uniformity and quantity, direct in giving beauty to the colouring of the human frame, especially if we include the face, where uniformity and strong opposition of tints are required, as in the eyes and mouth, which call most for our attention. But for the general hue of flesh now to be described, variety, intricacy, and simplicity, are chiefly required. The value of the degrees of colour being thus considered and ranged in order upon the pallet, figure 94, let us next apply them to a busto, fig. *, of white marble, which may be supposed to let every tint sink into it, like as a drop of ink sinks in and spreads itself upon coarse paper, whereby each tint will gradate all around. If you would have the neck of the busto tinged of a very florid and lively complexion, the pencil must be dipt in the bloom tints of each colour as they stand one above another at No. 4.-if for a less florid, in those of No. 5-if for a very fair, from No. 6-and so on till the marble would scarce be tinged at all: let therefore No. 6, be our present choice, and begin with penciling on the red, as at r, the yellow tint at y, the blue tint at b, and the purple or lake tint at p. These four tints thus laid on, proceed to covering the whole neck and breast, but still changing and varying the situations of the tints with one another, also P. 118 causing their shapes and sizes to differ as much as possible; red must be oftenest repeated, yellow next often, purple red next, and blue but seldom, except in particular parts, as the temples, backs of the hands, * Fig. 96. R. p. 2. &c. where the larger veins shew their branching shapes (sometimes too distinctly) still varying those appearances. But there are no doubt infinite variations in nature from what may be called the most beautiful order and disposition of the colours in flesh, not only in different persons, but in different parts of the same, all subject to the same principles in some degree or other. Now if we imagine this whole process to be made with the tender tints of class 7, as they are supposed to stand, red, yellow, blue, green and purple, underneath each other; the general hue of the performance will be a seeming uniform prime tint, at any little distance, that is a very fair, transparent and pearl-like complexion; but never quite uniform as snow, ivory, mar- P. 119 ble or wax, like a poet's mistress, for either of these in living flesh would in truth be hideous, As in nature, by the general yellowish hue of the cuticula, the gradating of one colour into another appears to be more delicately softened and united together; so will the colours we are supposed to have been laying upon the busto, appear to be more united and mellowed by the oils they are ground in, which takes a yellowish cast after a little time, but is apt to do more mischief hereby than good; for which reason care is taken to procure such oil as is clearest and will best keep its colour' in oil-painting. 1 Notwithstanding the deep-rooted notion, even amongst the majority of painters themselves, that time is a great improver of good pictures, I will undertake to shew, that nothing can be more absurd. Having mentioned above the whole effect of the oil, let us now see Upon the whole of this account we find, that the utmost beauty of colouring depends on the great prin in what manner time operates on the colours themselves; in order to discover if any changes in them can give a picture more union and harmony than has been in the power of a skilful master, with all his rules of art, to do. When colours change at all it must be somewhat in the manner following, for as they are made some of metal, some of earth, some of stone, and others of more perishable materials, time cannot operate on them otherwise than as by daily experience we find it doth, which is, that one changes darker, another lighter, one quite to a different colour, whilst another, as ultramarine, will keep its natural brightness even in the fire. Therefore how is it possible that such different materials, ever variously changing (visibly after a certain time) should accidently coincide with the artist's intention, and bring about the greater harmony of the piece, when it is manifestly contrary to their nature, for do we not see in most collections that much time disunites, untunes, blackens, and by degrees destroys even the best preserved pictures. But if for argument sake we suppose, that the colours were to fall equally together, let us see what advantage this would give to any sort of composition. We will begin with a flower-piece: when a master hath painted a rose, a lily, an african, a gentianella, or violet, with his best art, and brightest colours, how far short do they fall of the freshness and rich brilliancy of nature; and shall we wish to see them fall still lower, more faint, sullied, and dirtied by the hand of time, and then admire them as having gained an additional beauty, and call them mended and heightened, rather than fouled, and in a manner destroyed; how absurd! instead of mellow and softened therefore, always read yellow and sullied, for this is doing time the destroyer but common justice. Or shall we desire to see complexions, which in life are often, literally, as brilliant as the flowers above-mentioned, served in the like ungrateful manner. In a landskip, will the water be more transparent, or the sky shine with a greater lustre when embrowned and darkened by decay? surely no. I own it would be a pity that Mr. Addison's beautiful description of time at work in ciple of varying by all the means of varying, and on the proper and artful union of that variety; which may the gallery of pictures, and the following lines of Mr. Dryden, should want a sufficient foundation; For time shall with his ready pencil stand, Dryden to Kneller. were it not that the error they are built upon, hath been a continual blight to the growth of the art, by misguiding both the proficient, and the encourager; and often compelling the former, contrary to his judgment, to imitate the damaged hue of decayed pictures; so that when his works undergo the like injuries, they must have a double remove from nature; which puts it in the power of the meanest observer to see his deficiencies. Whence another absurd notion hath taken rise, viz. that the colours now-a-days do not stand so well as formerly; whereas colours well prepared, in which there is but little art or expence, have, and will always have, the same properties in every age, and without accidents, as damps, bad varnish, and the like, (being laid separate and pure,) will stand and keep together for many years in defiance of time itself. In proof of this, let any one take a view of the ceiling at Greenwich-hospital, painted by Sir James Thornhill, forty years ago, which still remains fresh, strong and clear as if it had been finished but yesterday: and although several French writers have so learnedly and philosophically proved, that the air of this island is too thick, or-too something, for the genius of a painter, yet France in all her palaces can hardly boast of a nobler, more judicious, or richer performance of its kind. Note, the upper end of the hall where the royal family is painted, was left chiefly to the pencil of Mr. Andrea, a foreigner, after the payment originally agreed upon for the work was so much reduced, as made it not worth Sir James's while to finish the whole with his own more masterly hand. P. 120 be farther proved by supposing the rules here laid down, all or any part of them reversed. I am apt to believe, that the not knowing nature's artful and intricate method of uniting colours for the production of the variegated composition, or prime tint of flesh, hath made colouring, in the art of painting, a kind of mystery in all ages; insomuch that it may fairly be said, out of the many thousands who have laboured to attain it, not above ten or twelve P. 121 painters have happily succeeded therein. Corregio (who lived in a country-village, and had nothing but the life to study after) is said almost to have stood alone for this particular excellence. Guido, who made beauty his chief aim, was always at a loss about it. Poussin scarce ever obtained a glimpse of it, as is manifest by his many different attempts: indeed France hath not produced one remarkable good colourist 1. P. 122 Rubens boldly, and in a masterly manner, kept his bloom tints bright, separate and distinct, but sometimes too much so for easel or cabinet pictures; however, his manner was admirably well calculated for 1 The lame excuse writers on painting have made for the many great masters that have failed in this particular, is, that they purposely deadened their colours, and kept them, what they affectedly called chaste, that the correctness of their outlines might be seen to greater advantage. Whereas colours cannot be too brilliant if properly disposed, because the distinction of the parts are thereby made more perfect; as may be seen by comparing a marble busto with the variegated colours of the face either in the life, or one well painted: it is true, uncomposed variety, either in the features or the limbs, as being daubed with many, or one colour, will so confound the parts as to render them unintelligible. |