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light ; fo that we are conftrairled to raife our 

 lights in fuch objeéts fomething above their ap- 

 pearance in nature, other wife all would be flat ; 

 for as we cannot make the ftiadows fo dark as 

 they appear in nature (fliadows in painting be- 

 ing expofed to a ftrong light) fo confequently 

 our lights muft be lighter than they appear in 

 nature, that there may be the fame proportion 

 between light and lhadow in piétures as there is 

 in natural objedts-, but an excefs of light ought to 

 be avoided, otherwife in painting a blacjc objeét, 

 we may give the beholder rather an idea of 

 grey. In painting objedts perfedly white, you 

 have not the advantage of raifing your lights 

 above what your natural object prefents, fo that 

 in pidlures there cannot be fo great a difference 

 between dark and light objects, as in natural 

 bodies : this way of reafoning in relation to 

 painting might be carried to a great length. 

 I formerly imagined it pofTible, by the higheft 

 perfedion in the art of painting, to deceive the 

 eye, by performing what might be taken for 

 nature ; but, fmce I hit on the above reafons, 

 Ï plainly difcover it to be impraticable. I 

 have obferved, that rude fcene paintings in 



theatres 



