David Garrick as Richard III
In this dramatic scene, the legendary actor David Garrick is captured in the exact moment of sheer terror as he wakes from a nightmare before the Battle of Bosworth Field. Playing Shakespeare's villainous King Richard III, Garrick recoils in his royal bed, his hand raised defensively against the ghosts of his victims that haunt his sleep. Hogarth painted this in 1745 to immortalize Garrick's revolutionary, naturalistic acting style, which completely changed how people performed on the English stage. You can even spot his discarded armor on the floor and a crucifix in the background, hinting at the guilt-ridden night before his final, fatal battle.
- Technique
- Oil on canvas
- Material
- Canvas
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