A Matter of Emphasis

Extract

The veering of the weathercock of taste is a phenomenon which has never yet been fully studied by either aestheticians or historians of art. The shifting of emphasis in matters of choice and appreciation in art have been faithfully recorded, but as yet no attempt to explain the variations has been put forward. Sometimes variations of taste throughout a long period are in the form of a progressive or regressive series, sometimes they are purely erratic, one movement not necessarily being dependent upon its predecessor.