DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.69463#0166
ST. ROCK IN PRISON.
This Calvert lived at Bologna, and was competitor and
rival to Ludovico Caracci. Guido made the same use of
Albert Purer, as Virgil did of old Ennius, borrowed
what pleased him, and made it afterwards his own ; that
is, he accommodated what was good in Albert to his.
own manner, which he executed with so much graceful-
ness and beauty, that he got more money and reputation
in his time than any of his masters, and than all the
scholars of the Caracci, though they were of greater
capacity than himself. His heads yield no manner of
precedence to those of Raphael.”
A circumstance, mentioned in the life of Guido, is
well worth the attention of artists: He was asked from
whence he borrowed his idea of beauty, which is ac-
knowledged superior to that of any other painter; he
said he would show all the models he used, and ordered
a common porter to sit before him, from whom he drew
a beautiful countenance. This, adds Sir Joshua Rey-
nolds, was undoubtedly an exaggeration of his conduct:
but his intention was to shew, that he thought it neces-
sary for painters to have some model of nature before
them, however they might deviate from it, and correct
it from the idea of present beauty which they have form-
ed in their minds.
In painting, it is far better to have a model, even to
depart from, than to have nothing fixed and certain to
determine the idea. When there is a model, there is
something to proceed on, something to be corrected ; to
that, even supposing no part is adopted, the model has
still been not without use.
Such habits of intercourse with nature will, at least,
create that variety which will prevent any one from
This Calvert lived at Bologna, and was competitor and
rival to Ludovico Caracci. Guido made the same use of
Albert Purer, as Virgil did of old Ennius, borrowed
what pleased him, and made it afterwards his own ; that
is, he accommodated what was good in Albert to his.
own manner, which he executed with so much graceful-
ness and beauty, that he got more money and reputation
in his time than any of his masters, and than all the
scholars of the Caracci, though they were of greater
capacity than himself. His heads yield no manner of
precedence to those of Raphael.”
A circumstance, mentioned in the life of Guido, is
well worth the attention of artists: He was asked from
whence he borrowed his idea of beauty, which is ac-
knowledged superior to that of any other painter; he
said he would show all the models he used, and ordered
a common porter to sit before him, from whom he drew
a beautiful countenance. This, adds Sir Joshua Rey-
nolds, was undoubtedly an exaggeration of his conduct:
but his intention was to shew, that he thought it neces-
sary for painters to have some model of nature before
them, however they might deviate from it, and correct
it from the idea of present beauty which they have form-
ed in their minds.
In painting, it is far better to have a model, even to
depart from, than to have nothing fixed and certain to
determine the idea. When there is a model, there is
something to proceed on, something to be corrected ; to
that, even supposing no part is adopted, the model has
still been not without use.
Such habits of intercourse with nature will, at least,
create that variety which will prevent any one from