EnglishartistWilliamHogarth(1697-1764)ismostfamousforhissatiricalcaricaturesandmoralpaintings,theforerunnersofcartoons.Inthisinstructivevolume,theaugustpainterandengraverdiscussesandillustratestheuseofserpentinelinesintheexpressionofgraceandbeauty.Hogarthdefinessixqualities--fitness,variety,regularity,simplicity,intricacy,andquantity--anddramatizestheireffectivecombinationinimagesthatemployS-shapedlines.Originallypublishedin1753withthesubtitle,WrittenwithaViewofFixingtheFluctuatingIdeasofTaste,Hogarth’sbookaddressesthegeneralpublic,notjustartistsandconnoisseurs.Morethan30strikingblack-and-whiteplatestracevisualandformalapplicationsoftheserpentinelineofbeauty,portrayingsubjectsasdiverseaseverydayobjects,examplesfromnature,andclassicalsculptureandotherworksbythegreatmasters.Arevolutionaryapproachtoarttheorybyanexperiencedpainter,thishistoricbookoffersfascinatinginsightsintoidealsofbeautyandaesthetics.
