Friday lates: the art of satire - Brueghel and Hogarth
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- Start Date: 26 Sep 2025End Date: 26 Sep 2025Fri (Evening): 18:00 - 20:00OnlineFull fee £19.00 Senior fee £19.00 Concession £19.00
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What is the course about?
Pieter Breughel the Elder and William Hogarth are considered innovators of satire in European art. Their scathing views of their contemporary worlds were not 'just because' they liked to laugh. The history of satire in early modern, western Europe was tied to the waning power of kings, but it was also reacting to social and political upheaval. For these early modern satirists, humour was a weapon against hypocrisy. It was not just a critique of the ruling class, but an assessment of a broader social order.
Through extreme silliness, satire asks us to examine our reactions to the absurdity of our immediate circumstances. Because of this, satire is always reacting to a specific social situation. Therefore, in this short course we will introduce the unique historical contexts of each artist to better understand the hypocrisies they reflected.
The course will generally introduce satire before moving into a discussion of each artists’ specific historical circumstances, examples of their satirical works and how we might come to better understand the value of their humour from our contemporary perspective. Please note: this is not going to be 'funny' in a traditional sense; we'll be exploring how wit was used to critique society.
What will we cover?
-Satire and how it is distinct to other forms of comedy
-Breughel’s historical context and his art
-Hogarth’s historical context and his art.
What will I achieve?
By the end of this course you should be able to...
-Describe the general historical circumstances of Breughel and Hogarth
-Discuss how and why they chose satire as method
-Consider the importance of satire in a time of great social change.
What level is the course and do I need any particular skills?
This course is suitable for all levels.
You should be able to follow simple written and verbal instructions. You will be taught online via Zoom and should therefore be comfortable with basic computer technology related to Zoom, its microphone, camera and chat functions.
How will I be taught, and will there be any work outside the class?
The course is open to all levels. You will be taught with lecture, powerpoint slides, short discussion and/or Q&A. There will be a short summary and reading list shared at the end of the session.
You will be taught online via Zoom. This is a live lecture and will not be recorded for reasons related to copyright, data protection and digital infrastructure.
Are there any other costs? Is there anything I need to bring?
You might wish to purchase a notebook for taking notes.
When I've finished, what course can I do next?
Search for our series ‘Friday lates’ to get more short courses on diverse topics.
Sarah Jaffray holds a BA and MA in Art History with an emphasis in 19th/20th century France and a minor in the Italian Renaissance. She holds a second MA in Cultural Theory from Goldsmiths, University of London. Sarah was a lecturer for several colleges and universities in the Los Angeles area before relocating to London in 2012. She has worked in curatorial roles at the British Museum and Wellcome Collection. In addition to her current teaching at City Lit, Sarah is a lecturer at the University of Arts London and the Tutor Coordinator for City Lit's Art History programme. Her art historical practice focuses on experimental narratives, artistic process, art pedagogy, politics and philosophy. Sarah's current research is focused on translation and empathy.
Please note: We reserve the right to change our tutors from those advertised. This happens rarely, but if it does, we are unable to refund fees due to this. Our tutors may have different teaching styles; however we guarantee a consistent quality of teaching in all our courses.
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