This is part of A Rake ’s Progress , a celebrated series of paintings . In this famous scene we see Bedlam hospital , and the artist takes a shot at a illustrious scientific try of the 1700s . Can you guess what that try was ?
A Rake ’s Progress has been made into a concert dance and an opera house . If you have n’t seen either , as is likely , you ’ve probably interpret one or two of its painting as illustrations in your chronicle ledger . The artist , William Hogarth , was knock the redundant and moral decay of 18th century society . You ’re unlikely to have seen the house painting where young Thomas Rakewell , the protagonist of the series , make out into his hereditary pattern , but you ’ve probably seen the second and third panel , which shows Thomas blow his lot on ok clothes and wild parties in bagnio .
You ’re most likely , though , to have seen the net house painting . This painting , show above , shows the squalor and pandemonium of Bedlam Asylum , where Thomas sits miserably on the ground after losing his idea to syphilis and his fortune to gambling . Our eyes are drawn by both Thomas , sitting closest to us , and the two distaff visitors who goggle at the inmate .
But if you look at the human crouching behind the doorway just to the right of Thomas , you see an unexpected slam at a scientific question of the day . While at sea , sailor could figure out their latitude easy , just but looking up . However , they could n’t figure out longitude .
The British government extend award for ways to figure out longitude while at ocean , and a legion of people fix out get calculations as a direction of gaining their destiny . Others think it could never be done , and said so . William Hogarth come along to be one of those others . If you look cautiously you could see that the man has sketched a globe , a sun , a moonlight , and a boat . taste to figure out this inconceivable problem , Hogarth implies , will drive you dotty , as trusted as debauchery and gambling will .
ikon : McCormick Library , Northwestern University
[ Source : The British Museum , Folger Shakespeare Library ]
scientific discipline
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