TAINTING. 



Invention, in painting 1 , consists prin- 

 eipally in three things : first, the choice 

 of a subject properly within the scope of 

 the art ; secondly, the seizure of the most 

 striking- and energetic moment of time 

 for representation ; and lastly, the disco- 

 very and selection of such objects, and 

 such probable incidental circumstances, 

 as, combined together, may best tend to 

 dcvelope the siory, or augment the in- 

 terest of the piece. The cartoons of 

 R-iiFaele, at Hampton Court, furnish us 

 with an example of genius and sagacity 

 in this part of die art, too much to our 

 present purpose to be omitted. We 

 shall describe it in the words of Mr. 

 Webbe. " When the inhabitants of 

 Lystra are about to offer sacrifice to Paul 

 and Barnabas, it was necessary to let us 

 into the cause of all the motion and hur- 

 ry before us ; accordingly, the cripple, 

 whom they had miraculously healed, ap- 

 pears in the crowd : observe the means 

 which the painter has used to distinguish 

 this object, and of course to open the 

 subject of his piece. His crutches, now 

 useless, are thrown to the ground ,- his 

 attitude is that of one accustomed to such 

 a support, and still doubtful of his 

 limbs; the eagerness, the impetuosity, 

 with which he solicits his benefactors to 

 accept the honours destined for them, 

 point out his gratitude, and the occasion 

 of it : during the time that he is thus bu- 

 sied, an elderly citizen, of some conse- 

 quence, by his appearance, draws near, 

 and lifting up the corner of his vest, sur- 

 veys with astonishment the limb newly 

 restored; whilst a man of middle age, 

 and a youth, looking over the shoulder 

 of the cripple, are intent on the same ob- 

 ject. The wit of man could not devise 

 means more certain of the end proposed; 

 such a chain of circumstances is equal to 

 a narration ; and I cannot but think, that 

 the whole would have been an example 

 of invention and conduct, even in the 

 happiest age of antiquity." The works 

 of the first restorers of painting may be 

 likewise studied with great profit, so far 

 as relates to invention, composition, and 

 expression. In the executive parts of 

 the art they seldom approach even me- 

 diocrity : less able therefore to gratify 

 the eye, the artist applied himself exclu- 

 sively to interest the mind of the specta- 

 tor. Amongst the frescoes of Giotto, in 

 the church of St. Francis, at Assisi, is one 

 which, from the ingenuity of its invention, 

 seems particularly to claim a place here. 

 The subject is that of a wounded man, 

 who, given over by his physician, is mira- 



culously healed in a vision by St. Francis 

 The chief group of the picture repre- 

 sents the sick man, who, extended on his 

 bed, is looking up with a stedfast counte- 

 nance at the saint, who is laying his 

 hand upon the wound. Two angels ac- 

 company St. Francis, one of whom holds 

 a box of ointment. In another part of 

 the picture the physician is represented 

 about to go out of the room door, fol- 

 lowed by a woman, evidently a sister or 

 near relative of the wounded man, who, 

 with a taper in her hand, has been con- 

 ducting him to the bedside. She is 

 earnestly attentive to what the physician 

 is saying to the father, who has been 

 waiting for them at the outside of the 

 door, and who shews by his gestures, 

 which the tears of the young woman cor- 

 roborate, that no hopes are given of his 

 son's recovery. 



In the two pictures last mentioned, the 

 different figures admitted were essential 

 to the perfect explanation of the story. 

 Sometimes, however, a group, or figure, 

 which, although not necessary, shall ne- 

 vertheless appear naturally, as it were, to 

 grow out of the subject, may be introduc- 

 ed with great augmentation of the expres- 

 sion and effect of the piece. Such was 

 the pathetic episode of Aristides, so re- 

 peatedly imitated in modern times by 

 Poussin, and other painters. A town 

 taken by storm was the subject of this 

 picture, in one part of which an infant 

 was introduced creeping to the breast of 

 its mother, who, though expiring from 

 her wounds, yet expressed the strongest 

 apprehension and fear lest the course of 

 her milk being stopped, the child should 

 suck her blood. 



The judicious disposal of the materials 

 furnished by the imagination, or inven- 

 tion, in such a manner as best to contri- 

 bute to the beauty, the expression, and 

 the effect of the picture, constitutes what 

 is termed composition in painting. And 

 here we must observe, that the different 

 parts of the art, before mentioned, are so 

 intimately connected with, and so depen- 

 dant on each other, that the separate dis- 

 cussion of them must ever be attended 

 with great difficulty, and necessarily oc- 

 casion a frequent recurrence to similar 

 arguments and principles. Composition 

 is more especially inseparable from the 

 rest, as not only the necessary expres- 

 sion of the subject and the forms and dis- 

 tribution of the groups, but likewise the 

 consequent lights and shades resulting 

 from such forms and distribution, the 

 contrast and variety of the characters, 



