PAINTING. 



since by delineating 1 outward demonstra- 

 tions it is enabled to convey the ideas of 

 internal affections and mental actions. It 

 will necessarily follow that those subjects 

 are the most immediately within the pro- 

 vince of our art, whose essential qualities 

 are as it were contained in the visible 

 parts of things, or most capable of being 

 expressed by objects of sight; and this, 

 though a truism, we have thought it ne- 

 cessary to state, as experience every day 

 shews, that it is not sufficiently attended 

 to. By the essential qualities of a subject, 

 we must be understood to mean those 

 which give it its interest. 



The only means by which the paint- 

 er can communicate his ideas to the 

 spectator, or in other words, tell his 

 story, are combinations of figures and 

 other visible objects, the representation 

 of gesture, and the expression of counte- 

 nance. 



As the powers of writing, in the way 

 of narrative, are such as to enable it to 

 convey to the reader a just idea of a suc- 

 cession of transactions or events ; where- 

 as it cannot by the most laboured de- 

 scription give us any other than a confus- 

 ed or erroneous notion of the situation of 

 a building, the winding's of a river, the 

 forms of a mountain, or the beauty and 

 expression of a countenance ; so painting, 

 inasmuch as it is incompetent to relate 

 the conspiracy, or record the oration, is 

 proportionably rich in its means of de- 

 scription. As description is the most ar- 

 duous task of language, so narration is the 

 great difficulty of painting ; a difficulty 

 however not always insurmountable to 

 the artist, who, to a competent know- 

 ledge and practice in the several compo- 

 nent parts of his art, adds that of judg- 

 ment in the choice of his subject, as will 

 presently appear. 



In a picture, the artist must necessari- 

 ly choose one point of time for his repre- 

 sentation ; but the usual doctrine, that a 

 picture can absolutely express no more 

 than this one moment of the story, re- 

 quires some illustration, as otherwise the 

 inconsiderate might naturally be led to 

 underrate the powers of communication 

 given to our art. The truth we believe 

 is, that though a picture must represent 

 one moment of time, only, yet in that re- 

 presentation, the memorial, as it were, of 

 past moments may be recorded, and 

 the idea of future ones clearly anticipat- 

 ed ; and though this doctrine may, upon 



st sight, appear opposed to generally 

 established opinion, a little reflection 



will, we are assured, convince any one of 

 its truth. 



It will require very little argument to 

 shew, that many of the bodil) actions of 

 men do indicate, and, under particular 

 circumstances, demonstrate certain other 

 actions to have taken place previously ; , 

 which is certainly expressing the past in 

 the present; nor will it be more difficult 

 to find instances of a present action de- 

 noting 1 some future one ; that is, express- 

 ing the future in the present. A figure 

 walking, or running, denotes a past, a 

 present, and a future action. The sword 

 of the soldier drawn and lifted up over the 

 neck of the beautiful St. Catharine, de- 

 notes a future act or event ; that of her 

 head being severed from her body ; the 

 hardened executioner forcing his sword 

 into the scabbard, after having performed 

 his office, as clearly shews what has gone 

 before. 



Two things should concur to render a 

 story eminently eligible for painting. 

 First, the incident or act to be represent- 

 ed should be of an unequivocal nature ; 

 such as, when represented, can leave no 

 doubt on the mind of the observer as to 

 its meaning; and secondly, either the 

 cause of the act, or its probable conse- 

 quence, or result, should be such as is 

 capable of being expressed by objects in 

 the picture ; but when both the cause or 

 the end proposed in the act represented, 

 and the consequence of that act, can be 

 made evident to us in a picture, such a 

 picture is a narration, becomes truly a 

 dumb poesy, and creates a most lively 

 interest in our minds, possessing, as it 

 does, those properties which, as Aristotle 

 observes, are necessary to the perfection 

 of a drama ; a beginning, a middle, and 

 an end. 



When we behold a representation of 

 the Corinthian maid tracing the shadow 

 of her favoured youth on the wall, Iove 4 

 the cause of the action, is rendered ap- 

 parent by the endearments attending it : 

 the consequence, which we are told was 

 the invention of painting, is not evident 

 to one uninformed of the tradition. Not 

 so in Mr. Fuseli's pathetic composition of 

 Paolo and Francesca, from Dante. Here 

 we are at a loss as to no one of these parti- 

 culars ; the picture in every respect ex- 

 plaining itself with as much force, and as 

 unequivocally, as the poem. Love urges 

 the stolen kiss and guilty dalliance, and 

 the consequence is'as evidently the de- 

 struction of the lovers by the avenging 

 and uplifted hand of the insulted hus- 

 band. 

 N 



