104 On Tainting., 



appears alfo to have preferred the a6lion to Its termination 5 

 which renders the ftory more clear, and leaves the Ipettator 

 delighted with a fufpended motion, and in expectation of its. 

 terminating. A man reprefented in the aft of walking, and. 

 as having terminated his ftep, will not have fo animated an, 

 eft'eft as one not having fini(hed it. Much of the heaiity of 

 the Apollo Belvedere arifes from the fiate of a6tinn he is re- 

 prefented under. We alnioft imagine he is aftually moving- 

 when viewed in front. 



In a great mailer, every thing is the refult of reafon : 

 if a limb, fuch as a hand or foot, is concealed bv drapery, 

 it does not arife from idlenefs or ignorance ; it is done to give 

 beauty to fome principal members, by not making too great 

 a difplay of parts, or to avoid what would otherwife produce 

 an ugly form. 



The grand or expreffive ftvle will ever rank firft ; the otherj, 

 as in the hands of Lanfranco, Cortona, &c. is only the art 

 of agreeably filling a large pifture with figures, or merely 

 pleating the eye : it may juftly be termed ornamental, and 

 ranks infinitelv below the pure piolurcfque. In all luorks of 

 art, the philojopher unll inquire ivhefhcr the head or the hand 

 is mojl ejuployed, Pouffin, though admirable in compofition, 

 often excels in the acceflary parts. In his Pyrrhus, the 

 iigures, and diftant ground over the river, are more beautiful 

 thaii the principal part ; a prodigality avoided by Raphael ; 

 nor is he fo noble in his beft thoughts; and his women are 

 often ordinary. We with to be underftood as always diftin- 

 guifliing between the grand ftyle and the pifturefqnc. In 

 the former, the ntmoft limplicity is to be obfervcd in the ar- 

 rangement, and every thing like artifice avoided; while the 

 latter admits of, and derives much of its charafter from, 

 variety. 



In a group the artift generally prefers unequal numbers, 

 as 3, 5, 7, or 9, which unite with a better grace and afibrd a 

 greater variety than any other ; but, where equal numbers are ' 

 ufed, thofc compofed of two miequal are beft, as 6, 10, and 

 14; but double pairs will ill accord, as 4, 8, 12, &c. The 

 principal part of the ftory ought undoubtedly to occupy the 

 centre of the pifture, and the group, by aflTuniing a rotund 

 or femicircular form, will alii ft the light and (hade, and en- 

 able us to bring the principal figure in light, as well as to. 

 procure malfes by combining the fliadows of fcveral objefts 

 m one. In this refpecl Raphael has difj^laycd fo much judgr 

 ment, that it appears from liis works evident that he would 

 have proved a great mafter ia li^ht and fhade had he been 



permitted 



J 



