PAINTING. 



and that they were better enabled to dis- 

 criminate between the different degrees 

 of beauty, and the varieties of character 

 in the human frame, than is the lot of mo- 

 dern artists, unaided as they are by such 

 opportunities of study. 



The most perfect knowledge of form, 

 however, only constitutes a part of that 

 branch of painting which we term design: 

 the art of fore-shortening, by which a 

 limb, or u figure, although only occupy- 

 ing a diminished space on the canvas, is 

 rendered, in appearance, of its full length 

 and magnitude, is an equally indispensable 

 object of the artist's attainment. The 

 Sculptor, when he has chisseled or mo- 

 deled the form of his figure or group, 

 with its just proportions, has completed 

 liis work, which is rather the simple tran- 

 script than the imitation of the image 

 previously formed in his mind : his art is 

 undisguised, and without illusion : it pre- 

 sents as well to our touch as to our sight, 

 the bodies and shapes of things without 

 the colour. The distinguishing preroga- 

 tive of painting, on the other hand, and 

 that from which arises its decided advan- 

 tage over every other artificial mode of 

 representation, is its power to give upon 

 a limited plane the appearance of bound- 

 less space. An insight to the science of per- 

 spective, and the doctrines of lights and 

 slutdovvs, is indispensable, ere the student 

 can hope to acquire the art of fore-short- 

 ening his figures with correctness ; an 

 art in which the great Michael Angelo has 

 evinced such consummate skill in his fres- 

 coes in the Sestine Chapel at Rome, that 

 they can never be sufficiently contem- 

 plated. The works of Coreggio, and in 

 particular his two cupolas at Parma, may 

 likewise be studied with advantage, and 

 sufficiently prove that even the boldest 

 fore-shortenings may on many occasions 

 be resor:ed to, without detriment to the 

 beauty, the grace, or expression of the fi- 

 gures In the execution of these, and 

 most of his chief works, however, he was 

 greatly assisted by his friend Antonio Be- 

 garelli, a celebrated Modenese sculptor, 

 who modelled for him in clay all the fi- 

 gures, so that Coreggio, by placing and 

 grouping them together as they were to 

 be represented, was enabled to delineate, 

 with the greatest correctness, every fore- 

 shortening, and at the same time to ac- 

 quire a truth and boldness of light and 

 shade unattainable by other means. And 

 here it may be well to observe, that the 

 trouble of" preparing such models in the 

 first instance, is amply repaid by the 

 great facility, or rather certainty, which 



it gives the artist in the execution of his 

 work. Moreover, the painter having his 

 modelled figures before him, and being 

 enabled, by varying the situation of his 

 eye, to view them in every direction, will 

 frequently discover beautiful combina- 

 tions which he never dreamed of, at the 

 same time that he is rendered less liable 

 to the error of too often repeating the 

 same view of a figure, or the same action, 

 and is taught to avoid a common place 

 mode of composition. 



We have styled expression one of the 

 component parts of painting, although, as 

 it is wholly the result of the powers 

 which the artist possesses of embodying 

 his feelings by means of lines, lights 

 and shades, and colours, it cannot truly 

 be said to have a separate existence. But 

 be this as it may, a thorough knowledge 

 of the passions, and the power of repre- 

 senting justly their various effects on 

 the action and countenances of men, re- 

 quires the most consummate skill of the 

 painter. The more violent emotions of 

 the soul, having naturally an instantane- 

 ous effect on the action, as well as on the 

 countenance of the person affected, can 

 be, with the greater facility, effectually 

 and unequivocally expressed in painting. 

 To delineate the nicer discriminations of 

 gentle affections, of thought, sentiment 

 and character, is a far more arduous task, 

 and indeed not always crowned with suc- 

 cess, even in the attempts of the greatest 

 masters; this alone would be sufficient to 

 convince us that subjects admitting of ac- 

 tion, and strong decided expression, are 

 more especially within the province of 

 our art. The proper expression of the 

 subject is, as we have before stated, the 

 end proposed by the artist, even in the 

 invention and composition of his piece. 

 In the style of design, in the chiaro- 

 scuro and colouring of the picture, the 

 same object should be stedfastly kept in 

 view. 



Clair obscure, or chiaro-scuro, is the 

 art of distributing the lights and darks in 

 a picture, in such a manner as to give at 

 once proper relief to the figures, the best 

 effect to the whole composition, and the 

 greatest delight to the eye. We have 

 said the lights and darks in a picture, be- 

 cause the word chiaro-scuro, properly 

 speaking, denotes not only light and 

 shade, but light and dark of what kind 

 soever, and in this sense it is nearly al- 

 lied to colouring, if not indeed insepara- 

 ble from it. A thorough conception and 

 knowledge of the chiaro-scuro is of the 



