is not Ideal: Gender Myths and Their Transformation at the University Art Gallery, University of Pittsburgh, October 26-December 7, 2018.
University Art Gallery. Frick Fine Arts Building, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh PA 15260
ISBN: 978-1-7329013-0-8
Please note that cataloging is ongoing and that some information may not be complete.