The Battle of the Pictures 1743

Curator: Hogarth's "The Battle of the Pictures," an etching from 1743...it's more than just a visual inventory, isn't it? Editor: Definitely. It's this chaotic jumble of images tumbling forward, as if his whole artistic output is on the verge of collapse! I see so many scenes represented, and what looks like certificates, tumbling downwards! What’s the story he’s trying to tell, here? Curator: Well, look closely – doesn’t it feel like a visual argument? Hogarth was at war with art world pretensions, particularly the fashion for collecting old master paintings. These works are to be sold at auction and look as if they are collapsing like dominos! But observe his little joke at the top, "The Bearer hereof is Entitled (if he thinks proper) to be a Bilder for Mr. Hogarth's Pictures"… isn't that something? Editor: "Bilder," a builder. I get it. So it's Hogarth, with his own distinct aesthetic, asserting the value of contemporary British art versus this almost…fetishistic adoration of the old masters? It’s pretty satirical! Curator: Precisely! The sheer volume, the almost frantic energy of the composition…it speaks volumes about Hogarth's passionate defense of his artistic principles, even if he had a great sense of humor about it. And think about printmaking's inherent reproducibility. Was he perhaps leveling the playing field by mass producing his art? Editor: I never thought of it that way. It’s like he’s democratizing art by making it accessible to a wider audience through prints, as if thumbing his nose to the elite collectors who prized the single masterwork? It adds another layer of rebellion. Curator: Right. Isn’t it thought-provoking how a seemingly simple image, a tumbling deck of cards can convey so much about the artist and art in the 18th century? Hogarth reminds me a bit of myself at the Academy… Editor: So true! This piece felt simple, but unpacking its nuances really deepened my understanding.