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Why did William Hogarth value variety irregularity and movement in art?

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The Painter and His Pug, self-portrait by William Hogarth, oil on canvas, 1745; in the Tate Gallery, London. — William Hogarth *The Painter and His Pug*, self-portrait by William Hogarth, oil on canvas, 1745; in the Tate Gallery, London.

William Hogarth advocated for variety, irregularity, and movement in art because he believed these elements were essential for achieving greater expressiveness in his work.1

In his theoretical treatise, The Analysis of Beauty (1753), Hogarth argued for the "beauty of a composed intricacy of form." He believed that such complexity "leads the eye a kind of chace," engaging the viewer through dynamic visual movement. By incorporating these qualities, along with exaggeration, Hogarth sought to move beyond static representation to create art that was more emotionally and narratively resonant.1

Central to this philosophy was his concept of the "line of beauty," or Hogarth's line, an S-shaped curve that he considered the fundamental essence of beauty and a key tool for decorative and compositional vitality.123