William Hogarth and Pietro Longhi were two renowned artists of the 18th century. Hogarth was known as a master of satire and social commentary with his humorist caricatures, while Longhi appeared to hold the opposite outlook on Venetian society with his whimsical paintings. A first impression upon viewing and comparing artworks from the two masters is that they had little to nothing in common in regards to the attitude shown towards their subjects. However, Longhi was referred to as “The Venetian Hogarth” in his day: a title that met skepticism in the era from respected critics, and is still questioned today. This research, however, argues that the moniker was founded and accurate: that the two artists had a sufficient amount of points to justify the comparison. This title is proven accurate in light of the artists’ personal histories and training, artistic execution, and social commentaries woven into their works. This research goes on to compare formal analysis of selections of each artist’s work to pinpoint specific shared treatments of figure and artistic executions. The writings and accounts of the contemporary playwright Count Carlo Gozzi and later art critic Bernhard Berenson are also analyzed in this research for counterarguments and eventual dispelling of accusations against “The Venetian Hogarth.”
