DRAWING THE FIGURE* 397 



and such other remarks ; but it will be of infinitely 

 more service to study them in nature itself, from 

 which they have been borrowed, and who exhibits 

 them in that lively manner which neither tongue 

 nor pen can express. 



The colouring must be regulated by the same 

 general principles as the composition. Gaudiness 

 and glare ought to be studiously avoided, and a 

 quietness and simplicity should reign through the 

 whole work. In landscapes, distinct and unbroken 

 colours, such as green, red, &c. are seldom or ever 

 admissible ; the tints should be always varied and 

 broken. But in historical subjects frequently, dis- 

 tinct colours are employed, but they must be 

 placed with respect to each other, so that the effect 

 of the whole be harmonious. 



The art of disposing the drapery makes a very 

 considerable part of the painter's study. To make it 

 merely natural is a mechanical operation, to which 

 neither genius nor taste are required j whereas, 

 it requires the nicest judgment to dispose the dra- 

 pery, so that the folds have an easy communication, 

 and gracefully follow each other with such natural 

 negligence, as to look like the effect of chance, and 

 at the same time show the figure under it to the 

 utmost advantage. 



In the higher style of painting, the difference in 

 the materials of which the drapery is composed, 

 that is, whether it is silk, linen, woollen, &c. is 

 never remarked ; it is simply drapery, and nothing 

 more. 



We have now treated, as fully as our limits will 

 permit, of the various excellencies necessary to be 

 acquired by an artist. It will be easily perceived, 

 that to accomplish all these objects is by no means 

 an easy task. 



