3H2 



BEAUT Y 



Beauty, generally reckoned a beautiful form, yet the growth 

 of its stem is perpendicular, the junctions of its 

 branches form regular and similar angles, and their 

 direction is in straight or angular lines. The known 

 delicacy, however, and tenderness of the vegetable, 

 at least in this climate, prevails over the general ex- 

 pression of the form, and gives it the same beauty 

 u Inch we generally find in Forms of a contrary kind. 

 How much more beautiful is the rose tree when its 

 buds begin to blow, than afterwards when its flowers 

 are full, and in their greatest perfection : yet in this 

 lirst situation, its form has much less winding sur- 

 face, and is much more composed of straight lines 

 and of angles, than afterwards, when the weight of 

 the flower weighs down the feeble branches, and de- 

 scribes the easiest and most varied curves. The cir- 

 cumstance of its youth, a circumstance in all cases 

 so affecting ; the delicacy of its blossom, so well ex- 

 pressed by the care which Nature has taken in sur- 

 rounding the opening bud with leaves, prevail so 

 much upon our imagination, that we behold the form 

 itself with more delight in this situation, than after- 

 wards, when it assumes the more general form of de- 

 licacy. It is on a similar account, that the leaves of 

 vegetables form a very common and a very beautiful 

 decoration, though they are less distinguished by 

 winding lines, than almost any other part of the 

 plants. There are an infinite number of the feebler 

 vegetables, and many of the common grasses, the 

 forms of which are altogether distinguished by an- 

 gles and straight lines, and where there is not a sin- 

 gle curvature through the whole, yet all of which 

 are beautiful, and of which also some are imitated in 

 different ornamental forms with excellent effect, mere- 

 ly from the fineness and delicacy of their texture, 

 which is so very striking, that they never fail, when 

 we attend to them, to afford us that sentiment of in- 

 terest and tenderness, which in general we receive 

 from the opposite form. There are few things in 

 the vegetable world more beautiful than the knotted 

 and angular stem of the balsam ; merely from its sin- 

 gular transparency, which it is impossible to look at 

 without a strong impression of the fineness and deli- 

 cacy of the vegetable. Such observations, with re- 

 gard to flowers or plants, every person has it in his 

 power to pursue. There is not, perhaps, any indi- 

 vidual of the vegetable kingdom, which, if it is re- 

 markable for its delicacy or tenderness, is not also con- 

 sidered as beautiful in its form, whether that form 

 be winding or angular." 



In many of those arts, where the beauty of form 

 is chiefly consulted, the curvilinear form being less 

 expressive of delicacy than the angular, has no place. 

 In most of the ornamental manufactures of metal, 

 as in that of cut or polished steel, the expression 

 of delicacy requires that the bulk of the material 

 should be as much reduced as possible ; and hence 

 the prcdominence of sharp angles and plane facets. 

 A swi id hilt, or a watch chain, are infinitely finer 

 and more beajtiful, when they are composed of an- 

 gular forms, than when they are composed of curves. 

 In the forms which are given to jewels, the same 

 rule universally obtains ; the same is true of the ma- 

 nufactures of glass for ornamental purposes. The 

 delicacy of such subjects is in their brilliancy ; and 



the form which displays that quality is the only one 

 that is beautiful in them. In the articles of our 

 household furniture, also, the same regard to light- 

 ness and delicacy of structure may be traced in ma- 

 ny of the prevailing angular forms. " Strong and 

 massy furniture," observes Mr Alison, " is every- 

 where vulgar and unpleasing; and though, in point of 

 utility, we pardon it in general use, yet wherever we 

 expect elegance or beauty, we naturally look for 

 fineness and delicacy in it. The actual progress of 

 taste, in this article, is from strength to delicacy. 

 The first articles of furniture, in every country, are 

 strong and substantial. As taste improves, and as it 

 is found that beauty, as well as utility, may be con- 

 sulted in such subjects, their strength and solidity 

 are gradually diminished, until, at last, by succes- 

 sive improvement, the progress terminates in that 

 last degree of delicacy, and even of frugality, which 

 is consistent either with the nature of the workman- 

 ship, or the preservation of the subject." 



If this doctrine, concerning the beauty of form, 

 be just, it should follow, that in those forms, which 

 are of a very compound nature, the beauty does not 

 arise so much from a certain mixture of variety and 

 uniformity, as from a certain characteristic expres- 

 sion belonging to the whole. And this is perfectly 

 consistent with the common language of men, who, 

 when describing such complex objects, as a garden. 

 or particular scene of nature, uniformly speak of 

 them as expressive of greatness, wildness, gaiety, tran- 

 quillity, melancholy, or some other affecting quality. 

 With respect to the artificial composition of complex 

 beautiful forms, Mr Alison declares the total insuffi- 

 ciency of Mr Hogarth's rule, viz. " To make choice 

 of a variety of lines, and vary their situations with 

 each other, by all the different ways that can be 

 conceived, and, at the same time, (if a solid figure 

 be the subject of the composition), the contents or 

 space that is to be enclosed within those lines, must 

 be duly considered, and varied too as much as possi- 

 ble with propriety." Instead of this, Mr Alisou 

 proposes, that some characteristic or expressive form 

 should be selected, and that the variations, whether 

 in the form, number, or the proportion of the parts, 

 should be adapted to the peculiar nature of this ex- 

 pression, or of that emotion which it is fitted to ex- 

 cite in the mind of the spectator. Essay ii.^ch. iv. 

 sect. 1. part 3. 



The beauty of motion still remains to be mention- 

 ed ; and, like the beauty of form, it arises principal- 

 ly, or solely, from expression. Slow and gentle mo- 

 tion, being indicative of ease and delicacy', is in ge- 

 neral the most beautiful ; such as the soft gliding of 

 a stream, or the light traces of a summer breeze up- 

 on a field of corn. These are beautiful when in 

 straight lines ; but still more so, when they describe 

 serpentine or winding lines ; because still more indi- 

 cative of ease. But though slow motion is, in gene- 

 ral, the most beautiful, rapid motion may become so, 

 when the bodies moved excite only pleasing or mo- 

 derate affections. Thus the quick ascent of fire- 

 works, and the rapid shooting of the aurora borealis, 

 are extremely beautiful ; though the rapid shooting 

 of lightning is too terrific to possess such a character. 

 The motion of the humming-bird, too, though more 



Beaut v. 



