What Do We Like To Look At (and Why)?
<p>Straight road or winding road? Squares or circles? The picture on the left by Dutch artist Piet Mondrian or the one on the right by his compatriot Vincent Van Gogh?</p>
<p>Which is better?</p>
<p><strong><em>Sharp intake of breath … surely you’re not asking that question …?!</em></strong></p>
<p>In the 18th century, the English artist William Hogarth (1697–1764) wrote a book called <em>The Analysis of Beauty</em>, in which he defined lines as straight, curving, waving, and serpentine. His conclusion? We <em>love</em> looking at any kind of curved line. Serpentine lines, however, are the <em>most</em> beautiful .</p>
<p>Mondrian — <em>nil</em>. Van Gogh — <em>one.</em></p>
<p>“For as among the vast variety of waving lines that may be conceived, there is but one that truly deserves the name of the line of beauty, so there is only one precise serpentine line that I call the line of grace,” he said.</p>
<p><strong>Was Hogarth right in <em>any</em> respect?</strong></p>
<p><strong>And if so could we now prove it with a computer or some equations?</strong></p>
<p><a href="https://medium.com/counterarts/what-do-we-like-to-look-at-and-why-8e37049c799a"><strong>Website</strong></a></p>