Modern Painters Volume I Part 3

CHAPTER I.--General Principles respecting Ideas of Power.

-- 1. No necessity for detailed study of ideas of imitation. 32 -- 2. Nor for separate study of ideas of power. 32 -- 3. Except under one particular form. 33 -- 4. There are two modes of receiving ideas of power, commonly inconsistent. 33 -- 5. First reason of the inconsistency. 33 -- 6. Second reason for the inconsistency. 34 -- 7. The sensation of power ought not to be sought in imperfect art. 34 -- 8. Instances in pictures of modern artists. 35 -- 9. Connection between ideas of power and modes of execution. 35

CHAPTER II.--Of Ideas of Power, as they are dependent upon Execution.

-- 1. Meaning of the term "execution." 36 -- 2. The first quality of execution is truth. 36 -- 3. The second, simplicity. 36 -- 4. The third, mystery. 37 -- 5. The fourth, inadequacy; and the fifth, decision. 37 -- 6. The sixth, velocity. 37 -- 7. Strangeness an illegitimate source of pleasure in execution. 37 -- 8. Yet even the legitimate sources of pleasure in execution are inconsistent with each other. 38 -- 9. And fondness for ideas of power leads to the adoption of the lowest. 39 -- 10. Therefore perilous. 40 -- 11. Recapitulation. 40

CHAPTER III.--Of the Sublime.

-- 1. Sublimity is the effect upon the mind of anything above it. 41 -- 2. Burke's theory of the nature of the sublime incorrect, and why. 41 -- 3. Danger is sublime, but not the fear of it. 42 -- 4. The highest beauty is sublime. 42 -- 5. And generally whatever elevates the mind. 42 -- 6. The former division of the subject is therefore sufficient. 42

PART II.

OF TRUTH.

SECTION I.

GENERAL PRINCIPLES RESPECTING IDEAS OF TRUTH.

CHAPTER I.--Of Ideas of Truth in their connection with those of Beauty and Relation.

-- 1. The two great ends of landscape painting are the representation of facts and thoughts. 44 -- 2. They induce a different choice of material subjects. 45 -- 3. The first mode of selection apt to produce sameness and repet.i.tion. 45 -- 4. The second necessitating variety. 45 -- 5. Yet the first is delightful to all. 46 -- 6. The second only to a few. 46 -- 7. The first necessary to the second. 47 -- 8. The exceeding importance of truth. 48 -- 9. Coldness or want of beauty no sign of truth. 48 -- 10. How truth may be considered a just criterion of all art. 48

CHAPTER II.--That the Truth of Nature is not to be discerned by the Uneducated Senses.

-- 1. The common self-deception of men with respect to their power of discerning truth. 50 -- 2. Men usually see little of what is before their eyes. 51 -- 3. But more or less in proportion to their natural sensibility to what is beautiful. 52 -- 4. Connected with a perfect state of moral feeling. 52 -- 5. And of the intellectual powers. 53 -- 6. How sight depends upon previous knowledge. 54 -- 7. The difficulty increased by the variety of truths in nature. 55 -- 8. We recognize objects by their least important attributes.

Compare Part I. Sect. I. Chap. 4. 55

CHAPTER III.--Of the Relative Importance of Truths:--First, that Particular Truths are more important than General Ones.

-- 1. Necessity of determining the relative importance of truths. 58 -- 2. Misapplication of the aphorism: "General truths are more important than particular ones." 58 -- 3. Falseness of this maxim, taken without explanation. 59 -- 4. Generality important in the subject, particularity in the predicate. 59 -- 5. The importance of truths of species is not owing to their generality. 60 -- 6. All truths valuable as they are characteristic. 61 -- 7. Otherwise truths of species are valuable, because beautiful. 61 -- 8. And many truths, valuable if separate, may be objectionable in connection with others. 62 -- 9. Recapitulation. 63

CHAPTER IV.--Of the Relative Importance of Truths:--Secondly, that Rare Truths are more important than Frequent Ones.

-- 1. No accidental violation of nature's principles should be represented. 64 -- 2. But the cases in which those principles have been strikingly exemplified. 65 -- 3. Which are comparatively rare. 65 -- 4. All repet.i.tion is blamable. 65 -- 5. The duty of the painter is the same as that of a preacher. 66

CHAPTER V.--Of the Relative Importance of Truths:--Thirdly, that Truths of Color are the least important of all Truths.

-- 1. Difference between primary and secondary qualities in bodies. 67 -- 2. The first are fully characteristic, the second imperfectly so. 67 -- 3. Color is a secondary quality, therefore less important than form. 68 -- 4. Color no distinction between objects of the same species. 68 -- 5. And different in a.s.sociation from what it is alone. 69 -- 6. It is not certain whether any two people see the same colors in things. 69 -- 7. Form, considered as an element of landscape, includes light and shade. 69 -- 8. Importance of light and shade in expressing the character of bodies, and unimportance of color. 70 -- 9. Recapitulation. 71

CHAPTER VI.--Recapitulation.

-- 1. The importance of historical truths. 72 -- 2. Form, as explained by light and shade, the first of all truths.

Tone, light, and color, are secondary. 72 -- 3. And deceptive chiaroscuro the lowest of all. 73

CHAPTER VII.--General Application of the Foregoing Principles.

-- 1. The different selection of facts consequent on the several aims at imitation or at truth. 74 -- 2. The old masters, as a body, aim only at imitation. 74 -- 3. What truths they gave. 75 -- 4. The principles of selection adopted by modern artists. 76 -- 5. General feeling of Claude, Salvator, and G. Poussin, contrasted with the freedom and vastness of nature. 77 -- 6. Inadequacy of the landscape of t.i.tian and Tintoret. 78 -- 7. Causes of its want of influence on subsequent schools. 79 -- 8. The value of inferior works of art, how to be estimated. 80 -- 9. Religious landscape of Italy. The admirableness of its completion. 81 -- 10. Finish, and the want of it, how right--and how wrong. 82 -- 11. The open skies of the religious schools, how valuable. Mountain drawing of Masaccio. Landscape of the Bellinis and Giorgione. 84 -- 12. Landscape of t.i.tian and Tintoret. 86 -- 13. Schools of Florence, Milan, and Bologna. 88 -- 14. Claude, Salvator, and the Poussins. 89 -- 15. German and Flemish landscape. 90 -- 16. The lower Dutch schools. 92 -- 17. English school, Wilson and Gainsborough. 93 -- 18. Constable, Callcott. 94 -- 19. Peculiar tendency of recent landscape. 95 -- 20. G. Robson, D. c.o.x. False use of the term "style." 95 -- 21. Copley Fielding. Phenomena of distant color. 97 -- 22. Beauty of mountain foreground. 99 -- 23. De Wint. 101 -- 24. Influence of Engraving. J. D. Harding. 101 -- 25. Samuel Prout. Early painting of architecture, how deficient. 103 -- 26. Effects of age upon buildings, how far desirable. 104 -- 27. Effects of light, how necessary to the understanding of detail. 106 -- 28. Architectural painting of Gentile Bellini and Vittor Carpaccio. 107 -- 29. And of the Venetians generally. 109 -- 30. Fresco painting of the Venetian exteriors. Ca.n.a.letto. 110 -- 31. Expression of the effects of age on Architecture by S. Prout. 112 -- 32. His excellent composition and color. 114 -- 33. Modern architectural painting generally. G. Cattermole. 115 -- 34. The evil in an archaeological point of view of misapplied invention, in architectural subject. 117 -- 35. Works of David Roberts: their fidelity and grace. 118 -- 36. Clarkson Stanfield. 121 -- 37. J. M. W. Turner. Force of national feeling in all great painters. 123 -- 38. Influence of this feeling on the choice of Landscape subject. 125 -- 39. Its peculiar manifestation in Turner. 125 -- 40. The domestic subjects of the Liber Studiorum. 127 -- 41. Turner's painting of French and Swiss landscape. The latter deficient. 129 -- 42. His rendering of Italian character still less successful. His large compositions how failing 130 -- 43. His views of Italy destroyed by brilliancy and redundant quant.i.ty. 133 -- 44. Changes introduced by him in the received system of art. 133 -- 45. Difficulties of his later manner. Resultant deficiencies. 134 -- 46. Reflection of his very recent works. 137 -- 47. Difficulty of demonstration in such subjects. 139

SECTION II.

OF GENERAL TRUTHS.

CHAPTER I.--Of Truth of Tone.

-- 1. Meanings of the word "tone:"--First, the right relation of objects in shadow to the princ.i.p.al light. 140 -- 2. Secondly, the quality of color by which it is felt to owe part of its brightness to the hue of light upon it. 140 -- 3. Difference between tone in its first sense and aerial perspective. 141 -- 4. The pictures of the old masters perfect in relation of middle tints to light. 141 -- 5. And consequently totally false in relation of middle tints to darkness. 141 -- 6. General falsehood of such a system. 143 -- 7. The principle of Turner in this respect. 143 -- 8. Comparison of N. Poussin's "Phocion." 144 -- 9. With Turner's "Mercury and Argus." 145 -- 10. And with the "Datur Hora Quieti." 145 -- 11. The second sense of the word "tone." 146 -- 12. Remarkable difference in this respect between the paintings and drawings of Turner. 146 -- 13. Not owing to want of power over the material 146 -- 14. The two distinct qualities of light to be considered 147 -- 15. Falsehoods by which t.i.tian attains the appearance of quality in light. 148 -- 16. Turner will not use such means. 148 -- 17. But gains in essential truth by the sacrifice. 148 -- 18. The second quality of light. 148 -- 19. The perfection of Cuyp in this respect interfered with by numerous solecisms. 150 -- 20. Turner is not so perfect in parts--far more so in the whole. 151 -- 21. The power in Turner of uniting a number of tones. 152 -- 22. Recapitulation. 153

CHAPTER II.--Of Truth of Color.

-- 1. Observations on the color of G. Poussin's La Riccia. 155 -- 2. As compared with the actual scene. 155 -- 3. Turner himself is inferior in brilliancy to nature. 157 -- 4. Impossible colors of Salvator, t.i.tian. 157 -- 5. Poussin, and Claude. 158 -- 6. Turner's translation of colors. 160 -- 7. Notice of effects in which no brilliancy of art can even approach that of reality. 161 -- 8. Reasons for the usual incredulity of the observer with respect to their representation 162 -- 9. Color of the Napoleon. 163 -- 10. Necessary discrepancy between the attainable brilliancy of color and light. 164 -- 11. This discrepancy less in Turner than in other colorists. 165 -- 12. Its great extent in a landscape attributed to Rubens. 165 -- 13. Turner scarcely ever uses pure or vivid color. 166 -- 14. The basis of gray, under all his vivid hues. 167 -- 15. The variety and fulness even of his most simple tones. 168 -- 16. Following the infinite and unapproachable variety of nature. 168 -- 17. His dislike of purple, and fondness for the opposition of yellow and black. The principles of nature in this respect. 169 -- 18. His early works are false in color. 170 -- 19. His drawings invariably perfect. 171 -- 20. The subjection of his system of color to that of chiaroscuro. 171

CHAPTER III.--Of Truth of Chiaroscuro.

-- 1. We are not at present to examine particular effects of light. 174 -- 2. And therefore the distinctness of shadows is the chief means of expressing vividness of light. 175 -- 3. Total absence of such distinctness in the works of the Italian school. 175 -- 4. And partial absence in the Dutch. 176 -- 5. The perfection of Turner's works in this respect. 177 -- 6. The effect of his shadows upon the light. 178 -- 7. The distinction holds good between almost all the works of the ancient and modern schools. 179 -- 8. Second great principle of chiaroscuro. Both high light and deep shadow are used in equal quant.i.ty, and only in points. 180 -- 9. Neglect or contradiction of this principle by writers on art. 180 -- 10. And consequent misguiding of the student. 181 -- 11. The great value of a simple chiaroscuro. 182 -- 12. The sharp separation of nature's lights from her middle tint. 182 -- 13. The truth of Turner. 183

CHAPTER IV.--Of Truth of s.p.a.ce:--First, as Dependent on the Focus of the Eye.

-- 1. s.p.a.ce is more clearly indicated by the drawing of objects than by their hue. 185 -- 2. It is impossible to see objects at unequal distances distinctly at one moment. 186 -- 3. Especially such as are both comparatively near. 186 -- 4. In painting, therefore, either the foreground or distance must be partially sacrificed. 187 -- 5. Which not being done by the old masters, they could not express s.p.a.ce. 187 -- 6. But modern artists have succeeded in fully carrying out this principle. 188 -- 7. Especially of Turner. 189 -- 8. Justification of the want of drawing in Turner's figures. 189

CHAPTER V.--Of Truth of s.p.a.ce:--Secondly, as its Appearance is dependent on the Power of the Eye.

-- 1. The peculiar indistinctness dependent on the retirement of objects from the eye. 191 -- 2. Causes confusion, but not annihilation of details. 191 -- 3. Instances in various objects. 192 -- 4. Two great resultant truths; that nature is never distinct, and never vacant. 193 -- 5. Complete violation of both these principles by the old masters. They are either distinct or vacant. 193 -- 6. Instances from Nicholas Poussin. 194 -- 7. From Claude. 194 -- 8. And G. Poussin. 195 -- 9. The imperative necessity, in landscape painting, of fulness and finish. 196 -- 10. Breadth is not vacancy. 197 -- 11. The fulness and mystery of Turner's distances. 198 -- 12. Farther ill.u.s.trations in architectural drawing. 199 -- 13. In near objects as well as distances. 199 -- 14. Vacancy and falsehood of Ca.n.a.letto. 200 -- 15. Still greater fulness and finish in landscape foregrounds. 200 -- 16. s.p.a.ce and size are destroyed alike by distinctness and by vacancy. 202 -- 17. Swift execution best secures perfection of details. 202 -- 18. Finish is far more necessary in landscape than in historical subjects. 202 -- 19. Recapitulation of the section. 203

SECTION III.