The painter and engraver of The Rake’s Progress sets out to fix the fluctuating ideas of taste with principles anyone can observe. Chapters on fitness, variety, uniformity, simplicity and intricacy lead to his celebrated claim for the waving serpentine line as the source of grace, illustrated from the human figure, dress, ornament and machines.
A witty, practical work of aesthetics by an artist rather than a philosopher, still quoted by designers. Download the free EPUB.