Although Lent is not a good time for drinking (although the appearance, smell and behavior of some zaczepiających me street people can say that rather do not care), but today I decided to continue the drugs problem in the art, which began several weeks ago post about opium ( link ). This time it fell on gin, one of the favorite beverages in the eighteenth century, and even today, with its many supporters as a great aperitif. And incidentally, my lodger fond of martinis, gin and hence associated with vermouth (I prefer pure vermouth). But instead of promoting consumption of alcohol (which I do not because, as stated in one of the justifications for changing the law makers on upbringing in sobriety and counteracting alcoholism leads to numerous social problems), it is to focus on the problem of how to cope gin artists. Let us, therefore, most of them morally zaangażowanemu William Hogarthowi ie, the author of two graphic "Gin Lane" and similar "Beer Street" from 1751,
William is, to paraphrase the title of the well-known hip hop group company boards, one of those graphic artists who have performed against the immorality and the collapse of the rules. And in connection with the partial Prohibition created two images, which will be mentioned today. Appears next illustration is the first of them showing negative effects of alcohol. In the foreground attention a mother who is so inserted that the city take care of their child and allows him to feed them dangerously wychynąć outside railing of the stairs. The viewer thus provides that if a child does not break his head on the pavement, it falls into the channel and will inevitably drown.
with other characters is not better, and as the author himself puts it, "idleness, poverty, resentment and misery to life" can lead a man to "madness and death." How often a book telling us psychologically difficult argue with this statement (although the musical knowledge of the human mind in the eighteenth century, and this allows you to really good laugh with also pioneers in this field of medicine). Hogarth pointed out something more about it and often takes in his work. He noticed that the free will of man is often headed towards disaster, destruction would seem the ideal existence which man is still unformed. In his drawings as they try different ways to gain fame, money, success at every possible field, by selling the ideals and the apparent love the simplicity of life. This is for Hogarth tried to teach them the right to form only an intermediate form between the theses of contemporary authors of books about society and morality, and literature, more rooted in the ethics of the Baroque.
"What we see in this picture?", Quoting the words of the late doyen of Poznan's history of art. in the lower left door loom inconspicuous, but which are crucial for understanding the illustration. This is just the gate of hell, which comes out "naboozowane 'form. Basement gins was a case of speluny, which sought to fight. And here, for the understanding of all illustrations, should refer to the consumption of gin by the inhabitants of Great Britain in the first half. Eighteenth century, well known that alcohol is good for the treasury, because it usually generates a sensible budget revenue for the excise duties and other charges. By analogy was with gin, which began to make a career in Albion in the late seventeenth century, the time of William III of Orange. Few could have imagined, however, that as soon drink a cheap beer in advance as the most alcohol consumed by Londoners. While the consumption of This first contingent was largely respects higieniczymi (fermentation is greatly hampered by contamination with bacteria and protozoa happily taplającymi czerpanej in water from wells or, God forbid, even then the polluted Thames) is a gin a career based primarily on price and much higher rauszu degree, which supplied.
The effects do not have to wait long. Almost all social strata (although the graphics of course were shown the lowlands as particularly morally bankrupt) gin consumed in such quantities that the average Londoner per week accounted for about a liter of gin. Like every problem in society, the English decided to treat it with due seriousness (what we see today, when the leading and major media dazzle for a few days to highly important issues like changing hairstyles by Justin Bieber or decay of morals associated with breaching the 100 million video views, "Friday" Rebecca Black). So at that time saw the dying die, "the human spirit" and how in 1736 he wrote one of the municipalities of English in his report: "It is the top concern of observations made by the committee that there is a strong tendency of people lower status to those destructive drinks, and how amazingly fast this plague developed among them in a few years. " Even noticed that it is impossible to go on the street, would not risk an unseemly sight, and that to such an extent that it is impossible to accept its consumption.
As befits a modern state, if you can not fight a problem, we must outlaw it first (to my friend says to reduce the problem and legalize the back of him taking a more indirect taxes). That was done in the case gin, which in 1736 issued the first act which significantly limits the production and import. As one can easily predict appeared gray, black market, a gaunt complexion white alcoholics was still widespread in the streets. Against the genie told so everyone interested in the moral development of society, Daniel Defoe and William Hogarth at the helm, although as the religiously fervent England befits the greatest impact were the words of Bishop Thomas Wilson. But it is worth quoting the observations on Gin Lane author analyzed illustration. The street located in the center of St Giles's Hogarth in his' Diary autobiographical "skrobnął following words:" Apart from a pawnshop and a shop selling gin no building is not a sufficient condition, "and about people krzątających in this area:" Drunk for a penny, zaliczający death for two. " As you can see, there was a company with which an artist could talk about their approach to wavy ...
illustration, however, he has done can be associated with another important event that took place in 1751 was then that the Parliament passed another law which revolutionized gin trade, reducing fees borne by sellers, but introducing a different system of licensing. It is probably not the right or commitment of individual units has worked well in reducing consumption, but rising price of grain in relation to nienajlepszymi harvest in subsequent years and the wars that have hampered much of its imports. What is so anxious not reached the parliament, made by nature. I think that at the same time British soldiers were given specially in India, gin and tonic that disguised the bitter taste of quinine. This here's a brave way to insert the soldiers were able to conquer and dominate the Indian territories in the region over the next two hundred years.
So when Hogarth presented the background of a ruined church. George Bloomsbury referred not only to the destruction of earthly life, but eternal. Therefore, instead of the monument of King George I of a lion and unicorn crowning completed in 1730, we are dealing with the ramshackle building, which is an obvious reference to the observation moralizującego artist. So I'm curious whether he could predict what will happen later. Gin price rises, the mass will not be able to afford it, he finally gained its reputation as an exquisite drink ... I feel something that was not the case, and British legislators Hogarthowi yourself.
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