74

BEAUTY.

ingenious stroke be expressed the anguish the pencil could not delineate ; for the feelings of the
unfortunate parent being left to our own imagination, previously disposed by the distress of the
others, we at once feel for the father with the most poignant sympathy ; and being left at liberty,
we form a mental conception superior to that which enters through the sight. This successful
practice has often been used by eminent artists. But it must be observed, that as it is never
adopted but where the passions rise by a gradation above the imitation of art, so it must not be
attempted where justice can be done to the piece without it.

Many passions are so combined and mingled with each other, that, to delineate them justly, an
expression must be given to the countenance, wherein both, or all of the combined passions in
question, may appear. This, though a difficult part of the art, is by no means impossible. Some
artists have even succeeded in representing very opposite emotions of the mind in the same charac-
ter. Rubens, in his Birth of Louis XIII. which forms one subject of Ins history of Mary of Me-
dicis, in the Luxembourg gallery, has taken that opportunity to express both the sense of pain
remaining from child-birth, and the joy with which the fond mother beholds her infant offspring.
But it is very seldom such contradictory emotions can be gracefully introduced : these combina-
tions rather belong to passions whose natures are more nearly allied.

It may be necessary to add here; that these expressions vary according to age and education,
and must, therefore, be attended to. Children have a method of discovering their feelings pecu-
liar to themselves; and not having learnt the art of concealing their emotions, they express
them very strongly. Education, also, not only enables us,in a measure to conceal our different
passions, but renders their appearance very different in different persons, unless where it is too
powerful for any restraint: in this case all feel the same sensations, and nature prevails in her
expression of them in spite of all the rules of art.

Something yet remains to be said on the expression of a state of the mind, which has often
been reckoned an emotion, but which is, in fact, a condition of the mind only, free from every
passion except that of hope. This state of the mind is called tranquillity. To form a proper
idea of this situation, we must remember, that this world is not the place where we are to expect,
neither is our present nature capable of enjoying, perfect happiness: the most comfortable state
is occasioned partly by negatives, and partly by hope. We must, to enjoy tranquillity, be free
from all the discordant and ruffling passions; and, at the same time (such is the impatience of
our nature) have some future object in view to keep alive hope. The expression, therefore, of a
happy mind, must always display a degree of hope ; otherwise, from the want of the other pas-
sions, the countenance will degenerate into that unmeaning stupidity which will disgust rather
than delight the beholders.

From what has been said, it may be seen, that expression is capable of both increasing and
destroying beauty : that this part of beauty is superior to the former two, viz. colour and form :
that the best complexion, the finest set of features, and the most exact shape, without expression,
is dull and insipid ; that the chief rule of expression is moderation ; and that the passions appear
most strongly in the eyes.

There is yet another effect not yet noticed, which has great influence over expression,
namely, acquired habit, which is able, in some persons, so far to restrain the expression of the pas-
sions in the countenance, as to give a different appearance to their features from what nature has
designed. A choleric person is often prevented; by a principle of good breeding, from openly

expressing