Before, a painting by William Hogarth depicts a woman resisting her sexual desires and her last minute attempts not to give into the man who awaits her. In the painting she is leaning away from from the man with a frazzled look on her face. The man on the other hand is pining for her love and affection while he stands close to her body, hoping to intrigue her imagination. In contrast to the first painting, After shows a scene of exhaustion. The sexual tension that was present in Before is no longer on the faces of either the man or woman. Their emotions are ones of satisfaction and relief.
Hogarth had many strong beliefs and was a controversial artist in his time. He believed in the mockery of the English society of the 18th century and he missed no chance to quarrel with contemporaries. His beliefs got him in trouble with many people though he strongly stuck with his point of view in everyone of his pieces. They were always unusual depictions that were controversial with many English citizens. It is said that these paintings were made for a vicious nobleman and were intended to depict comical portrayals of sexual moods. Hogarth’s belief of sexual tension is shown in these two paintings.
Before
After
