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Why is Hogarth’s line shaped like an S?
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William Hogarth
The Painter and His Pug, self-portrait by William Hogarth, oil on canvas, 1745; in the Tate Gallery, London.
William Hogarth’s S-shaped line, often referred to as the "line of beauty," was considered by the artist to be the essence of beauty.1
Hogarth used this sinuous shape as a shorthand symbol to represent the variety, intricacy, and expressiveness found in nature. In his work The Analysis of Beauty, he argued that this "composed intricacy of form" was aesthetically superior because it "leads the eye a kind of chace," encouraging movement and engagement rather than static observation. By advocating for irregularity and movement, Hogarth sought to promote greater expressiveness in art, contrasting his theories with the rigid standards of the art establishment of his time.23