James Gillray

A Revolution in Satire

Timothy Clayton

$103.95

Hardback

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English

Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art
01 December 2022

The Arts: General & Reference

"The story of Britain’s greatest caricaturist, whose satires poked fun at political life throughout the Age of Revolutions

Described by one contemporary as the ""Prince of Caricatura,"" James Gillray (1757–1815) was the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century’s most famous and prolific graphic satirist. This definitive biographical study explores Gillray’s work through his friends, collaborations, and connections, and places it in the context of the world of print and political satire at a time when revolution and war erupted around the globe.

As well as an obsessive artist, Gillray was a hard-working art-businessman who struggled to make a living in politically exciting but difficult financial circumstances. Exploring Gillray’s life⁠—his relations with his publishers, his patrons, other artists, and politicians, and the pressures that made him publish⁠⁠—sheds new light on contemporary anxieties about artistic independence, the role of propaganda, and the increasing political importance of public opinion.

Lavishly illustrated, James Gillray also explores the artist’s early involvement in the production of previously unknown erotic prints, nearly all of which were deliberately destroyed by moral crusaders during the 1790s."

By: Timothy Clayton
Imprint: Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 289mm, Width: 248mm, Spine: 15mm
Weight: 666g
ISBN: 9781913107321
ISBN 10: 1913107329
Pages: 408
Publication Date: 01 December 2022
Audience: Professional and scholarly , Undergraduate
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active

Tim Clayton is a historian and writer. He is a specialist in eighteenth and early nineteenth-century history and culture, and is a leading authority on the printed images of that period.

Reviews for James Gillray: A Revolution in Satire

James Gillray: A Revolution in Satire describes not just the caricaturist's life and tragic end as creeping insanity took hold, but also the bracing effect he had on the art of satire itself. -Michael Prodger, Times (UK), Top 10 Art Books Mr. Clayton's well-researched . . . study makes a strong case for Gillray as the creator of a genre of graphic art-and as a forceful commentator. . . . [The] selection takes readers on a journey through Georgian politics and society with a guide who spared no one . . . and reminds us just how potent satire can be. -William Anthony Hay, Wall Street Journal Tim Clayton's new biography, the product of meticulous attention to the milieu printmakers worked in, suggests that in Gillray's case circumstance and exceptional skill went hand in hand. -Clare Bucknell, New York Review of Books A fascinating, well-rounded life of Gillray. . . . Clayton has done an impressive, thorough job. -Peter Brookes, Times (UK) Exploring the tensions between patrons and censors, artistic independence, and financial necessity, this lavishly illustrated biography lights up a life and an anxious fast-changing society. -Damian Thompson, World of Interiors, Holiday Roundup A wonderful book. . . . Clayton guides us through every aspect-technical, practical, commercial and collaborative-of platemaking and printmaking in the late 18th and early 19th centuries and explains the markets at home and abroad to whose demanding tastes Gillray had to cater. -Freya Johnston, Literary Review Nuanced and convincing . . . the level of detail in this massive and masterly book is breathtaking. -Martin Rowson, The Guardian The diversity of Gillray's work across four decades displays both a rare technical ability to imbue his prints with dynamic energy and an imaginative, excoriating wit. -Nicholas Babbington, Apollo&