The artists repository and drawing magazine: exhibiting the principles of the polite arts in their various branches (3.1789)

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ing, as it were, to impart its own colour to
both : and this effect it obtains, if the space
be suffrciently extensive as in the azure co-
lour of dislant mountains, and in other parti-
culars. This reasoning is strengthened, by
remarking that when the air is deprived of par-
ticles of light, every object, diitance, figure,
&c. is concealed, and disappears.
The foregoing analysis may be adapted, not
only to objects deprived of light, but also to
shadows themselvesfi which, by their distance
srom their origin, and cause, become less de-
termined and sorcible. When the extremes of
a shadow fall cn a superficies near to theshadow-
ing cause, the outline and form of the shadow
is very accurately defined, and represented $
but, when the objedt intercepting the light, is
at some distance from the superficies whereon
the shadow fails, the extremes are confused,
weak, and indeterminate because the rays of
light have more power, and are more in number,
as the interval is increased.
The article of shadows is very important;
they contribute greatly to distinguish distances,
and to separate objedts, especially if they hap-
pen to be related in colour: for if two walls2
one behind the other, have but a little space
between them, they may posiibly seem a conti-
nuation