The artwork entitled “The Distrest Poet” was created by William Hogarth between the years 1729 and 1736. It is an oil painting on canvas that belongs to the Rococo art movement. This genre painting measures 63.5 by 78.5 centimeters and is housed at the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery in Birmingham, UK.
“The Distrest Poet” depicts a domestic scene in a modest, cluttered room where a distressed man sits at a table, presumably working on his writing. His disheveled appearance and the unkempt state of the room suggest financial and personal struggle. To his right, a woman, possibly his wife, is sewing, trying to support the household, while another woman, perhaps a servant or a visitor, stands with a milk pail and gestures emphatically. The room itself is furnished in a sparse manner, with visible signs of wear and poverty. The overall tone of the painting captures the hardship and frustration experienced by the struggling poet.
