lo6 On Tainting. 



In the female, the naked is ever pleafing, while an artful 

 concealment will augment the beauty and grace. 



Bat treat the goddefs like a modcft fjir, 



Nor over-dreCs, nor leave her wholly bare; ■ 



Let not each beauty tVry where be fpy'd, 



Where half the {kill is decently to hide. Pope. 



If our (lory requires more than one group, the fame laws 

 mud influence us in the condu6l of each, — they fhould cer- 

 tainly uot exceed three. The principal one (liould prevail 

 over the others; and, by placing it near the centre, or in 

 the feeond ftage of the pi6l:ure, we fhall afford the fi^eAator 

 a better opportunity of feeing it, and alfo furnifli ourfeives a 

 better opportunity of furrounding the principal group with 

 the other objects. 



As we are bound to fupport an equilibrium in our compo- 

 fition, we ouaht not to crowd one pari of the picture, or leave 

 another too naked ; but this mult be done without adding 

 weii^'ht to weight in a horizontal or perpendicular form. The 

 fame holds of cbiaro-fcuro and colour, where mafs muft fup- 

 port niafs. 



The painter, fpeaking to the eye, flio'dd, in the choice of 

 his fubjcft, be careful that it admits images ftriking and 

 grand : it Ihould burft on the fpeftator like an unexpefttd 

 peal of thunder. The horfes in the piftures of Rubens add 

 much to the dignity, as do alfo his fine light and fliade. 

 As iu an epic poein, there fhould be but one action admitted 

 in our pi6lure : it fhould be an entire, and above all, a great 

 one, and require no further aids to its illuftration than what 

 is containetl iu the picture; — it ought to explain the hiftory, 

 not the hiftory the painting. As we are not confined to the 

 mere letter of the ftory, we may ufe any means confident 

 with probability to illuftrate our lubjeA ; as we once faw in 

 a drawing of a' triumph, where the artill-, to (liow the caufe 

 was love, decorated a car and the fliields with fuch obje6ls 

 as were fymbols of that paflion; and, further, to fliow it was 

 connected with Thefeus and the Amazons, in the tablet of 

 an arch reprefenled that hero's battle with thofe heroines : 

 but enough ! an ingenious mind will find a thouland ways 

 of difplavmg ilfelf. 



Two a6lions or points of limf; fliould never be admitted in 

 one piiSture. M. Angelo, in the Capella Scllini, has repre- 

 fented Adam and'.%'e eating the fruit, and expelled the gar- 

 den, in the fam6 'i^iece ! Raphael's Peter in prifon, and de- 

 livery, can hardlv be called one. 



It mutt be obvious that the parts of each figure fliould 



aaree 



