Synopses & Reviews
With heavy-handed humour and a low subject-matter, the work of Thomas Rowlandson (17571827) provides an invaluable insight into the workings and mentality of late Georgian society. He was quite simply a product of his times, who relished recording the street life of London and whose drawings and etchings reveal an attraction to repulsive visions of wickedness and hardship, whilst maintaining a high degree of humanity.
A completely new illustrated volume which presents 72 watercolours, drawings, prints, and illustrated books to reassess the legacy of this renowned 18th-century satirist, Thomas Rowlandson: Pleasures and Pursuits in Georgian England reflects the growing emphasis on the social and political context of the satirical art of the eighteenth and early nineteenth century. In so doing, it rescues Rowlandson from what co-author Vic Gatrell calls the immense condescension of posterity.” This catalogue explores Rowlandsons unique perspective on Georgian society,on leisure and social life, and the crossing of class boundaries.
An introduction by curator Patricia Phagan describes Rowlandsons position within a hierarchical society. Illustrated essays by Vic Gatrell and Amelia Rauser examine Rowlandsons view of social life and leisure in London and his political satires.The images are drawn from the Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center at Vassar College as well as from the Metropolitan Museum of Art,Yale Center for British Art, Lewis Walpole Library, Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, and Vassar College Libraries, Archives and Special Collections.
Review
A lavish catalogue.” Vic Gatrells introductory essay
provides a brilliant overview of 18th-century London” Hugh Belsey,
The Art NewspaperThe catalogue includes an outstanding and stimulating essay Rowlandsons London by Vic Gatrell.” ”This attractive catalogue is a valuable record of the first major exhibition of Rowlandsons work in North America for twenty years” Luke Herrmann, The Burlington Magazine
Patricia Phagans glorious biographical catalogue of Rowlandsons work is the result of an enthusiastic collaboration between academics on both sides of the Atlantic.” This is an absorbing social history as well as a good-looking catalogue of works by an important artist” Joceline Bury, Jane Austens Regency World
Especially valuable for British art studies are the two essays by Vic Gatrell
and Amelia Rauser” Amanda Lahikainen, Enfilade
As much a picaresque adventure as a richly illustrated book” Lynn Roberts, The Tablet
Phagans catalogue entries are informative and insightful, and the generous, crisp color images invite the sort of attentive viewing Rowlandsons prints originally would have solicited” Choice
Review
and#8220;English caricaturist Thomas Rowlandson, who died in 1827, satirized the royal family, British aristocracy, and legions of politicians and social climbers. His colors are rich, his wit biting. Both are in ample supply in High Spirits: The Comic Art of Thomas Rowlandson.and#8221;
Review
andldquo;[A] lavish volume. . . . the quality of its reproductions is super, with huge blown-up details; it appears designed to reflect its royal origin, which is Queen Elizabethandrsquo;s unmatched collection of prints and drawings in Windsor Castle.andrdquo;
Synopsis
A completely new illustrated volume which presents 72 watercolours, drawings, prints, and illustrated books to reassess Rowlandson's legacy.
Synopsis
Portly squires and rake-thin curates. Jane Austen heroines and their gruesome chaperones. Dashing young officers and corrupt old politicians. The keenly observant caricatures by English cartoonist Thomas Rowlandson (1757andndash;1827) make clear his sharp eye for current affairs as well as for his appreciation of the humor in everyday life.
High Spirits brings together more than one hundred caricatures by Rowlandson, with subjects spanning the entire range of English society, including numerous satires of politics and well-known political figures. Full-color illustrations are accompanied by details drawn from new archival research on both the cartoons and their royal collectors, from George IV to Victoria and Albert.
Rowlandson is among the most important contributors to the countryandrsquo;s Golden Age of Caricature, and High Spirits will be a welcome addition to studies of his work.
About the Author
Kate Heard is curator of prints and drawings in the Royal Collection Trust and deputy editor of the Journal of the History of Collections.