Monstrous Craws at a New Coalition Feast 1787

Editor: Right, let’s look at James Gillray’s "Monstrous Craws at a New Coalition Feast," from 1787. It's an engraving – talk about a scathing portrayal of a political get-together. There's a grotesque feeling about this work, as if the figures at the feast are consumed with an unseemly hunger. What stands out to you in this piece? Curator: You know, it's interesting that you hone in on "hunger"– literal and, perhaps, metaphorical? For me, it's all about the outrageousness! Gillray had this talent for making the powerful look ridiculous. These aren’t just portraits, are they? They are weapons of satire! What do you make of the inscription on the punch bowl – "John Bull's Blood"? Editor: It adds a disturbing note to the party, for sure. Like the nation is being drained to feed these monstrous appetites. Curator: Exactly. Do you think that knowing something about the political climate in 1787 enhances our understanding? The short-lived coalition government must have deeply upset him to create something so, well, bilious. I almost feel the acid rising as I look at it! Editor: Definitely! Understanding the context makes the piece even more impactful, because this isn't just about the visual shock; it's about Gillray's frustration with a political situation. It’s like he’s not just showing us, but actively accusing them. Curator: A delicious thought, if I might add. A sort of public trial via art. He asks us "Are they truly feeding us or are they feeding OFF of us?" Editor: Yeah! Thinking about the targets, and Gillray's savage way of showing them makes the picture much more cutting. Curator: Gillray makes sure we understand just *how* we are being bilked by those "craws"! A visual poem of the grotesque and utterly telling for our own modern coalitions and feasts!