Art History at the Library

Please note you are looking at an event that has already happened.

Event Details

Hogarth: Painting as Social Commentary


Paintings are often some of history's best primary sources. To explore what satirical art can tell us about the times that inspired it, we'll examine William Hogarth's Marriage A-la-Mode, a series of paintings that offer a darkly humorous critique of elite society in 18th-century Britain. In six canvases, Hogarth tells a rollercoaster of a story that invites us to reconsider the relationship between money, happiness, and virtue.

About Weili Jin

Weili Jin has been passionate about the history of art ever since first seeing Botticelli in the second grade. Ten years later, he continues to specialize in the paintings of Renaissance Florence, particularly the patronage of the Medici. Most recently, he has worked to develop the YouTube channel “Narrative Art History,” a lecture series that contextualizes Renaissance art in a continuous, chronological narrative.

For more information about The Close Looking Project initiative, visit https://closelooking.org/.

Accessibility

Need disability-related modifications or accommodations? Information and program content can be made available in alternative formats upon request by emailing JFRogers@sandiego.gov.