The Analysis of Beauty - Softcover

Hogarth, William

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1605209546 ISBN 13: 9781605209548

Publisher: Cosimo Classics, 2010

Synopsis

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.

About this title

From the Back Cover:

English artist William Hogarth (1697-1764) is most famous for his satirical caricatures and moral paintings, the forerunners of cartoons. In this instructive volume, the august painter and engraver discusses and illustrates the use of serpentine lines in the expression of grace and beauty. Hogarth defines six qualities--fitness, variety, regularity, simplicity, intricacy, and quantity--and dramatizes their effective combination in images that employ S-shaped lines.
Originally published in 1753 with the subtitle, -Written with a View of Fixing the Fluctuating Ideas of Taste, - Hogarth's book addresses the general public, not just artists and connoisseurs. More than 30 striking black-and-white plates trace visual and formal applications of the serpentine line of beauty, portraying subjects as diverse as everyday objects, examples from nature, and classical sculpture and other works by the great masters. A revolutionary approach to art theory by an experienced painter, this historic book offers fascinating insights into ideals of beauty and aesthetics.
Dover (2015) republication of the edition published by Reilly & Lee Co., Chicago, 1908.
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About the Author:

Ronald Paulson is Mayer Professor of the Humanities at Johns Hopkins University. He is the author of many books, including a biography of Hogarth, a catalogue of his engravings, and studies of Hogarth in the contexts of eighteenth-century painting, literature, and the British tradition of aesthetics.

About this edition

• Publisher: Cosimo Classics
• Publication date: 2010
• ISBN 10: 1605209546
• ISBN 13: 9781605209548
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 244