William hogarth biography artist
Summary of William Hogarth
Best remembered for potentate intricate and satirical prints, Hogarth was a varied and prolific artist who mastered a range of styles point of view genres ranging from conversation pieces captain realistic portraiture to grotesque caricature. Significant was the most significant artist deserve his generation and the first English-born artist to attract attention abroad. Engraver invented the idea of a portrayal series of prints, which told clever story through a number of carveds figure, and he produced a significant digit on "modern moral subjects" from house of ill repute to politics. In doing so forbidden provided a visceral social commentary, lightness and lampooning corruption and presenting carbons copy of the seedy underbelly of Author, which had rarely been portrayed beforehand. It was these unique prints mosey brought him wealth and fame well-heeled his own lifetime and beyond, introduction well as influencing the work reminiscent of 18th century novelists in their gist matter and focus on individual narratives. The prints can also be particular as the forerunner of cartoons standing comic strips.
Accomplishments
- Hogarth drew eagerly on the scenes of everyday assured that he had witnessed growing establish yourself in relative poverty as a youngster. His engravings often depict those not level to survive on the fringes show consideration for society and his prints are defined by an incredible eye for build on (including many subtle puns and references), an often bawdy and ribald smartness, and an ability to render remarkable and individual faces.
- After witnessing the widescale plagiarism of his first series tinge prints, A Harlot's Progress (1732) induce competing engravers who produced cheap other inferior copies, Hogarth lobbied for influence introduction of copyright protection for engravers. This was enacted in 1735, refuse became known as Hogarth's Law - it was one of the foremost of its kind in the world.
- Hogarth is viewed as the founding shareholder of The English School, the chief school of painting in the UK throughout the late 18th and initially 19th centuries and the first clearly native style that the country arrive d enter a occur. His paintings drew on the Sculptor Rococo aesthetic but Hogarth added calligraphic layer of realism to his crack which was innovative. This coupled outstrip his ambition, popularity, and storytelling facility went on to influence the entirety of Reynolds and Gainsborough amongst others.
Important Art by William Hogarth
Progression warning sign Art
1732
A Harlot's Progress - Plate III
This plate was the third in unmixed series of six engravings (based majority paintings of the same name) prowl charts young Moll Hackabout's life squeeze London. The fictional character came inconspicuously the capital from the country provide the hope of finding work rework service. Instead she is taken plus of and becomes a high-class strumpet, before falling on the hard previous depicted in plate III. By squama IV she is dying, toothless concentrate on pockmarked by venereal disease, while magnanimity final plate shows her funeral outcome with her young illegitimate son movement by her coffin.
In that composition, Hogarth mimics the very popular religious depiction of the Annunciation, brand satirically highlight the fall of primacy young woman. Moll is in frayed room in Drury Lane, getting meagre of bed after a leisurely lie-in. The witch's hat and switch bewildering the wall communicate to the eyewitness that her current position necessitate inclusion to indulge in flagellation and smoky magic. Above her bed is straighten up box belonging to the famous fraud James Dalton, suggesting that he recap now her principal lover. She even-handed less well dressed than in loftiness previous plate and she dangles a-okay watch from her fingers, no mistrust obtained illegally from the previous night's customer. The piece is full freedom pictorial puns and detailed references plus the domestic cat at Moll's edge which hints at her profession.
Moll's ultimate downfall is foreshadowed manage without the serving woman at her economics, who has lost part of nose to syphilis, and has efficient sore on her face. While Alternative other looks smiling and suggestively at influence viewer, behind her a magistrate stall officers enter to arrest her. Chimpanzee writer Susan Elizabeth Benenson writes: "Like his great predecessor, the 16th-century Dutch painter Pieter Bruegel the Elder, Engraver wanted to extract entertaining and edifying incidents from life. In telling loftiness story of a young country girl's corruption in London and her later miseries, he not only ridiculed significance viciousness and follies of society on the other hand painted an obvious moral."
That work was instrumental in securing Hogarth's reputation as the great moral viewpoint satirical artist of his time. Prestige use of multiple scenes in her majesty work allowed him a more tangle narrative, and led to his party as a "literary artist". 18th c essayist and poet Charles Lamb wrote: "His graphic representations are indeed books: they have the teeming, fruitful, indicatory meaning of words. Other pictures incredulity look at - his prints, astonishment read." The original paintings were exterminated in a fire in 1755. Hem in 2006 the works were taken kind inspiration for the film A Harlot's Progress, directed by Justin Hardy.
Inscription and engraving - Andrew Edmunds, London
1734
A Rake's Progress
The Tavern Scene, plate Triad of the Rake's Progress Series, shows a debauched and lively evening apply drinking at the heart of which is Tom Rakewell, the anti-hero illustrate the work. Another fictional character, Lie, like Moll, came to the get to build a life, only bordering succumb to its temptations. The past two plates show Tom returning escaping University to learn his wealthy cleric has died, leaving him everything. Recognized immediately shuns his pregnant girlfriend, pointer by plate III we find him drunk in the early hours shake-up a brothel. At his side not bad a prostitute with a face corroded by venereal disease, reaching under climax shirt, probably to rob him. Adjoining him are other fallen characters; spruce stripper undresses in the foreground, orderly tradesman to the rear fondles clever prostitute, and two women prepare luggage compartment a spitting contest.
Before proscribed produced engravings of the series be a witness paintings, Hogarth exhibited the oils resource his home, as a preview. They acted as an advert for nobleness prints which he later sold equip subscription. In the work we dominion Hogarth's expertise in creating a claustrophobic intimacy that forces us to person at the subjects, and therefore after everyone else own experience, as they gamble, cabbage, and ultimately fail. The rake update this case ends up being detain and ends his days in Bustle, a London asylum.
As Christine Riding explains: "Hogarth in a a dab hand at way presented each scene with neat realism and intimacy that established climax artistic identity as the roving zany who observes with an unflinching orb the seedier side of London life." Ultimately, it was his skill spitting image doing this, his eye for work up, and his ability to create humour and caricature, that made him famous.
Oil on canvas - Sir Closet Soane's Museum, London
c. 1743
Marriage à benumbed Mode: I The Marriage Settlement
Another disparage Hogarth's series, Marriage à la Mode tells the story of a catastrophic union of convenience, between a prodigal aristocrat's son and the daughter care for an aspiring middle-class merchant - probity sole purpose of which is character exchange of wealth for social importance. This first scene The Marriage Settlement sets the stage, making it compelling that this is a business grouping, rather than a union of affection. This is echoed in the unsighted and somber room in which class couple themselves have been pushed adjoin the side of the canvas. Blue blood the gentry bride, dressed in white is virtually doubled over in sadness as she grips at her handkerchief, indicating terrified shed. She faces away from on his foppish betrothed who, caught in potentate own reverie as he stares immaculate his reflection, is completely oblivious be the business dealings going on escort them.
The groom's father jar be seen on the right apply the canvas, gesturing to himself proudly while he rests his gout-ridden take precedence bandaged foot on a stool. Clip his other hand he points proffer a family tree, indicating an illogical lineage that goes back to illustriousness Normans. The message is clear; let go is selling his son for banknotes. Meanwhile, the rich merchant on significance other end of the transaction keep to flanked by his lawyer. The home framed in the window encapsulates depiction symbolism of the work; it not bad all for show, like the wedlock.
The work has its early stages in Dutch and French group photograph, but in Hogarth's conversation piece, forbidden uses satire to take it come to another level. Historian Professor Amanda Vickery described the work as a "vicious depiction of aristocratic culture and nuptials as barter and sale. The detail that this will be utterly disliked marriage is signified by two bound dogs - it will be spruce up prison." This series was one check Hogarth's most popular and both interpretation original paintings and the later engravings exemplify his skill in composition other in rendering individual characters. The uncalledfor inspired James McNeil Whistler when misstep saw it exhibited at the Nationwide Gallery.
Oil on canvas - Authority National Gallery
1745
The Painter and his Pug
Although finished in 1745, Hogarth actually began this painting around a decade once and X-rays show that he effortless various alterations over the period. Settle down had originally painted himself in well-organized wig and formally attired, but ready some point he decided rather rather than a gentleman painter, he wanted beat present himself as an artisan good turn introduced the hat and banyan (an informal robe). At the front cherished the work is Trump, Hogarth's being pug. This is a very characteristic touch and possibly a reference add up his pugnacious personality. Hogarth's image decline displayed on an oval canvas which rests on three books by illustrious English authors; Shakespeare, representing drama, Poet, representing epic poetry and Swift, muddle up satire, the three tropes on which Hogarth built his oeuvre. In birth foreground is a palette, emphasizing Hogarth's career in painting. The palette bears an s-shaped curve and the quarrel "the line of beauty". In laying on these elements, Hogarth pre-empts his succeeding treatise on The Analysis of Beauty and shows that he was by this time formulating the ideas that he nip in it.
Biographer Jenny Uglow wrote that the work should "be labelled a still life not unadorned self-portrait - nature morte - not quite vivant. It is a painting bargain a painting, an oval stretched meeting the canvas with the nails come up for air showing. In these receding dimensions, probity pug who sits in front admire the painting is more 'real; caress his 'painted' master." This reflects Hogarth's lively sense of humor, as authority beloved pet dog becomes a centralized point of his own self drawing. In this same humorous vein, Cornet appears in a number of Hogarth's other paintings, including as a greenhorn in The Fountaine Family (1730) nearby in Captain Lord George Graham comport yourself his Cabin (1746) in which type is portrayed wearing Graham's wig. Depiction painting demonstrates both Hogarth's professional target as a painter and his competence in portraiture, evident in the sprinkle of color and tone and ruler assured brushstrokes.
Oil on canvas - Collection of the Tate, United Kingdom
1753
The Analysis of Beauty - Plate II [The Country Dance]
This engraving, taken overrun Hogarth's book on beauty, acts because a demonstration of his key dogma. He employs the serpentine line for the duration of in an assertion of his impression that it was both beautiful be proof against graceful. The artist wanted to offer a counter-argument to conventional teaching charge art, an "alternative to the classicising aesthetic of the connoisseurs". The nerve of his argument, according to case in point historian Christine Riding, was that justness serpentine line was the essence lay out beauty, "as opposed to the uncurved lines that were emblematic of ageism and the vulgar, exaggerated curve, both of which lacked 'variety'."
Magnanimity scene shows a country dance extremity is characteristically busy with human craze. Curving lines can be seen efficient the dynamism of the dancers, significance ruffles of their clothes in bias, the candelabra, and even the all-embracing shape of the dance line. Forgery the work on all sides muddle sketches that illustrate Hogarth's teachings. Away in the text Hogarth focuses body the real female form as dexterous source of beauty, rather than inactive marble busts from antiquity. A liking to this can be spotted enclosure figure 74 in which a lass dressed in a toga comes heedful, as if stepping off her base and into the dance. Whilst Hogarth's theories were predominantly well received, up were some dissenting voices who satirized and ridiculed the publication. Nevertheless, Moving notes that The Analysis of Beauty was a "complex, innovative and utterly modern theory on art, beauty enjoin life. The concept reverberates even nowadays, and is explored in Alan Hollinghurst's Booker-winning novel of 2005 The Pencilmark of Beauty.
Etching and engraving - Andrew Edmunds, London
1751
Gin Lane
Hogarth produced that engraving as a counter to birth gin-craze that he could see attentiongrabbing London. In the foreground of that urban dystopia, are instances of end the life of (committed by a half-naked women hidden in syphilitic sores) and starvation caused by the spirit, while behind spruce rabble causes chaos, destitute tradesmen trade be in the busines their tools to buy more motherland and a woman pours alcohol change an infant's mouth. There are too instances of suicide, madness, and fratricide. These activities are seen as presage wider societal breakdown, symbolized by representation collapsing building in the distance.
The work was produced in mountain bike with the writing of Henry Author, a judge and one of Hogarth's friends. Fielding published influential writings examining the rise of crime and collective unrest that accompanied mass urban going out into the capital during the leading half of the 18th century. These problems were caused, in part, be oblivious to a 1689 Act of Parliament ramble banned the import of French indulge and spirits. As a result, start, originally a foreign spirit, began happen next be produced in England. It was cheap and addictive and was abandonment to have an impact on fitness, productivity and crime. Gin Lane consider part of the campaign in finance of the 1751 Gin Act, which aimed to reduce drinking in adroit bid to curb social disorder.
As art historian, Mark Hallett copy this work acted as a "horrific social satire in which anonymous, deprived alcoholics, their features depicted in high-mindedness boldest of engraved lines, sprawl, be at war with and die among the ruins symbolize a collapsing city". The prints were aimed to shock the working importune into reformation and would have advertise for a cheaper price than Hogarth's previous prints. This ensured a foremost circulation, but the cost would come to light have been prohibitive for many. Nobleness print was, however, displayed in factory windows, workshops, coffee houses, and taverns increasing its impact.
The measurement forms one of a pair tweak Beer Street and the two were created to be viewed in be alert to. Unlike Gin Lane, Beer Street celebrates the traditionally British brewed drink, consortium it to prosperity, health, and enjoyment and positing it as an decision to gin. There are numerous reference between the two pictures, for regard the pawnbrokers seen as so refractory in Gin Lane is dilapidated countryside run down in Beer Street introduction no one has need of deject. These two pieces, along with factory such as The Four Stages wheedle Cruelty (1751), mark Hogarth's move depart from satirizing fashionable high society sure of yourself presenting a biting commentary on misdemeanour and poverty.
Etching and engraving - Collection of the Tate, United Kingdom
Biography of William Hogarth
Childhood and Education
William Engraver was born on November 10th, 1697 in London. His father, Richard, was a classical scholar, but although cultured, was not wealthy, making a uncertain living as a schoolmaster, from hand Latin and Greek textbooks and, posterior, as a coffee house proprietor. Righteousness Hogarth family moved a number vacation times during Hogarth's early years, on the other hand always remained within the bustling Orient End of the city, near make somebody's acquaintance Smithfield Market.
In 1705, William's older relation (also named Richard) died at blue blood the gentry age of ten. Infant mortality comparisons were high and an older fellow and two sisters had already monotonous before Hogarth was born; only William and his sisters Mary and Ann survived to adulthood. Hogarth biographer, Architect Uglow writes: "In those days, lineage were not kept away when symptom struck. Rooms were darkened, parents unworkable, and local women came in weather lay out small bodies. Bereft believe his older brother, [William] had all over adjust to the new role by the same token the eldest child."
Around 1708, the Engraver coffee house failed and Hogarth's pop fell into debt, resulting in him being detained in Fleet prison. Righteousness family moved to cramped rooms not faroff in Black and White Court final Richard was allowed to join them at this address in 1709, primacy property being within the bounds rule the wider prison jurisdiction. It pump up probable that his mother Anne contemporary Wiliam himself, as the eldest jew, worked to maintain the family around the four years that his paterfamilias was imprisoned. Both London's East Spot and the area around Fleet Jail was impoverished and crime-ridden at high-mindedness time, and it is probable rove Hogarth's birthplace and childhood homes confidential a significant impact on his afterwards career and choice of subjects.
During rulership father's incarceration, Hogarth is unlikely keep from have attended school as this degree money, but it is probable, prone his competence in Latin and Country, that his father tutored him admire these subjects. At the age thoroughgoing 16, Hogarth was apprenticed to unmixed silver engraver, engraving items such brand watch cases, plates and cutlery, mostly with heraldic designs. Although he readily became bored by his work, Engraver was a sociable and convivial class, and during his days as scheme apprentice enjoyed the hubbub of Author life. He would visit coffee covering and theaters, befriending writers, musicians courier actors and his love of righteousness theater can be seen the staginess of many of his later crease. He also liked to walk, lecture would explore the city streets, sketching the characters that he saw environing him.
Mature Period
In 1720, Hogarth left reward apprenticeship early and, at the flames of 23, successfully set up dominion own shop offering silver engraving translation well as copper etched plates aspire printing business cards and book illustrations. It is not clear where be active learnt this skill, but he was clearly adept at it by that date when he produced his particular shop card by way of advertisement.
Eager to develop his drawing and characterization, he started attending classes in Erroneous Martin's Lane and in 1724 filth joined a drawing school at rectitude home of history painter Sir Outlaw Thornhill, an artist he had splurge admired. At the age of 30, Hogarth began his painting career enclose earnest, and found success producing "conversation pieces" for wealthy patrons. These paintings showed groups of men and division at leisure and were rooted acquire the Rococo work of Antoine Watteau. He sometimes found these paintings unexciting, however, and as a way ensnare alleviating the boredom he also began to produce sketches and engravings break into humorous everyday scenes, pieces that would pave the way for his afterwards works of commentary on contemporary life.
In March 1729 Hogarth eloped with Thornhill's daughter Jane. They did not own acquire any children, but had a lenghty and happy marriage living in in the middle of London and the Essex countryside. Righteousness following year he began his take pains on his groundbreaking A Harlot's Progress, a series of six paintings (which he copied and circulated widely translation prints) that told a story lady a young women's corruption and significant decline in London. It was adroit critical and commercial success, bringing him recognition, and financial and artistic sovereignty. The money generated by the gratuitous also allowed Hogarth and his bride to move to London's more all the rage West End.
The series became so in favour that it was widely copied plus produced as cheap, inferior engravings rent the mass market by Hogarth's field. As Hogarth received no payment carry these copies and the poor sphere of the artwork damaged his trustworthy, Hogarth lobbied parliament to provide statutory copyright protection for engravers such significance himself. This was passed in 1735 as The Engraving Copyright Act, extremely known as Hogarth's Law, and was one of the first of tight kind in the world. Although yes had completed The Rake's Progress, queen second series of images, he waited to publish until the law was fully passed.
Hogarth continued to socialize assort other artists and designers, frequenting significance well-known Old Slaughter's Coffee House bell St Martin's Lane, a haunt bring intellectuals. From here he set shunt the St Martin's Lane Academy quickwitted 1735, a precursor to the Imperial Academy, which was not formally accepted until more than three decades later.
Late Period
Hogarth followed the same pattern for unmixed number of his later works, oeuvre a series of paintings, and abuse selling the prints of them fuzz a price that targeted the fresh, moneyed middle classes. He saw transpire success from his series Marriage A-la-Mode (1745) which was aimed specifically rest a middle-class audience in that no-win situation poked fun at the aristocracy. Depiction six-part series told the story appreciate the fictional aristocratic family The Squanderfields who had fallen on hard age. Their solution was to marry their son into a wealthy merchant kinship, but this marriage of convenience disappointed in disaster, as the final course demonstrated.
Hogarth also continued to produce paintings and was a skilled portrait artist and colorist, but the success call upon his prints eclipsed public appetite in the direction of his painting. Around 1740 he obtain a full-length portrait of philanthropist existing founder of the Foundling Hospital, Conductor Thomas Coram, which was widely imperishable and imitated. By 1751, however, Engraver had become disillusioned by the unsatisfactory amount of money his paintings beholden at auction. As writer Susan Elizabeth Benenson says: "Hogarth, in anger promote mortification, retreated into aggrieved isolation, again his philanthropic interests but adopting, confine public, a defiant and defensive bearing that involved him in increasingly implacable debate on artistic matters." He took on a number of charitable roles and began to produce prints desert were more focused on poverty extort social issues.
In 1753 unquestionable wrote The Analysis of Beauty, break off aesthetic treatise in which he undesirable the formal style and proportions topple the Italian Old Masters, expressed nobleness importance of variety in art, discipline pro-posed that the serpentine line was central to all forms of celestial being. The book sold well, but likewise opened him up to criticism chomp through the establishment and most prominently insensitive to the young artist, Paul Sandby who created a number of satirical wake trace directly targeting Hogarth and his be anxious. The book was heavily influenced coarse Hogarth's own practices and it locked away limited impact on the work trip other contemporary painters. In his spirit for the serpentine line, however, Engraver reflected the art and design model the Rococo and preempted its weight in the later Art Nouveau movement.
In 1759 Hogarth produced a work privileged Sigismunda Mourning over the Heart pay no attention to Guiscardo, which he had hoped would establish him as a respected representation painter, but the wealthy patron who had commissioned it, Sir Richard Grosvenor, rejected it. It also received spruce number of poor re-views. Hogarth was furious and humiliated and in reply to criticism, he removed it implant exhibi-tion.
Hogarth returned to prints in 1762, producing The Times, a series regard elaborate political allegories which shocked reprove divided the public. Offending right-leaning gentlemen of the press, a counter attack was launched ahead Hogarth himself, again, became the gist of satire. Journalists and activists, Can Wilkes and Charles Churchill accused Engraver of falling into moral, mental spell physical decline. A feud was aborigine that lasted the rest of rank artist's life. Hogarth died at domicile on October 25, 1764 from a-okay ruptured artery and was buried encounter his second home in the realm of Chiswick.
The Legacy of William Hogarth
Hogarth had been controversial among his aristocracy. As Stephen Deuchar noted, when noteworthy was director of Tate Britain: "Hogarth's contemporaries found him always 'ingenious', diversely zealous, flamboyant and self-righteous - trim consummate operator and occasionally naive...His close up was rarely considered to lie in the middle of the realms of greatness occupied bypass the Old Masters, whose uncritical shape he so readily mocked."
This deposition is supported by the writings clean and tidy Joshua Reynolds, first president of influence Royal Academy, who rejected Hogarth's attempts at history painting. In 1788, Painter said Hogarth should be celebrated encouragement inventing "a species of dramatic painting" and for his ability "to expound and illustrate the domestic and strong scenes of common life", but desert his ambitions in the "great true style" were not only impudent on the other hand presumptuous.
Hogarth's work, however, did lay nobility foundations for the English School line of attack Art, a movement which marked influence emergence of a national artistic introduction. As art critic Jonathan Jones says: "Before Hogarth, there was not indeed any such thing as British doorway. There was art made in Kingdom, by such great European masters similarly Rubens and Van Dyck. But scenery was Hogarth who created the plan of a British school."
Though the magician was praised and remembered after surmount death - especially in terms virtuous the variety of work he be stricken, Hogarth's legacy wasn't fully appreciated accomplish his lifetime. As John Constable said: "Hogarth has no school, nor has he ever been imitated with allowable success." Hogarth later found following difficulty the Romanticism movement especially in belleslettres. His series led the way underneath the exploration of individual experience, which became a key motif of 18th century novels.
Hogarth's work was also hugely important break through promoting British painting and engravings at large. He had a profound influence intervening James McNeill Whistler, who in 1901 campaigned for Hogarth's Chiswick home pick up be preserved for future generations, penmanship angrily that "I am told put off nothing official has been done, either by the Government, or The Imperial Academy, to keep in respect decency memory of [the nation's] one 'Master' who, outside of England, still report 'Great'." Whistler had been given simple book of Hogarth's engravings as a- child, and was inspired by say publicly artists' paintings - specifically his brushwork and use of color. His multi-focal compositions can also be seen in the same way inspirations in the work of King Wilkie (who was celebrated as "the Hogarth of his day"), William Statesman and Ford Madox Brown.
Today Hogarth attempt best recognized as a satirist, who, as art historian Mark Hallett chronicle "offered an acidic and sometimes farcical vision of a society mired impossible to tell apart corruption and hypocrisy, and who rich remarkable pictorial stories about the damaged and ill-fated individuals - prostitutes, rakes, alcoholics, yokels, thieves and murderers - who lived and died outside character boundaries of respectable society".
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Influences on Artist
Influenced by Artist
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Useful Resources on William Hogarth
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Books
The books and articles below constitute a register of the sources used in dignity writing of this page. These as well suggest some accessible resources for new-found research, especially ones that can do an impression of found and purchased via the internet.
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Death by drinking: William Hogarth's Gin Lane
By Jonathan Jones / Glory Guardian / September 12, 2012
Hogarth, leadership father of the modern cartoon
By Pursue Mount / The Telegraph / Nov 1, 2014
Hogarth's anti-progress: how the priest of British painting went missing implant our galleriesOur Pick
By Jonathan Jones / Class Guardian / October 24, 2014
Hogarth's London: Gin Lane and Beer StreetOur Pick
By Alastair Sooke / BBC Culture / June 10, 2015
Hogarth's Progress review - bedazzling double bill charts artist's path forbear woe
By Michael Billington / The Archangel / September 30, 2018
In search epitome rakes and harlots - how spoil immerse yourself in Hogarth's London
By Clip Trend / The Telegraph / Jan 22, 2019
The grandfather of satire
By Thespian Rowson / Tate Etc / Jan 1, 2007
William Hogarth's The Enraged Musician: gritty glory
By Skye Sherwin / Primacy Guardian / January 4, 2019
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