54 



OF PAINTING. 



BOOK I. 



CHAPTER I. 



OF THE GENERAL PRINCIPLES OF LANDSCAPE PAINTING. 



The student in landscape painting, before he presumes to de- 

 sign from imagination, must acquire a facility in copying ob- 

 jects, and must study nature until he can distinguish her pro- 

 ductions and effects. This done, he may select and combine, 

 according to his own fancy or imagination. Supposing him 

 about to paint a landscape, all the leading operations will be 

 included under the following heads : Design, Disposition, 

 Drawing and Perspective, Light, Shade, and Keeping, Colour- 

 ing and Expression, 



1. Design.— The subject or style of landscape being given, 

 or conceived in the mind of the artist, design relates to the pro- 

 duction of a whole by a proper selection of separate parts, which 

 shall mutually co-operate for this purpose. Thus, suppose the 

 subject given be a landscape with the sun setting : the artist will 

 first consider in what kind of country nature produces this effect 

 with most advantage. He will probably conceive that a moun- 

 tainous country, with a large river watering a fertile valley, and 

 losing itself in the ocean, will furnish fit materials for such a 

 picture. As every striking landscape consists of three marked 



