1761
ink
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
Time Smoking a Picture is a 1761 ink by William Hogarth, a Romanticism work, held at National Gallery of Art.
This print shows a chaotic scene where a lumpy, cloud-like figure labeled "Time" is blowing smoke over a painting. Below, a barrel labeled "Varnish" sits next to a small, hunched figure. The painting inside the frame depicts a shipwreck with people struggling in the water. The title *Time Smoking a Picture* hints this is a joke about how art fades or gets ruined over time. The messy lines and dark shading make it feel like a sketchy, fast-drawn protest against stiff, boring art. Look up etching to see how artists like Hogarth made prints with acid and needles.
William Hogarth (; 10 November 1697 – 26 October 1764) was an English painter, engraver, satirist, cartoonist and writer.
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