The artists repository and drawing magazine: exhibiting the principles of the polite arts in their various branches (4.1790)

52 COL

phlegmatic, will colour, as it were, faded, or clayey :
The i j.nguine, will animate his carnations, love vivacity
and brilbancy, and his tints be in danger of approaching
the brick* It is notorious, that certain difeafes affect,
the appearances of colours to the eye, and perhaps the
principles of iuch difeafes, though latent, may be in-
fluential.

The principles of colouring, are (i) veracity,

(ll) FORCE, (ill) .DEGRADATION, Or KEEPING, (iv)

harmony, or union. Veracity is fo neceffary, that
without it, all is confufion; green bricks, red turf,
black fnow, white jet, are but the extremes of depar-
ture from veracity. No rules can be adequate to direc-
tion on this head, the only guide is nature. Force is
the refult of artful combination and management;
whereby the principal objects in a compofition are dif-
tinguifhed, brought forward, and difplayed to advan-
tage, by vigorous colours, by happy touches well fup-
ported. Degradation of colours, is not only neceffary
as a part of aerial perfpe&ive, but alio as a principle
whereby the ftrong and powerful colours are placed
where the principal effect ought to fall, not in thofe
acceffory parts which ought to be kept down and mode-
rated : the placing of colours fhould correfpond to
the application of the chiaro ofcuro. Union of colours,
is the refult of a judicious feledtion, arrangement, and
fituation of the colours in a piece.

Jt fhould feem that the plan of conducting the prin-
ciples of a picture, is pretty fimilar in molt of its
branches: fuppofing, for inftance, the effect be defired
to fall in the center 3 the center therefore muft be the

feat