On Tainting. 13 



and hard, ihereBy indicating the too violent difphy of out- 

 line, the decifions and abrupt divifions in the Oiadows, with 

 the parts not fiifficiently loft in their grounds. That of Spa- 

 ghiolet is forcible, with much red in the flefli ; while in that 

 of Rembrandt we expe6l little light, with a glow of colour, 

 that mav too often be called rotlen-ripe. We may further 

 obferve the dark manner of Guercino and the filver of Gnido, 

 with many others not neceffary to mention. What are thofe 

 differences in the various mafters, but fo many fingularitics 

 thatcharafilerize and diftinguifn the individual ? 



As perfeftion cannot be attained, every artift, of neceffity, 

 will have a manner; but in proportion as he fucceeds in ap- 

 proaching perfeftion will his manner become the more pure. 

 This he can only hope to attain by an extenfive inquiry, that 

 is, by not flaviflily tying himfelf down to the imitation of an 

 individual. He is bound to fliow in his works that he h:is 

 opinions of his own, and that he dares to think for himfelf. 



Raphael's firft manner was like that of his matter Perugino ; 

 but this he foon quitted for a fweeter mode of colour, which he 

 caught from Da Vinci and Bartolomeo, and for a more noble 

 and elevated ftyle, which he acquired from M. Angelo. Julio 

 Romano imbibed much of the fire of his matter, as did Roiro 

 and Prematicio ef theirs. The Caracci adopted a moft libe- 

 ral manner of imitation, founded on a combination of the 

 excellences of afl the great fchools, and ultimately produced 

 one entirely new. Domenichino, Guido, Guercino, and 

 Schidone, exhibit in their works but flight traces of the 

 fchool they were formed in. Van Dyck is perfeftly original. 

 Our countryman Reynolds is ai\ example of this liberal man- 

 ner of imitation ; we fee in his works the grace of Corregio 

 and Parmegiano combined with the beauty and richnefs of 

 Venetian colouring, accompanied with the chiaro-fcuro of 

 the f''leinifli and Dutch. Le Sueur's llrft manner refemblcd 

 his malter Vouet, wiiich he foon quitted, and made himfelf 

 fuperior in every part of the ^rt. Le Brun was influenced 

 by the fame fpirit of independence, and left his mailer far 

 behind. 



Of thofe who have been deftiiute of the pride of indepcnd- 

 fnce, and have fallen into a narrow, confined, and illiberal 

 kind of imitation, we will point out a tew, Guido wa? imi- 

 tated by Sirani, Pouflin by Verdier, Paul Veronefe by his 

 brothers, and Jacomo Ballan by his fons. Rubens was imi- 

 tated by Jacques Jordnns, who has increafed the exceiles of 

 his mafler without adding one pevfcftion of his own. Rem- 

 brandt was followed fervilely by Bramcr, Eckhout, De Gtlder, 

 &c. We might enumerate TTiatiV ylhers, which n)ult occur 



to 



