320 Gilpin's eokest sceneey. 



will do well to avoid every uncommon appearance 

 in Nature. 



Within this caution, however, he will spread 

 the prevailing tint of the day over his landscape — 

 over his wliole landscape. Nature tinges all her 

 pictures in this harmonious manner. It is the 

 greyish tint, or it is the blue, or it is the purple ; 

 or it is one of the vivid tints of illumination, red 

 or yellow — whatever it may be, it blends with all 

 the lights and shadows of the piece. This great 

 principle of harmony which arises from the reflec- 

 tion of colour (in some degree, even when the air 

 is diaphanous), must be observed by every painter 

 who wishes to procure an effect. His picture 

 must be painted from one pallet ; and one key, as 

 in music, must prevail through his whole com- 

 position. As the air, however, is the vehicle of 

 all these tints, it is evident that in distances (in 

 which we see throiigh a deeper medium of tinged 

 air) they will prevail most ; and, of course, very 

 little on foregrounds. The painter must observe 

 this rule of Nature by bringing his tints regularly 

 forward, and his foi-egrounds he must compose of 

 such colours (mute, or vivid) as accord best with 



