394 DRAWING THE FIGURE. 



After the student has with indefatigable labour 

 and persevering zeal gone through all these studies, 

 and acquired a facility of drawing the human figure 

 in every possible situation, and under every variety 

 of form and circumstance, a great deal remains for 

 him still to do, before he can be considered as an 

 artist. He has as yet conquered only the mechani- 

 cal difficulties; but his mind must be cultivated, 

 and he has all the higher and more refined parts of 

 his art to study. 



It is the business and duty of the naturalist and 

 historian to draw objects as they find them, and 

 represent them with all those imperfections and 

 blemishes to which, as individuals, they are sub- 

 ject. But an ideal painter, and such alone is a true 

 painter, resembles the poet; his creative fancy 

 soars above common nature, and he represents 

 objects endued with all that perfection which 

 belongs to the species, but which is rarely found in 

 the individual. 



A good choice of subjects for the exercise of his 

 pencil is now to be considered. For this purpose, 

 he should enrich his mind with a great variety of 

 knowledge : historians and poets should be his con- 

 stant companions; and he should make himself 

 acquainted with the customs and manners of an-' 

 cient as well as modern nations. 



His invention should now be continually exer- 

 cised, and free scope should be given to the wildest 

 sallies of his imagination, which, however, should 

 never exceed the bounds of probability. 



" It is indisputably evident," says Sir J. Rey- 

 nolds, " that a great part of every man's life must 

 be employed in collecting materials for the exer- 

 cise of genius. Invention, strictly speaking, is 

 little more than a new combination of those images. 



