1747
ink
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
The Idle 'Prentice Executed at Tyburn is a 1747 ink by William Hogarth, a Baroque work, held at National Gallery of Art.
This crowded scene shows a man being led to a gallows while a big crowd watches. Some people look angry, others sad. A few kids stand in the front, pointing or crying. The background has a hill and a village with houses. The sky is dark, like a storm is coming. The title says this is about an "idle 'prentice"—that’s an old word for an apprentice who didn’t work hard. The artist packed in lots of tiny details, like the tools and signs people hold. Want to see how artists used sharp lines and shadows to tell stories? Check out etching.
William Hogarth (; 10 November 1697 – 26 October 1764) was an English painter, engraver, satirist, cartoonist and writer.
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