An Essay on the Picturesque, as Compared with the Sublime and the Beautiful And, on the Use of Studying Pictures, for the Purpose of Improving Real Landscape Cambridge Library Collection - Art and Architecture Series

Frustrated by what he saw as the over-grooming prevalent in British landscape gardening and associated with the work of Capability Brown, Uvedale Price (1747?1829) published this essay in 1794. He emphasises here the importance of naturalism and harmony with the surrounding environment. Providing examples of how certain features in a garden may be improved through adherence to picturesque principles, Price seeks to apply the lessons of landscape painting to the practice of landscape gardening. He also stresses the importance of paying attention to changing light and the effect of shadow. The essay appeared in the same year as 'The Landscape', a didactic poem by Richard Payne Knight (1751?1824), which was addressed to Price and is included at the end of this reissue. Price's Letter to H. Repton, Esq., a supplement to his essay, is reissued separately in this series in its 1798 edition.

Preface; Part I: 1. The reasons why an improver should study pictures as well as nature; 2. Causes of the neglect of the picturesque in modern improvements; 3. General meaning of the word picturesque; 4. General distinctions between the picturesque and the beautiful; 5. To create the sublime above our contracted powers; 6. It has been doubted by some whether smoothness is essential to beauty; 7. Breadth of light and shadow; 8. On the beautiful, and on what might be termed the picturesque, in colour; 9. On ugliness; Part II: 1. How far the principles of painting have been applied to improvements; 2. Trees considered generally; 3. On the general effects of water in landscape; Part III: 'The landscape', a didactic poem.