Art exhibition: Goya and Hogarth at The Whitworth

Francisco Goya (1746-1828) and William Hogarth (1647-1764) are both big draws at art galleries, and a new exhibition presents their printed works in tandem for the very first time. Prints of Darkness, which begins this Saturday at The Whitworth, draws parallels between the two men, who both cast a candid gaze on their dysfunctional societies. Seemingly no topic was off-limits as they took unflinching looks at some weighty topics including cruelty, social inequality and political corruption. Subtitled ‘In a Time of European Turmoil’, the exhibition considers the works in the context of their own troubled eras, and also our own. Many of the artists’ pieces still seem highly relevant in this time of populism and Brexit. Included are some of Hogarth’s most famous prints, including ‘The South Sea Bubble’, ‘The Rake’s Progress’, and ‘Marriage a-la Mode’. 50 prints from Goya’s four books of etchings are also presented.

Sat 7 Jul – Sun 7 Aug 2019, The Whitworth, The University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester, M15 6ER, Tel: 0161 275 7450, 10am – 5pm/9pm (Thu), FREE, www.whitworth.manchester.ac.uk/whats-on