A Rake's Progress is a series of eight paintings by 18th century
English artist
William Hogarth. The canvases were produced in 1732–33 then engraved and published in print form in 1735. The series shows the decline and fall of
Tom Rakewell, the
spendthrift son and heir of a rich merchant, who comes to
London, wastes all his money on luxurious living,
prostitution and
gambling, and as a consequence is
imprisoned in the
Fleet Prison and ultimately
Bedlam. The original paintings are currently in the collection of the
Soane Museum in London.The film maker
Alan Parker observed the works as ancestor to the
storyboard.
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Depictions
Later editions
Igor Stravinsky's 1951 opera
The Rake's Progress, with a
libretto by
W. H. Auden and
Chester Kallman, is loosely based on the story from Hogarth's paintings. In 1961,
David Hockney created his own print edition version of
The Rake's Progress and has also created stage designs for the Stravinsky Opera.
The 1946
RKO film
Bedlam, produced by
Val Lewton and directed by
Mark Robson, was inspired by
A Rake's Progress. Hogarth received a writing credit for the film.
The UK fund manager Bedlam Asset Management used the series throughout its 2006 Annual Report and Accounts.
The University of New...
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