On Painting, 349 



pofe, but to the general action and character of each figure, 

 that it be appropriate to the perfon ilefcribed ; as the iiate 

 and carriage of public officers, heroes, &c, the clowni(h and 

 fimple attitudes of peafants; and on this being well performed 

 depends the very foul of a good picture. 



Much of the merit of .Raphael arifes from the fuperior de- 

 gree of' dignity obfervable in his apoftles and other great cha- 

 racters : on the contrary, the excellence of Parmegiano re- 

 fults from the elegant turns he gave his female figures. 



As the arts are no longer exotic, we mail find thofe graces 

 rendered familiar in the works of Reynolds, Mortimer, &c* 



The whole power of man depends on two motions, flection 

 and extenfion: thofe may be again fubdivided into fuurj the 

 fimple, as in walking-, eating, and drinking; the active, as in 

 carrying, pulling, tnrufting or pufhing, and climbing; the 

 violent, arifing from fright, rage, defpair, or any other fuddea 

 emotion : the fourth fort, which may be confidered as a fort 

 of pafiive action, remits from difquiet of mind, as love, ha- 

 tred, forrow r , joy, &c: the effect of which is chiefly mown 

 in the extremities, as the face, hands, and feet. 



It will be generally found that violent paffions of the mind 

 are accompanied with actions more or lefs angular than the 

 beautiful or paffive : as in a man in the act of (triking with a 

 club or flick, the upper and fore-arm will form a right angle ; 

 again, in a figure frightened, the arms from being thrown up 

 will form an angle with the body ; in figures pufhing or pull- 

 ing, the effect will be the fame : on the contrary, elegant or 

 graceful figures (hake off thofe violences, and fall into atti- 

 tudes that fhow a gentle inflection of line. 



We (hall find, a (landing figure to be graceful muft reft on 

 one leg, and the face incline to the hip it refts on, as in the 

 Venus de Medicis, and others remarkable for tafte and beauty. 



As beauty loves variety, we fhall generally oblerve, if the 

 figure is prefented in front, the head will appear rather in- 

 clined to the fide. (See Plate VI.) 



* If I have cautioufly forborne to fpeak of the works of living artifts, it 

 is not from thinking light of them, but from a nobler motive. In the 

 limits I have prefcribed to myfelf I could not do juttice to the merits of fa 

 many and a ;i !e profeffors as at prefent adorn the nation. The prints from 

 the works of Britifh artifts are circulated over the civilized part of the 

 world, and copied as foon as they appear on the continent. Such being 

 the fatt, whatever the ignorant may aflert to the contrary, thofe who wilfc 

 toencouiagc hiftorical painting in this country fhou Id aim at cherilhingfucli 

 a fpirit *s would eventually operate to induce buyers not to give more for 

 works of foreign artifts than they would for works of equal merit of the 

 Briuih lchool. 



That 



