Hogarth, Daumier, Gillray, Rowlandson are not exactly household names but they were the grandfathers of visual political and social satire. They set the blueprint for the modern day political skit and were unreserved in exposing the underbelly of life’s hypocrisies.
For those who need a reminder, satire is a close cousin of sarcasm and is used to expose, denounce or deride vice or immoral practices, mainly through the literary but also the graphic or performing arts.
The National Gallery of Victoria’s current exhibition The Satirical Eye: comedy and critique from Hogarth to Daumier has over 100 prints on display that represent highlights in satirical art from England, Spain and France.
“The works in this exhibition reveal much about human nature, as well as commenting on historically specific situations and individuals,” said Dr Petra Kayser, Assistant Curator of Prints and Drawings, NGV.
18th century England was by far one of the most liberal countries when it came to censorship.
Between 1770 and 1830, more than 20,000 etchings were published in London and sold as single-sheet etchings for those who could afford them. The latest print would also be displayed in the print shop window with great popularity.
French journalist Jaques Mallet du Pan who migrated to London, wrote in 1802: “People are fighting over here to see caricatures by Gillray in R. Ackermann’s shop-window. I cannot describe the enthusiasm when a new print is published. It is almost madness. People box their way through the crowd.”
Considering the context in which these works were created adds particular poignancy.
