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Why do we consider some things beautiful and others ugly, some elegant and others awkward? English artist and satirist WILLIAM HOGARTH (1697-1764), who was so innovative that he invented what we call today the comic strip, was famous-some of his contemporaries would have said "infamous"-for his skewering of 18th-century ideals of morality and sexuality, especially those prevalent among the upper classes. And in this 1753 classic, he mounted an argument that might have appalled some of his detractors: that beauty is not a matter of taste and fashion, but arises naturally as a matter of certain inviolate rules. Decrying the "prejudice and self-opinion prejudices our sight," Hogarth explores the six principles he sees as guiding our eyes toward true beauty: fitness, variety, regularity, simplicity, intricacy, and quantity. Artists and students of both art history and 18th century culture will find this essential and fascinating reading.
Why do we consider some things beautiful and others ugly, some elegant and others awkward? English artist and satirist WILLIAM HOGARTH (1697-1764), who was so innovative that he invented what we call today the comic strip, was famous-some of his contemporaries would have said "infamous"-for his s...
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