PAINTING. 
226 
of the work were ground in oil, which was abforbed into 
the ground ; the pidture remaining flat, fomething like a 
pidlure in water-colours, or crayons: it was then var- 
niflied, till faturated with varnifli, and the full of every 
colour brought out. The pidture was then complete. 
“ The demi-tints, which conduce fo much to the bril¬ 
liancy of a pidture, which are fo difficult to execute, and 
in w'hich the painter molt frequently fails, are, in the or¬ 
dinary modes of painting, produced by the mixture of 
black, grey, blue, or brown, (according to the judgment 
of the artilt,) with the local colours of the objedts. It is 
thefe tints which, from their being made with fuch co¬ 
lours, it is difficult to get clear, and which never are fo 
clear in any other as in the Venetian pidlures, and in 
fome of the Flemifh ones painted upon analogous princi¬ 
ples. The fadt is, that thofe painters produced all fuch 
tints without the admixture of any colour to reprefent 
them, and by a method fo like that by which they are 
produced in nature, that this circumftance alone enfures 
a degree of brightnefs to their colours, and of harmony 
to their fhadows, that it is perhaps impoffible to produce, 
in an equal degree, by any other mode of painting. 
“ It is a Angular fadt, which I have not fkill in phyfics 
to be able to account for, though, by numerous experi¬ 
ments, I have afcertained it beyond contradiction, that 
if, upon any degree of brown between the deepeftand the 
lighted: brown-vellow, we paint pure white, in grada-. 
tions, from the folid body to the lighted: tint that can be 
laid on, all the tints between the folid white and the 
ground will appear to be grey, intenfe in proportion to 
the depth of the ground, and the thinnefs of the white 
laid upon it. But, in every cafe, all the tints laid upon 
one ground will harmonize with each other, and form one 
connected chain, (if I may ufe the expreffion,) which will 
perfectly unite the higheft light with the darkeft (hade. 
“ If, then, we examine the 'component fubftances of 
a Venetian picture, we (hall find the lighter parts confift. 
only of white, to reprefent the light; and, of the local 
colours of the objeCts it reprefents, the demi-tints are 
imitated by an appearance almolt as deceptive as the fimi- 
lar appearances in nature: but, in every other method of 
painting, thefe demi-tints are produced by mixing fome 
duflcy colour with the local colours and the light. The 
comparifon of thefe methods will afford a demonftrative 
reafon why the Venetian mull be brighter than any other 
mode of painting. 
“ Having (hewn, as near to a demonftration as the na¬ 
ture of the fubjeCt will perhaps admit, why thofe parts 
of a Venetian picture that are connected with light and 
colours are brighter than the correfponding parts of any 
other pictures, it remains to explain the caufe of fimilar 
fuperiority in the darker parts of the fame pictures. It has 
been faid, with much confidence, that, as white reprefents 
light, fo black is the reprefen tative of dark nefs. But, though 
this may be true in phyfics, it certainly is not fo in painting; 
for the painter’s art is to reprefent objeCts as they appear, in 
point of colour, to be, not as they really are. Thus, if I 
know an objeCl is perfectly black, and am to reprefent it as 
it appears to be at the diftance of fifty feet, black from the 
pallet will not produce a good imitation of it, becaufe the 
interpofition of fifty feet of the atmofphere will caufe it 
to appear of a colour different from what it really is ; 
and, vice verfa, if we go into a cavern, a cellar, or a 
room fo darkened that the colour of no objeCl can be 
diltinClly feen, and if we there hold any folid black lub- 
flance near to the eye, the difference will be vifible at once ; 
the black objeCl will be immediately diftinguilhed, by its 
folidity and colour, from the lurrounding fpace, and 
from fuch remote objeCts as may be obfeurely vifible 
through it. Thefe objeCts actually poffefs their individual 
colours, and only appear indiftindtly from the abfence 
of light. The black objeCl may appear folid, and of that 
colour, from its proximity to the eye ; but the circumja¬ 
cent ones will appear of a colour perfectly diftinCt from it, 
more or lefs tranfparent in proportion to their diftance 
from the eye, and (hewing a portion of their individual' 
colours, according to the quantity of ill-defined light 
that may be admitted. Thus we fee (if I may venture to 
mention fo notorious a truifn) that (hadows are nothing 
real: they only feem to exift in the abfence of light, and 
give to objeCls an ill-defined appearance, diftinCt from, 
though in fome inftances mixed with, light and colours 
in different degrees; but, as the painter muft reprefent 
this appearance by fomething real, he choofes the colours 
moft analogous, viz. browns, and the molt tranfparent of 
their clafs, to reprefent this tranfparent, but imperfedtly- 
defined, appearance in nature. 
“ It has been fuppofed that the Venetian painters had 
fome peculiarly rich and tranfparent brown colour, which 
is feen to pervade all the works of that fchool, the effeCl 
of which no modern artift has been able to imitate, and 
which, therefore, is fuppofed to have been loft. It is not 
very probable, that a colour fo common as to pervade the 
works of the word as well as of the bed artifts of that 
fchool, fliould be fo unaccountably loft ; and, as the ef¬ 
fect attributed to it may be eafily produced by the mode 
of painting I have deferibed, it is not unreafonable to 
conclude, thatthis much-lamented colourhas neverexift- 
ed.” For this communication, the greater filver medal 
of the Society was voted to Mr. Sheldrake. 
Lombard School. —The diftinguifliing marks of this 
fchool are—grace; an agreeable tafte for defign, without 
great corretinefs; a freffinefs and lightnefs of colouring ; 
and what the French call einpatement, which is a due and 
proper union of local colours, generally producing what 
we ftyle breadth. 
Antonio Allegri, called Corregio, was the father and 
greatell ornament of this fchool. He began, like the 
painters of his time, to imitate nature alone ; but, as he 
was chiefly delighted with the graceful, he wascarefulto 
purify his defign from all fliort turnings and unneceffarjr 
angles. He perceived that largenefs contributed to grace ; 
and therefore he not only rejected all fmall figures, but 
enlarged as much as poffible the outlines, avoided acute 
angles and ftraight lines, and by thefe means gaveaneafy 
grandeur to his defign. 
After painting had arrived at the greateft perfeftion 
among the Greeks, by the exertions of Zeuxis and Par- 
rhafius, Apelles found nothing to add to the art except 
grace; in the fame manner, among the moderns, after 
Raphael had appeared, grace was the only thing wanting 
to the art ; and Corregio became the Apelles of Europe. 
Painting was by him carried to the higheft degree among, 
the moderns ; the tafte of the bed critics, and the eye of 
the vulgar, were equally gratified. 
Corregio painted in oil, a kind of painting fufceptible 
of the greateft delicacy and fweetnefs ; and, as his cha- 
radler led him to cultivate the agreeable, he gave a plead¬ 
ing, captivating, tone to all his pidlures. He fought tranf¬ 
parent colours to reprefent (hades conformable to nature ; 
and adopted a manner of glazing, which adlually rendered 
his ftiadows more obfeure. Oblcurity in painting cannot 
be fully obtained without tranfparent colours; for thefe 
abforb the rays of light, and of confequence give lefs re- 
fledlion. He laid his colours very thick on the brighteft 
parts of his pidlures, to make them capable of receiving, 
by a proper touch, the greateft degree of light. He per¬ 
ceived that the refledlions of light correfpond with the 
colour of the body from which they are refledled; and 
on thefe principles he founded his theory of colours with 
refpedt to light and (hade and refledlion. But it is chiefly 
in the colour of his (hades that hedeferves to be imitated; 
for his lights are too clear, and fomewhat heavy; and 
his fle(hy parts are not fufficiently tranfparent. 
Harmony and grace are connedted together; and on 
this account Corregio excelled alfo in harmony. As the 
delicacy of his tafte fullered him not to employ llrong 
oppofitions, he naturally became a great mailer in this 
part, which chiefly confilts of eafy gradations from one 
extreme to another. He was harmonious in his defign, by 
making 
