On Pa'tnfing. 125 



ftatues In which grace does not abound ; for, as they fought 

 beauty in their works, ihey culuvaled grace as its infeparahle 

 companion. Wry graceful are the Apollo and the Venus de 

 Medicis; fo are the Me!ea2;er and Hermaphrodite. The Her- 

 cules is alfo truly graceful and eafy, as is the Antinoiis, 8cc. 

 Raphael undcrRood the grace of motion ; but he had it lefs 

 in the contours of his figures ; and his dry manner of execu- 

 tion contributed much to dellroy beauty. Corrcgio appears 

 the moll perfect modern, Parmegiano being fomelimes too 

 forced, and bordering on alfeftation. Reynolds's female por- 

 traits appear to have been touched by the Graces themlclves. 

 Among the works of our fculptors, the females of NoUekens 

 poflefs fuch a combination of grace and beauty as the Greeks 

 might have acknowledged for their own without a blufh. 



Florid Style. 



This ftvle muft be fought amongft the Venetians, alfo in 

 Rubens, and ihoi'e Flemings who have followed him. Thole 

 who have prae^iied it have been content to pleafe the eye by 

 a brilliant diiplav of colour, contraft in their groups, and op- 

 pofition in light and (hade. They appear to have admitted 

 every defcription of objcAs in their pidure, provided they 

 contributed to the bultle or pleafure of the whole. If this 

 is not the moll jull Ityle, experience teaches every one that 

 it is the moft popular, and perhaps we may add the moll pro- 

 fitable. 



The above mafters mud not be confounded with thofe who 

 have pradifcd a ftvle fufficiently eafy, but who have been 

 content with giving fuch an idea of a thing in their works as 

 would ferve to diftmguifli one from another without regard- 

 ing their perfcdion. At the head of this latter clafs ilaud 

 1'. Cortona and L. Giordano. 



Nut7iral S/j'le, . 



This (lyle is called natural, from the artifts praftifing it- 

 wanting the power to improve on the original, or of chooling 

 the belt of the kind. It is to be feen in the Dutch fchool 

 in the works of Rembrandt, G. Dow, Meris, young Teniers, 

 &c. This (chool has improved the aerial perfpedive, atid 

 pofll-fles great excellence of colour and cbiarc-Jcuro, to wliich 

 it has joined great truth, as far as a (imple reprefentation 

 would permit. Jt has excelled in wliat may he termed the 

 mechanical part of the art; and thofe who wilh to fcek after 

 an elegant power of penciling will be highly gratified in tlie 

 admirable works of Teniers, Cuyp, Beighem, &c. &:c._ 



As each of the above llylcs 'lias its peculiar beauties, v.-e 



mull 



