PAINTING. 
A23 
to the eye with precisian and truth the spirit 
and real character of the object. There are 
few, and those only among the greatest 
painters, who have: arrived at the perfect ma- 
nagement of tiiis difficult part of art. 
On the apposition of colours, and on the 
knowledge of chiaro-scuro, depends all the 
harmony of colouring. In what that happy 
arrangement of colours consists, which pro 
duces effects delightful to the eye, no rules 
can pretend to ascertain. If the source of 
information in this point is not in the mind of 
the painter, he will in vain seek for it else- 
where. Improvement, however, may, and 
must, be superadded to natural discrimina- 
tion: to acquire the necessary improvement, 
Jie will find the best school in the works of 
those great masters who have possessed the 
power of colouring in an eminent degree. 
Such are Titian and Rubens. But he must 
be careful that, in studying even these great 
examples of the art, he does not forget that 
he is only learning from them the road to na- 
ture, the linal source of his imitation. 
Of the few maxims which can be offered 
on the subject of colouring, the following are 
the least questionable: 
We must learn to view nature to advan- 
tage, in order to represent her well. There 
are two manners of colouring: the one de- 
pending on habit, the other on the true know- 
ledge of colours. The first is confined, the 
second unlimited. 
I he harmony of nature in her colours 
arises from objects participating of one ano- 
ther by reflection; for there is no light which 
does not strike some body ; nor is there anv 
enlightened body which does not reflect it's 
light and colour at the same time, in propor- 
tion to the force of the light, and according 
to the nature of the colour. 'This participa- 
tion of reflection in light and colour, consti- 
tutes that union of colouring which it is the 
business of the painter to imitate. 
This desirable union of colour is sometimes 
considerably aided in pictures by the process' 
«f glazing; that is, by the use of colours which, 
having little body, are diaphonous ; and are, 
by means of a light brush or pencil, passed over 
(or, as painters express it, scumbled over) such 
parts of the work as are unpleasantly staring 
or otherwise discordant. This use of trans- 
parent colour is by some called toning, or 
tuning; and probably affords the jusfest ex- 
planation of the well-known passage in Pliny, 
where he speaks of the atrmnentum used by 
one of the antient painters to give harmony 
and sweetness to his pictures. 
Variety of tints, very nearly of the same 
tone, employed in the same figure, and often 
upon the same part, with moderation, contri- 
bute much to harmony. 
The turn of the parts, and the outlines 
which insensibly melt into their grounds and 
artfully disappear, bind the objects toge- 
ther, and preserve them in union ; as they 
seem to conduct the eye beyond what it sees, 
and persuade it that it sees what it really does 
not see, or at least that it conceives that con- 
tinuity which the extremities of the objects 
conceal. 
Any loading or overcharging of colouring, 
for whatever purpose it is used, must be so j 
discreetly managed, as not to destroy the ; 
character of the object. 
The repetition of the same colour in a ! 
picture is to be avoided, unless where it 
serves to connect the various masses of a 
composition,. The eye becomes tired with 
viewing the same object: it loves variety art- 
fully presented to it. 
The apparent value of colours in a picture 
(as in all things) arises from comparison. 
Several colours which, placed unmixed by 
one another, have a kind of aerial brightness, 
when mixed together, pro dm e a disagree- 
able earthy colour : for instance, ultramarine 
with fine yellow, or tine vermilion. 
Colours which by mixture lose strength 
and become harmonious, are called broken 
colours, and contribute as greatly to the 
sweetness and softness of tones in pictures 
as they subtract from the.ir brightness. 
Chiaro-scuro. The knowledge of lights 
and shades evidently forms a part of that es- 
sential distinction of painting, w hich w e have 
just described under the head of colouring, 
and is requisite to that part of colouring 
which refers to composition. But the inci- 
dence of particular lights and shades on bo- 
dies placed on certain planes and exposed to 
certain lights (a knowledge to be gained from 
the study of perspective), is a very small part 
of that general knowledge of effect which is 
denominated chiaro-scuro, by which is meant 
the art of skilfully distributing the lights and 
shades which ought to appear in a picture 
as well for the repose as satisfaction of the 
eye. The incidence of light may be demon- 
strated by lines supposed to be drawn from 
the source of that light to the body enlight- 
ened ; whereas the chiaro-scuro depends en- 
tirely on the painter’s imagination, who, as he 
invents the objects, may dispose them to re- 
ceive such lights and shades as he proposes 
for his picture, and introduce such accidents 
of colour as he deems most advantageous to 
the effect of the whole. 
Chiaro-scuro, therefore, demands a per- 
fect knowledge of the effects Of light and 
shade, of aerial perspective, of the propor- 
tional force of colours, or of those qualities 
by which they appear to advance to, or re- 
cede from, the eye, and of their various de- 
grees of transparency or opaqueness. 
The art of chiaro-scuro consists, 1st, in 
connecting and combining the figures or ob- 
jects of a composition in such masses of light 
and of shade, as are both the most pleasing 
to the eye and the best calculated for the just 
developement and display of the subject. 
2dly, In assigning to each object the colour 
most corresponding (on account of the force 
or qualities above-mentioned) to its respective 
place in the general mass or group, and at 
the same time best harmonizing with the 
other colours of the picture, either by its 
natural and proper tone, or by the reflected 
hues which it receives from adjoining or sur- 
rounding objects. The beauty of these re- 
flexes depends on the skilful adaptation of 
transparent or opaque colours. 3<iiy, In the 
judicious introduction of such accidents as 
contribute to strengthen the general effect 
and character of the work. It is bn chiaro- 
scuro, says Mengs, that depends the expres- 
sion of the character of a picture, whether it 
is gay or gloomy, cheerful or solemn. 
The distribution of objects forms the masses 
I of chiara-scuro, by combining or connecting 
; their lights and shades in such a manner as to 
I prevent the eye from wandering confusedly 
: over the work'. Titian exemplified this pre- 
cept in the Instance of a bunch of grapes, of 
which each grape, if seen separately, would 
have its light and shade in a similar degree, 
and thus distracting the sight, would produce 
a tiresome contusion ; but when collected in 
one hunch; and becoming but one mass of 
light and shade, the eye is capable of em- 
bracing them all together as a single object. 
The distribution of colours has an evident 
power of uniting the masses of light and 
shade ; as the painter may for instance intro- 
duce a figure clothed in dark-brown drapery, 
so nearly approaching in colour to the shade 
of any two objects between which it is placed, 
that they will appear but one mass, and will 
be embraced by the eye as such. The same 
effect will be produced by the apposition of 
similar or accordant colours iu various ob- 
jects. 
The distribution of accidents, by which ac- 
cessory lights or shades are introduced, has 
the same obvious tendency to unite the 
masses of visible colour. Torches, clouds, 
&c. are comprized under this head. 
The art of chiaro-scuro is that which, of all 
others comprehended under the general head 
of painting, appears to have the greatest 
power of attracting the eye of the spectator, 
and of exciting the admiration of the artist in 
particular. 
In the same manner that we have here 
endeavoured to define the general principles 
of that distinctive branch of the painter’s art 
called colouring, and as we have before fully- 
described the requisite progress of study in 
drawing or design, we shall now proceed to 
the remaining branch, composition ; and 
afterwards add a few words respecting in 
vention. 
Composition. Composition may be di- 
vided into the general distribution of objects, 
the grouping, the choice of attitudes, the 
contrast, the cast of draperies, and the ma- 
nagement of the hack-ground or the connec- 
tion of the whole effect. ^ 
In composition, as far as regards the gene- 
ral distribution of objects, the painter ought 
to contrive that the spectator may, at the 
first sight, be struck with the general charac- 
ter of the subject, or at least may compre- 
hend its principal scope. This effect is most 
readily produced by placing the most essen- 
tial figures in the most conspicuous places, 
provided it can be done without violence or 
impropriety. Besides this distinctness in the 
general expression of the subject, the beauty 
of the composition will depend on the variety, 
connection, and contrast, displayed in the dis- 
tribution of objects; provided, in like manner, 
that these are conformable to the nature of 
the subject, whether gay, familiar, full of mo- 
tion and hurry, or still, solemn, and melan- 
choly. 
The grouping regards both design and chi- 
aro-scuro. In the former, it respects the 
figures principally concerned in the expression 
of the subject, which must necessarily be 
near to, or distant from, one another, as their 
actions, conversations, or other mutual rela- 
tions, require. In the latter, it regards those 
masses which are formed from objects w hich 
may be properly arranged together, and those 
effects of light and shade which are formed 
in consequence of such assemblage qr union. 
These are the points to which the attention 
must be principally and diligently directed 
in forming the groups of a composition, 
