DOI issue:
No. 54 (September, 1897)
DOI article:Schäfer, Henry Thomas: The colouring of the Venetians
DOI Page / Citation link:https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.18389#0253
The Colouring of the Venetians
cepting sometimes white) was never introduced into composing and arranging their tints, so as to make
the combination.* beautiful visions pass before the eyes. It is here,
Now it is not pretended that the simple know- after all, that the genius of the painter as a colourist
ledge of the ways and means of Venetian colouring is manifested.
will ever make a Titian or Veronese. These great The Venetians evinced it also by their exquisite
painters had the genius to use their knowledge, perception of the relative value of tones peculiar to
and were not merely colourists but also designers the local colours of the various objects brought
and inventors, with mighty artistic faculties for together in a picture. For instance, white objects
. . c L. . t ... never lost their whiteness, and appear as the
A careful examination of any early Venetian picture will ...... _ . . 11
justify all that I have said. For instance, The St. Jerome Principal lights of the picture, the flesh generally
Writing, school of Bellini, or The Virgin and Child, by appearing as secondary lights, and so on with the
Cima, and another by Basaieti, in the National Gallery, all various objects according to their local Colour,
show distinctly the simple method as explained. Darius down to the darkest.
before Alexander, by P. Veronese, The Tady in Red Dress, jn a word? ±Q Venetian masters looked at
by P. Bordone, the portraits m black costume by Moroni, . .
again show the same thing ; as indeed do all the other mtUre br0adl>7' tllCy frankly accepted a compro-
Venetian paintings, but the first named having less of yellow mise> evidently understanding that the painter, how-
and dirty varnish upon them, bear the clearest evidence. ever great might be his genius, could not, with
the pigments and mate-
rials available, actually
reproduce nature's effects
as they really appear
(unless he were content
to limit his vision to a
few objects seen in half-
tones), and that a great
and full scale of colour
can only be dealt with
by suggestion. But they
not only saw clearly that
■ the means of art at their
disposal were limited,
they manfully chose that
particular compromise
(rather decorative than
realistic) which they be-
lieved to be nearest to
nature and at the same
time practicable. They
chose a large, broad view
of nature, totally ignoring
its microscopic details.
The simplicity of the
principle they adopted
\ enabled them to carry
their work to a dignified
completeness, the magni-
ficence of which has ever
been, and still is, the ad-
'•' *:.: v-;-. miration of the world.
BBS Perhaps their simplicity
may have been the key to
HHHHHhHHHHH^HHHHHHHH
simplicity nothing great
linen cupboard by c< r. mackintosh has ever been attained.
226
cepting sometimes white) was never introduced into composing and arranging their tints, so as to make
the combination.* beautiful visions pass before the eyes. It is here,
Now it is not pretended that the simple know- after all, that the genius of the painter as a colourist
ledge of the ways and means of Venetian colouring is manifested.
will ever make a Titian or Veronese. These great The Venetians evinced it also by their exquisite
painters had the genius to use their knowledge, perception of the relative value of tones peculiar to
and were not merely colourists but also designers the local colours of the various objects brought
and inventors, with mighty artistic faculties for together in a picture. For instance, white objects
. . c L. . t ... never lost their whiteness, and appear as the
A careful examination of any early Venetian picture will ...... _ . . 11
justify all that I have said. For instance, The St. Jerome Principal lights of the picture, the flesh generally
Writing, school of Bellini, or The Virgin and Child, by appearing as secondary lights, and so on with the
Cima, and another by Basaieti, in the National Gallery, all various objects according to their local Colour,
show distinctly the simple method as explained. Darius down to the darkest.
before Alexander, by P. Veronese, The Tady in Red Dress, jn a word? ±Q Venetian masters looked at
by P. Bordone, the portraits m black costume by Moroni, . .
again show the same thing ; as indeed do all the other mtUre br0adl>7' tllCy frankly accepted a compro-
Venetian paintings, but the first named having less of yellow mise> evidently understanding that the painter, how-
and dirty varnish upon them, bear the clearest evidence. ever great might be his genius, could not, with
the pigments and mate-
rials available, actually
reproduce nature's effects
as they really appear
(unless he were content
to limit his vision to a
few objects seen in half-
tones), and that a great
and full scale of colour
can only be dealt with
by suggestion. But they
not only saw clearly that
■ the means of art at their
disposal were limited,
they manfully chose that
particular compromise
(rather decorative than
realistic) which they be-
lieved to be nearest to
nature and at the same
time practicable. They
chose a large, broad view
of nature, totally ignoring
its microscopic details.
The simplicity of the
principle they adopted
\ enabled them to carry
their work to a dignified
completeness, the magni-
ficence of which has ever
been, and still is, the ad-
'•' *:.: v-;-. miration of the world.
BBS Perhaps their simplicity
may have been the key to
HHHHHhHHHHH^HHHHHHHH
simplicity nothing great
linen cupboard by c< r. mackintosh has ever been attained.
226