It would seem that I now have several things in common with eighteenth century artist William Hogarth. One was my 2013 foray into sequential art, a method for which Hogarth is credited as being a pioneer with his engravings such as A Harlot’s Progress. Somewhat in the same degree my four paintings of Schirmer’s ‘Daytime Cycle’ for the Juelich Museum is a common factor and as of last week I have now joined the ranks of ‘the painter and his pug’.
The Painter and his Pug 1745 by William Hogarth (1697-1764) ~ Tate Britain
William Hogarth (1697 – 1764) was a painter, printmaker, writer and engraver. Artistically he was particularly noted for his engravings and paintings of moral subjects, and also for his portraiture. In addition he is regarded by many to have originated the use of purely pictorial and symbolic sequential language in the west with his sequential groups of engravings. He was also known for his love of pugs, owning at least three during his lifetime and painting several during his career. The most famous one being ‘Trump’ which was immortalised in Hogarth’s 1745 self portrait ‘Painter and his Pug’, a painting that can be seen at Tate Britain.
One of the reasons why I have been fairly quiet with my website and social media recently is that last week I travelled up to London to collect a dog that needed rehoming which had just been placed with the wonderful folks at Battersea Dogs Home.
The Painter and his Pug ~ Chris Billington ~ Cornwall Artlab 2015
She is a mischievous but very well mannered 7 month old pug puppy and I have named her Coco. Naturally she is taking up quite a bit of my time but already she has settled in to her new life in Cornwall and seems very at home in my Artlab, wanting to spend as much time as she can in my studio. Coco is a super addition to the family and will make a fine studio companion too. Here she can be seen still sporting her Battersea blue collar.
The Painter and his Pug ~ Chris Billington and Coco ~ Cornwall Artlab 2015
Many thanks to the staff at Battersea, in particular to Nikki and the vet Phil for their invaluable help and guidance.
For more information on the United Kingdom’s oldest and most famous home for dogs and cats – Battersea Dogs & Cats Home
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