The
beginnings of caricature date to the end of the sixteenth century and are
linked to the Accademia degli Incamminati in Bologna. The academy’s founders,
Annibale and Agostino Carracci, used humorous studies of faces and figures as
an analytical tool for teaching young artists. Caricature soon spread from
Bologna throughout the rest of Italy. In the seventeenth century, it found its
way to France, and then in the mid-eighteenth century, to Britain. From the
time it was first introduced until the turn of the nineteenth century,
caricature underwent a remarkable transformation. From humorous drawings
emphasising the physiognomic features of the portrayed subject, it developed
into a powerful tool, harshly criticising the hypocrisy of politicians and
social injustice and reproaching human weakness and folly.
The
graphic arts cabinet will present the most captivating caricatures from the National
Gallery’s Collection of Prints and Drawings. Visitors will be able to enjoy
works by Wenceslaus Hollar, Jamese Gillray, William Hogarth, Maria Boissier,
and others. The exhibition also includes anonymous works that are just as appealing
and original as those by famous masters.
Curator:
Dalibor Lešovský
Venue: In the exhibition Old Masters I
Venue: In the exhibition Old Masters I
