DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.20658#0170
156
COLOURING.
Tent of Darius the principal light in the picture falls on Statira, who is very injudiciously dressed
in a pale blue drapery; and though this coldness be heightened with gold, vet it by no means en-
livens the piece, which still possesses a heavy air; and does not answer the expectation raised by
viewing the print. Neither did Poussin study a harmony of colouring and grandeur of effect;
for he often made a spot of blue drapery to receive the light, when the general hue of the picture
was inclinable to brown or yellow.
Many of the Dutch and Flemish painters used white for the principal light of the picture;
but it is more conformable to nature and has a far better effect, to make the principal light of a
warm colour, like white illuminated by the rays of the setting sun. Tlsis was the practice of Titian.
The beauty of this manner never appears more striking than when, in a collection of pictures, we
see one of Titian's portraits hanging by the side of a Flemish picture, even though it should be
the production of Vandyke, which always becomes cold and grey in the comparison. This me-
thod is a just imitation of nature, where the illuminated parts of objects are of a warmer tint than
those in the shade. It is therefore only presenting to the eye the same effect it has been accus-
tomed to feel, and which, in that case as in every other, never fails of producing that beauty
which gives pleasure to every beholder.
One precept in particular with regard to his lights the painter must not overlook, and which
has been before mentioned-under the other branches of the art; namely, that he do not copy-
nature too servilely. It is often necessary that either his principal lights or shades should be
lighter or darker than they appear in natural objects. Truth must sometimes be sacrificed to art,
to produce force harmony and effect. An artist must ever hold a balance in his hand, to deter-
mine the value of different qualities, that when some error must be committed, he may chuse the
least. A part must often be sacrificed for the good of the whole. Rubens has left us a remarkable
instance of this conduct, in a picture of a moon-light scene. He has not only diffused more light
over the picture than prevails in nature, but has given it those warm and glowing colours which
distinguish all his other pieces. It is so unlike what other painters have given us of moon-light
that, were it not for the stars he has added, it might be easily mistaken for the light of a fainter
setting sun. Had he made it more natural he must have destroyed the harmony proceeding from
contrast and variety of colours : and he judiciously supposed that the eye should be satisfied above
every other consideration. The moon also does not possess so great a superiority of light over the
objects it illuminates as it does in nature. This is another mark of the pure taste of Rubens : had
he preserved the same gradation of light between the moon and the objects as obtains in nature,
the picture must have consisted of one small spot of light only and, at a little distance from the
piece, nothing but this spot would have been seen. For the same reason, namely, to produce
force and effect, the greater part of the colours of a picture must sometimes be kept down, in order
to heighten others by contrast to a greater degree than colours could otherwise bear. This is the
case in representing armour and other shining substances; where we have no other pigment but
pure white, to imitate the greatest light of shining objects: this would never preserve a due su,
periority over the flesh-colour, were this colour not kept down to a very low tint, But this effect
of art, like all others, may be carried too far, as was done by "Rembrandt in a picture of Achilles
where, in order to preserve a due gradation between the lustre of the armour and the face of the
warrior, the colours of the whole picture are lowered to that degree, and the picture rendered so
black, that it cannot be seen without a peculiar light, and even then with difficulty,.
The
COLOURING.
Tent of Darius the principal light in the picture falls on Statira, who is very injudiciously dressed
in a pale blue drapery; and though this coldness be heightened with gold, vet it by no means en-
livens the piece, which still possesses a heavy air; and does not answer the expectation raised by
viewing the print. Neither did Poussin study a harmony of colouring and grandeur of effect;
for he often made a spot of blue drapery to receive the light, when the general hue of the picture
was inclinable to brown or yellow.
Many of the Dutch and Flemish painters used white for the principal light of the picture;
but it is more conformable to nature and has a far better effect, to make the principal light of a
warm colour, like white illuminated by the rays of the setting sun. Tlsis was the practice of Titian.
The beauty of this manner never appears more striking than when, in a collection of pictures, we
see one of Titian's portraits hanging by the side of a Flemish picture, even though it should be
the production of Vandyke, which always becomes cold and grey in the comparison. This me-
thod is a just imitation of nature, where the illuminated parts of objects are of a warmer tint than
those in the shade. It is therefore only presenting to the eye the same effect it has been accus-
tomed to feel, and which, in that case as in every other, never fails of producing that beauty
which gives pleasure to every beholder.
One precept in particular with regard to his lights the painter must not overlook, and which
has been before mentioned-under the other branches of the art; namely, that he do not copy-
nature too servilely. It is often necessary that either his principal lights or shades should be
lighter or darker than they appear in natural objects. Truth must sometimes be sacrificed to art,
to produce force harmony and effect. An artist must ever hold a balance in his hand, to deter-
mine the value of different qualities, that when some error must be committed, he may chuse the
least. A part must often be sacrificed for the good of the whole. Rubens has left us a remarkable
instance of this conduct, in a picture of a moon-light scene. He has not only diffused more light
over the picture than prevails in nature, but has given it those warm and glowing colours which
distinguish all his other pieces. It is so unlike what other painters have given us of moon-light
that, were it not for the stars he has added, it might be easily mistaken for the light of a fainter
setting sun. Had he made it more natural he must have destroyed the harmony proceeding from
contrast and variety of colours : and he judiciously supposed that the eye should be satisfied above
every other consideration. The moon also does not possess so great a superiority of light over the
objects it illuminates as it does in nature. This is another mark of the pure taste of Rubens : had
he preserved the same gradation of light between the moon and the objects as obtains in nature,
the picture must have consisted of one small spot of light only and, at a little distance from the
piece, nothing but this spot would have been seen. For the same reason, namely, to produce
force and effect, the greater part of the colours of a picture must sometimes be kept down, in order
to heighten others by contrast to a greater degree than colours could otherwise bear. This is the
case in representing armour and other shining substances; where we have no other pigment but
pure white, to imitate the greatest light of shining objects: this would never preserve a due su,
periority over the flesh-colour, were this colour not kept down to a very low tint, But this effect
of art, like all others, may be carried too far, as was done by "Rembrandt in a picture of Achilles
where, in order to preserve a due gradation between the lustre of the armour and the face of the
warrior, the colours of the whole picture are lowered to that degree, and the picture rendered so
black, that it cannot be seen without a peculiar light, and even then with difficulty,.
The