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face, Buch as theSyracusans imagined tliat of the wato^ goddess Arethusa, is entirely a secondary matter; the primary condition is that themasses shall be boauti ...
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i

THE ELEMENTS OF DRAWlNf},

I

tBB

ELEMENTS OF DRAWING;

THREE LEHERS TO BEGmNERS.

BY JORX RUSKIN,

M.

A

\tJTH01 or "MODEHll PAINTKRS," " SKVBH LAMPM OF ABCHITSCTCEt," " STONES

VKNIOB," "LKCTUHKS OM itCBITKOTDRB kUD PAIMTIXO," BTO.

ttti)

jIliutratiouB i^Tatnn bi ttt ^uttot.

NEW YORK: JOHN WILEY AND SONS, 53

East Tekth Street,

Secoud door west of Broadway.

1891.

k

RC

Ol"

EHINOALE COLLEGE LIBRARY

t9t Caxfon (prtu »7i» »73

Macdougal

Street,

New York

CONTENTS.

LETTER

I. PAUiS

On First PRiQTiox.

19

LETTER

..•••••.#!

Sketohino from Nature,

LETTER Un Colour and Composition,

APPENDIX: Things

^

II

.

be stuoiio

III. .

.

.

.

,

18?

ISl

PREFACE

It

thought, that in prefacing a Manaal of

may perhaps be

Drawing,

I

ought to expatiate on the reasons why drawing

Bhould be learned

;

but those reasons appear to

and so weighty, that

With the

reader's

me

so

many

cannot quickly state or enforce them.

I

permission, as this Tolume

ia

too large

already, I will waive all discussion respectmg the importance

may

of the subject, and touch only on those points which

appeal questionable in the method of In the

book

place, the

first

is

its

treatment.

not calculated for the use of

children under the age of twelve or fourteen. it

do not think

advisable to engage a child in any bat the most voluntary

practice of art.

If

it

allowed to scrawl at for every

has talent for drawing,

what paper

tinually scrawling on

its

own

it

can get

free will,

appearance of care, or truth,

be allowed to amuse it

I

itself

knows

better

:

be con-

and should be

due praise being given in its efforts.

If

it

paper with shapeless stains, the colour-box it

it will

It should

with cheap colours almost as soon as

has sense enough to wish for them.

till

;

but as soon as

it

merely daubs the

may be taken away

begins painting red T

I

PftEFACE.

?ffl

coats on soldiers, striped flags to ships,

command

colours at

;

and

by the way, as any



(generally quite as valu-

in,

by

their

be gently led by the parents to try to draw,

may

be, the things

or butterflies, or flowers, or

^birds,

choice of

its

historical art delighted in

in such- childish fashion as likes,

hate

sliould

historical art, of a military

tendency, which children delight

elders,) it should

it

and, without restraining

sabject in that imaginatiye

able,

etc.,

it

can see and

In later years,

fruit.

the indulgence of using the colour should only be granted as a

has shown care and progress in

reward, after

it

with pencil.

A

limited

number of good and amusing

should always be within a boy's reach illustration

to a it

likes best of this

few

will

prints

in these

the limitation of the

;

If a child has

is

perfected,

and

to

if

;

many

copy

toys,

a boy has many

dawdle and scrawl over them

number of

tales

but should be firmly restricted

get tired of them and break them

them

prints

days of cheap

and should be encouraged

it,

kind

and to a few books.

prints he will merely

in

:

he can hardly possess a volume of nursery

without good woodcuts in

what he

drawings

its

;

it

is

by

his possessions that his pleasure

bis

attention concentrated.

The

parents need give themselves no trouble in instructing him, as far as

drawing

is

concerned, beyond insisting upon economical

and neat habits with best

way

his colours

and paper, showing him the

of holding pencil and rule, and, so far as they take

aotice of his work, pointing out where a line long, or too crooked,

being the

first

and

when

is

too short or too

compared with the copy

last thing

they look

talent for inventing or grouping

for.

figures,

;

accuracy

If the child

shows

the parents should

U

PREFACK. neither check, nor praise or 8ho\\ pleasure in

sure in seeing

what

They may laugh with

it.

has done, just as they show plea-

it

well, or cheerful

it

but they must not praise

;

being clever, any more than they would praise

for

They should

Btout.

praise

it

only for what costs

namely attention and hard work

work put

for vanity's sake,

for being

it self-denial,

make

otherwise they will

and always badly.

The

or fourteen,

it

serious

work

them

and

I

is

the age of twelve

this

have good hope

book it

will, I think,

may be

be useful to persons

so, likewise, to

more advanced age wishing to know something of the

of

it

best books to

quite time enough to set youth or girl to

and then

;

At about

(See Appendix.)

or by Richter.

;

;

it

it

hands are those illustrated by George Crnikshank

its

ii.to

frankly,

it

first

principles of art.

Yet observe, that the method of study recommended

is

nf t

brought forward as absolutely the best, but only as the best

which

I

can at present devise for an isolated student.

very likely that farther experience in teaching to modify I

am

it

It

is

may enable me

with advantage in several important respects; but

sure the main principles of

it

are sound, and most of the

exercises as useful as they can be rendered without a master's

superintendence.

The method

differs,

however, so materially

from that generally adopted by drawing-masters, that a word

two of explanation may be needed to

or

justify

what migh
e

no,

bold.

Mischief

in

the

way a

Nature w not bold nt yovrn'f

So

is

no,

may

hand

its little

!

you to be bold

Bold, in the sense o^

and

being careless,

a thousand times

it

no

{

would be bad advic*

easily be

done quickly, but

generally done slowly; you will find

flower or a bird's wing

nt her work,

ncvcjr

tell

in the sense of

you were not a beginner,

good and beautiful work '

may

the present state of your knowledge.

even

de-

not

the keys, in imitation of the great masters

being ntidaunted, yes

for,

You do

But never mind them.

yet they might, as reasonably as they in

good drawing

all

is

painted; and

do you think you ought

mind what people

joar pencil point very patieutlv; and

if

say, but

tou can

ta

work with trust

me

in

LST.

»n} thing, trust

me when

kinds and ways of art, foi



you, that though there are

I tell

large

work

narrow places, slow work

who

quick work for people

is

who can

for people

cannot,

— there

Coarse art

is

one quality, a'ld

is

You

always bad art

know

You

will find

it

yet

how

me,

it is

true,

so in due time.

it is

be perhaps also troubled,

will



cannot

subtle care, the great painters put

into touches that at first look coarse; but, believe

and you

and

wait,

and good art agrees,

nderstand this at present, because you do not

much tender thought, and

all

work

for large plaRACTtCfe.

6it

l.|

in

these

essays at

first

pencil drawing, by noticing that more delicate gradations are

got

an instant by a chance touch of the India-rubber, than

in

by an hour's labour with the point I tell

you to produce

aud you may wouder why

;

tints so painfully,

which might,

be obtained with ease.

But there are two reasons

that when you come

draw

to

it

:

appears, the

fii*st,

foims, you must be able to gra-

date with absolute precision, in whatever place aud direction

you wish; not and,

in

secondly,

any wise vaguely, as the India-rubber does that

all

mingled with gleams of is

the light of the

foliage,

the

glitter

natural

light.

little

shadows are more or

is

;

in the

of the leaves;

some mingling of

light,

:

lu the darkness of ground there

pebbles or dust

in

the darkness of

darkness of

transparency; in that of a stone, granulation there

it

less

:

in

flesh,

every case

which cannot be representod by

the leaden tone which you get by rubbing, or by an instrument

known

to artists as the "

stump."

When

you can manage the

point properly, you will indeed be able to do this instrument, or with your fingers

retouch the

flat tints

;

nmch

afterwards, so as to put

life

them, and that can only bo done with the point. therefore, courageously, with that only.

a*

also with

but then you will have to

and

light into

Labour on

u

THE EL£M£NTS OF DHAWlNd.

[let

1

EXERCISE V.

When

you can manage to

tint

and gradate tenderly with

the pencil point, get a good large alphabet, aud try to tint the letters into first,

shape with the pencil point.

Do

not outline them

bat measure their height aud extreme breadth with the

Fig. 8.

compasses, as a

J,

a

Fig. 3

c,

,

and then scratch

gradually; the letter A, enclosed within the

in their shapes

lines,

being in what

Turner would have called a "state of forwaiduess."

when you are and ink

satisfied

lines firmly

touches outside the.

with the shape of the

round the

limit, first

with the penknife, so that

all

tint,

letter,

it,

closing

with the India-rubber, and then

may

look clear and right.

the outline are '

ArtisU

miiwioti. pupil'ii

who

My

all

glanco at this book

ijc

riglit iini'H,

•houlil practice

line.

The

If

you

letter, re-

straight lines of

to be ruled,^ bat the curved lines are to be

chief rcofion

eye Hhould

curve and

up to the inked

it

draw pen

as at d, and remove any

rub out any of the pencil inside the outline of the touch

Then,

is,

thut

I

may be think

it

HiirpriM>il

more

triiincd to nccitrato pi-rcoption

by

liiiviii;^

4rawing vtruight

the latter absolutely linvH.

But

ut

this

pcr-

ix'ceiiMury tliat^the

of

tii«i

relations of

true-, tlian tliat

also, I believe, thou^li

I

ho

am

t.BT.

I

ON

J

drawn by the eye and hand practice there

is

in

U

FIRST PRACTICE

and you

;

will

soon find what good

getting the curved letters, such as Bs, Cs,

come

&c., to stand quite straight, and

into accurate form.

All these exercises are very irksome, and they are not to b« persisted in alone

power

in

;

neither

it

is

An

any of them.

necessary to acquire perfec

entire master of the pencil or brush

ought, indeed, to be able to draw any form at once, as Giotto bis circle;

but such

as this

skill

consummate master, having

is

only to be expected of the

pencil iu

hand

all

day long, hence the force of Giotto's proof of

draw very

quite possible to

his

and

life,

and

his skill;

all

it is

beautifully, without attaining even

an approximation to such a power; the main point being, not that every line should be precisely

but that the be right.

If

we always

see rightly

get on, though the hand

wrongly, or is.

Do

mean

may

nothing,

wish,

you would

it

and mean

stagger a

little;

rightly,

but

if

we

shall

we mean

does not matter how firm the hand

torment yourself because you cannot do

not, therefore,

as well as

what we intend or

which we intended or wished to draw should

line

like;

but work patiently, sure that every

square and letter will give you a certain increase of power; and as soon as

you can draw your

amusing exercise

letters pretty well, here

is

a more

for you.

Dot quite sure of this, that he never ought to be able to draw a straight line.

I

do not believe a perfectly trained hand ever can draw a

without some curvature in

Iraw a straight

line,

but

I

A great draughtsman can, \ straight one.

it,

or

some

variety of direction.

line

Prout could

do not believe Raphael could, nor Tintoret. as far as

I

have observed, draw every

h'ne

Airf

8^

THE ELEMENTS OP DRAWING.

EXERCISE

Choose auy

pale wall, or other light ground light, or it

1

VI.

you think pretty, which

tree that

LW.

is

nearly bar*

and which you can see against the sky, or against

f leaves,

must

I

you

be

But the

you

must be

tree

A

or grey, or dull white.

will

a

must not be against strong

it

the looking at

will find

in sunshine, or

the boughs.

:

hurt your eyes

it

be puzzled by the in

shade

;

;

noi

on

liglits

and the sky

wholly grey or rainy day

blue,

is

the

best for this practice.

You ttie

will see that all the

down

boughs of the tree are dark against

Consider them as so

sky. in a

map

many dark

with absolute accuracy

;

thought about the roundness of the stems, flat

shade, scrawling

them

limbs of your letters

in

rivers, to

map them

all

exactly, or as near as your utmost

is

bough

ia

power can bring

Look

in thickness.

estates which you

some important

in

how much your paper

at the white

between them with as much scrupulousness as little

out

then correct and alter them, rubbing

;

dirtied (only not destroying its surface"), until every

and

laid

with pencil, just as you did the

out and out again, never minding

curvature

be

and, without the least

had

to survey,

lawsuit, involving

if

it,

right in

interstices

they were

and draw maps

heavy penalties

if

of, for

you cut

the least bit of a corner off any of them, or gave the hedge

anywhere too deep a

ciirve

whole tree nothing but a

Do

and try continually to fancy the ramification on a white

not take any trouble about the

A confused network or mist '

;

flat

Or,

if

70U

feel able to

do

;

to^

little

ground

twigs, which look like

leave them all out,' drawing only

cntch them

in with confused quick

(oochen, indicating the general shape of the cloud or mist of twigiit

do not take much trouble about thcnu

LKl.

ON FIRST PRACTIC8.

1.

the main branches as far as

SI

you can see them

distinctly, youi

object at present being not to draw a tree, but to learn how

do

When

so.

can

—and

tc

you have got the thing as nearly right as you

make one good study than twenty

better to

it is

unnecessarily inaccurate to all the boughs, as



left

take your pen, and put a fine outline

you did to your

taking care, as far

letter,

as possible, to put the outline within the edge of the shade, so

make

as not to

line is to affirm

the boughs thicker

:

the main use of the out-

the whole more clearly

;

do away with

to

accidental roughnesses and excrescences, and especially to

where boughs

cross, or

come

in front of

each other, as at such

points their arrangement in this kind of sketch

without the outline.

Nature but

it

outline

may

perfectly well

should be less

like

is

is

is

unintelligible

happen that

in

make

it;

distinct than your outline

better in this kind of sketch to

it is

The temptation

and

It

little

mark

mark the

will

facts clearly.

always to be slovenly and careless, and the

a bridle, and forces our indolence into attention

The

precision.

outline should be about the thickness of

Fig. 4, which represents the ramification of a small

that in

stone pine, only I have not endeavoured to represent the pencil

shading within the outline, as

woodcut

;

I

could not easily express

indication of

the foliage above,

You may

draw your

as

you

lin"5

also

like

;

only,

as delicate,

I'uter

it in

a

and you have nothing to do at present with the

trees as

of which

much

in

however large they may

and draw the branches

another place.

larger than this figure be,

keep the oa^

enough into

far

their

sprays to give quite as slender ramification as you have

tn this

figure,

otherwise you do not get good enough practice

cut of them.

You cannot do will

give you

too

many

studies of this kind

some new notion about

tired of -ree boughs, take

trees

:

:

every one

but when you are

any forms whatever whiih are drawo

38

-^

THfi ELfiMEJWS

in flat colour, one

upon another

Kg.

6P CItAWIifG.

;

I.

as patterns on any kind of

4.

cloth, or flat china (tiles, for instance),

only

[lET.

executed in two colours

and practise drawing them of the right shape and size

;

by the

and

eye,

filling

them

in

with

shade of the depth

required.

In doing

this,

you

will first

have to meet the

representing depth of colour by depth of shade. tern

of ultramarine

darker

tint of

And now

blue will have

of

Thus a pat-

to be represented

by a

grey than a pattern of yellow.

it

is

both time for you to

mechanical use of the in

difficulty

l)nish,

l)egin

and necessary

for

to learn

the

you to do so

order to provide yourself with the gradated scale of colour

which you

will

want.

ed with any ordinarily

If

you can, by any

skilful

misans,

get

n('(|naint-

water-colour painter, and prevail

LfiT.

ON flKSf

1,1

on liim to show you lueaus dc so

how

W

PHACTICi:.

to lay

on

a ornsh, by

tints with

not that you are yet, nor for a long while yet,

;

to begin to colour, but because the brush

is

often

venient than the pencil for laying on masses or

and the sooner you know how to manage the better.

it

more

is

laid

as an instrumen

on by a workman of any kind, the

following directions will help you

:

EXERCISE

VII.

Dip the end of

a shilling cake of Prussian blue.

water so as to take up a drop, aud rub

it

in

till

tliick,

Put two teaspoonfuls of water to the colour

and oily-looking.

you have rubbed down, and mix

it

well

up with

a camel's-hair

about three quarters of an inch long.

Then take or

it

in a white saucer

you cannot rub much more, and the colour gets dark,

brusli

con-

tints of shade,

however, you have no opportunity of seeing

If,

how water-colour

Get

all

a piece of smooth, but not glossy, Bristol board

pasteboard

divide

;

it,

with your pencil and

into

rule,

squares as large as those of the very largest chess-board

they

:

need not be perfect squares, only as nearly so as you can quickly guess.

much

Rest the pasteboard on something sloping as

desk

as an ordinary

;

then, dipping your brush into the

colour you have mixed, and taking up as it

will carry,

of the liquid as

begin at the top of one of the squares, and lay a

pond or runlet

another, but as

this

pond

faster at one place

than

of colour along the top edge.

of colour gradually

ing, all

much

if

downwards, not

Lead

you were adding a row of bricks to

along (only building

down

brush frequently so as to keep the colour as in as great quantity

a build-

instead of up), dipping the full in that,

and

on the paper, as you can, so only that

it

TAB KLEMSNTS OF ORAWlKQ.

lO

down anywhere

does not run

mind

should, never

baye covered

;

all

it

a

in

in.

When

if

t

it

you

till

yoa get to the bottom, the

dry your brush on

;

But

stream.

little

go on quietly with your square

Have ready a

colour will lodge there in a great wave.

of blotting-paper

[lET.

piece

and with the drj

it,

brush take up the superfluous colour as you would with a gponge,

looks even.

till it all

In leading the colour down, you will find your brush continually

within

go over the edge of the square, or leave

Do

it.

care about them

smoothly where patches

;

the great thing

;

it

The

not in alternate blots and pale

reaches,

use of the exercise

to strike the colour

the

first

thing

is

up to the

to get

the edge comes only artists rarely

When

it

your

is,

all

square as fast as

limit as

you are able to

indeed, to er.able you finally

limit with perfect accuracy

;

but

even, the power of rightly striking

by time and practice

;

even the greatest

can do this quite perfectly.

yoa have done one square, proceed to do another

which does not communicate with done

much

to get the colour to He

is

try, therefore, to lead it over the

possible, with such attention to

give.

gaps

little

not endeavour to retouch these, nor take

When

it.

you have thus

the alternate squares, as on a chess-board, turn the

pasteboard upside down, begin again with the

mother coat over

it,

and so on over

of turning the paper upside

down

is

all

and put

first,

The

the others.

use

to neutralise the increase

of darkness towards the bottom of the squares, which woulo otherwise take place from the ponding of the colour.

Be

resolved to use blotting-paper, or a piece of rag, instead

of your

lips,

to dry the

brush.

acquired, will save you from

The habit

much

of doing so, once

partial poisoning.

eare, however, always to

draw the brush from root

otberwise yoa will spoil

it.

You may

even wipe

Take

to point it

as yor

LET.

ON FIKST PRACTICB

I.]

would a pen when you want provided you do not crush

and cherish

first,

many bad

When

it

;

Get a good brush

upwards.

at

serve you lougei aud better than

it will

ones.

you have done the squares

When

proportions,

a drop

very dry, without doing harm,

it

it

third time, always trying to ble.

4)

your colour

over again, do them •

all

keep your edges as neat as exhausted, mix more

is

two teaspoonfuls

much

to as

in

posei'

the same

as you can grind with

and when you have done the alternate squares three

;

times over, as the paper will be getting very damp, and dry

more the

same

will

The amount

same way.

tint in the

which then

line

and bring them up

slowly, begin on the white squares,

mark

to

of jagged dark

the limits of the squares will be tht

exact measure of your unskilfulness.

As soon passes)

aud

cles,

line

;

as you tire of

squares draw circles (with com-

aud then draw straight fill

lines irregularly across cir-

up the spaces so produced between the straight

aud the circumference

and then draw any simple shapes

;

of leaves, according to the exercise No. until

and

2.,

you can lay on colour quite evenly

in

fill

up those,

any shape you

want.

You

will find in the course of this practice, as

you cannot

always put exactly the same quantity of water to the colour, Ihat the darker the colour lay

on evenly.

it

full

brush, and a dark

^^oats

one over another

tint, ;

much

line at

of

it

is

how apt

fill

the coloui'

it

is

dries.

forms required with

in the

always taking care that the ;

and

A

little

to do this,

tint,

that, after being laid on,

absorbed as to prevent

the edge as

becomes to

at once, instead of laying several

however dark, be quite liquid BO

difficult it

when you have gained some

degree of power, try to

defiuiie

e

the more

is,

Therefore,

its

forming a black

experience will teach you

aud how

to prevent

it

;

not

42

THE ELEMENTS OF DRAWING,

that

[LET.

1

needs always to be prevented, for a great master

it

Water-colours will sometimes dra^v a firm outiiue,

by letting the colour dry

one, simply

in this

in

when he wa7Ui

way

attlie edge.

Wlien, however, you begin to cover complicated forms

witli

the darker colour, no rapidity will prevent the tint from drying \fregularly as

it

is

find the following

and it is

liqaid

led

method

Lead

precise in form, keeping

when it

it

it

up

you can only

to the outlines already determined, ;

and make

It will

then

and pure as a single dash, yet defining

all

lead

it r.p

with the brush

it

and

ot

spread gra-

may now

and play

let it dry,

it

Then,

darker colour, and lay some

dually in a branchy kind of way, and you

place well

just see where

thoroughly wet everywhere.

middle of the liquid colour.

till it fills its

then

will

the colour very pale

in

to all the outlines,

in shape, take the

it is all

into the

Lay

useful.

so pale, indeed, that

;

on the paper.

You

on from part to part.

it will

be as

flat

the complicated

forms accurately.

Having thus obtained the power 6at

of laying on a tolerably

you must try to lay on a gradated one.

tint,

colour with three or four teaspoonfuls of water is

away about

mixed, pour

peocii lines all the

it,

keeping a

way down,

the top of your paper, between the lines first

brushful of colour, and led

your brush deep quickly with as

oue dip

down. lead

:

in

the

tea-

;

it

Begin at

and having struck

down a

little,

dip

water, and mix up the colour on the plate

much more water

then, with

Dip

down

in

it

leaving a space between

them of the width of a square on your chess-board.

ou the

when

Sloping your paper as before, draw

spoonful of pale colour.

two

two-thirds of

;

Prepare the then,

tliiu

as the brush takes up at that

paler colour, lead the tint farther

water again, mix the colour again, and thus tint,

always dipping

replenishiug of the brush,

and

in

water once between each

stirring the color

ou the plat«

ON

LET.

l]

well,

bat as quickly as you eau.

43

FIRST PRACTICE.

Go on

become so pale that you cauuot see

it

;

thoroughly in water, and carry the wave with that, and then absorb

until the colour has

tbeu wash your bnwjh

down a

little

further

with the dry brush, and leave

it

it

U) dry. If

you get to the bottom of your paper before your colour

gets pale, you

may

either take longer paper, or begin, with the

was when you

tint as it

to exhaust

it

left

on another sheet

oflf,

recommence at the top with another and go down

When

to pure whiteness at last.

in the

and so continually

but be sure quitf dry,

similar mixture of colour,

Then

same way.

;

all is

again,

and then again,

until the colour at the top of the

paper

is

a&

dark as your cake of Prussiau blue, and passes down into pure white paper at the end of your column, with a perfectly smooth

gradation from one into the other.

You

will find at first that the

instead of evenly gradated

;

have taken up more water

in

mixed

it

this

because at some places you

your brush than at others, or not

thoroughly on the plate, or led one tint too far before

it

Practice only will enable you to

replenishing with the next.

do

paper gets mottled or wavy,

this is

well

;

the best artists cannot always get gradations ol

kind quite to their minds

nor do they ever leave them on

;

their pictures without after touching.

As you get more power, and can

strike

the colour mere

quickly down, you will be able to gradate in less compass

;

beginning with a small quantity of colour, and adding a drop of wate;

,

instead of a brushful

uay gradate to a

'

It is

more

less scale.

diflii-ult,

than an extended one



make tbe gradation go

at

first,

;

with finer brushes, also, you

But

to get, in

but tbe ultimate far.

slight skill will enable

colour, a

diflSculty

is,

narrow

you

gradatioii

as with the pea,

u

THE ELEMENTS OF DRAWING.

44 to test

tlie

relations of colour to shade as far as

your immediate progress, which

Take cakes of

is

necessary

is

to be done thus

gamboge, of

lake, of

and vermilion

cobalt,

fLET.

I

foi

:

sepia, of blue-black, of

and prepare gradated columns ^exactly

;

you have done with the Prussian blue) of the lake and blue

as

Cut a narrow

black.'

and

colour,

slip, all

the

set the three slips side

way down, by

side

and rule lines at equal distances across divide

them

into fifty degrees,

from light to dark,

1, 2, 3,

;

of each gradated

fasten

them down,

all the three, so as to

and number the degrees

&c.

If

f each,

you have gradated them

rightly, the darkest part either of the red or blue will be nearly

equal in power to the darkest part of the blue-black, and any will also, accurately

enough

degree of the black

slip

purpose, balance

weight the degree similarly numbered

in

the red or the blue jects of

slip.

for our

Then, when you are drawing from ob-

a crimson or blue colour,

you can match

if

colour by any compartment of the crimson or blue scales, the

grey

in

the compartment of the grey

with the same number

in

is

in

their

your

marked

scale

the grey which must represent that

crimson or blue in your light and shade drawing.

Next, prepare scales with gamboge, cobalt, and vermilion

You

will find that

point

and

;'

for yellow

scarlet,

you cannot darken these beyond a certaib

and

scarlet, so

long as they remain yellow

cannot approach to black

perly speaking, a dark

we cannot

yellow or dark scarlet.

icales of full yellow, blue,

then gradually to white.

;

and

scarlet, half-way

Of counw,

The

all

degrci".

Make your

down

;

passing

Afterwards use lake to darken the

upper half of the vermilion and gamboge



have, pro-

;

and Prussian blue

the colnninii of colour are to be of C(iual length.

of darknew you can

reach with tho given colour

tlwayt indicated by the colour of the loUd cake

in the

box.

It

ON FIRST PRACTICK.

LET. I.]

You

darken the cobalt.

to

will thus

46

have three more

scalei\

passing from white nearly to black, through yellow and orange,

through sky-blue, and through

By mixing

scarlet.

the

gam

boge and Prussian blue you may make another with greea mixing the cobalt and lake, another with violet alone will

many

as

make a

scales as

brown one; and

forcible

you

like,

the sepia

;

so on, until

you have

passing from black to white through

Then, supposing your scales properly grar

different colours.

dated and equally divided, the compartment or degree No. of the grey will represent in chiaroscuro the No.

other colours

and so

;

No.

2.

of

1.

all

of grey the No. 2. of the other colours,

on.

,

It is only necessary,

however, in this matter that you shoulo

understand the principle

you to gradate your

;

for

it

would never be jwssible

scales so truly as to

accurate and serviceable; and even

about ten thousand

scales,

if

make them

sure the tints on so

much

practically

and were able to change them in

faster

a day mea-

as one side of a frost-bitten apple

but when once you fully understand the principle, and see colours contain as

power of dark

how

relief

this pitch or

it

for

you could, unless you had

than ever juggler changed cards, you could not

all

1.

the

:

how

were a certain quantity of darkness, or

from white

—some

more, some

less

;

and

power of each may be represented by equiva-

lent values of grey,

you

will

soon be able to arrive shrewdly at

an approximation by a glance of the eye, without any measuring scale at

all.

You must now go

on, again with the pen.

»nd any shapes of shade that you think

drawing patterns,

pretty, as veinings in

maible, or tortoiseshell, spots in surfaces of

shells, &c., as

ten

derly as you can, in the darknesses that correspond to their

colours

;

and when you

time to begin rounding.

find

you can do

this successfully, it

ii

46

THE ELEMENTS OF DRAWING.

EXERCISE

Go dark

and the smoother

;

Draw your will

is

larger),

about the

else the

a

size of

not very white, nor very it

must not

and put the

in Fig. 5. (it

stone,

shine

which

1

had better not be

only ordinary light

does not come in in the

may come from your

not

let

the sun

be

will

it

the sun

you can shut the shutters of the other

If

at.

room

on the stone, but

fall

window which

therefore choose a

:

left.

pencil point interferes with your sight

You must

of your work.

the better

all

;

but this

is

not

much consequence.

Now,

if

you can draw that

oean, anything that instance) cannot be

or less suggested

;

For

all

drawn at

but

if

If

Many

all,

may be

made up

rightly, every

also within yours.

;

if

you cannot do

all

tliat,

able to do will be of any use.

of roundnesses

;

leaves are rounded,

stonc^s

human work, which

is

For Nature

Boughs are rounded,

that

:

there

is

vacancy.

is Id it,

more or

flatness in the natural world than there is all

is

are rounded, clouds are roumled,

checks arc rounded, and curls are rounded

round, and so

the rest

nothing else

not the ronndncss of perfect

globes, bat of variously curved surfaces.

Itself is

1

only the idea of them more

you can draw the stone is

:

things (sea foam, for

you can once do that,

easy and straightforward

all

you can draw anything

drawing depends, primarily, on your power of repre

senting Roundness.

that you

stone,

drawable.

is

thing within reach of art

is

find,

the better, only

Sit so that the light

shadow of the

windows

it is

on a piece of not very white paper, on the table

in front of you.

of

VIII.

table near the window,

suppose

much

1

out into your garden, or into the road, and pick np the

round or oval stone you can

first

LKT.

j

oftcD very flat indeed.

is

no more

The world less,

excopt

LET.

ON

I.J

FIRST PRACTICE.

47

Therefore, set yourself steadily to conquer that round stone,

and you have won the

battle.

Look your stone antagonist boldly that

the side of

it

next the window

in the face. is

lighter than

You

will see

most of the

48

THE ELEMENTS OF DRAWING.

paper

that

;

side of

th'»,

than the paper

;

dually, while a

shadow

itself

by the stone

more or

Now

is

more

I.

darkei

is

light passes into the dark gra-

thrown to the right on the paper

the general appearance of things being

:

less as in a, Fig. 5.,

of which

from the window

farlliest

it

and that the

[lBT.

the spots on the stone excepted

presently.

remember always what was stated

every thing you can see in Nature

lighter or darker than the things about

colour from tbem.

It

;

it,

it is

or of a different

either seen as a patch of one colour

is

on a ground of another

in the outset, thaf

seen only so far as

is

or as a pale thing relieved from a

And

dark thing, or a dark thing from a pale thing.

if

you can

put on patches of colour or shade of exactly the same

size,

shape, and gradations as those on the obj(^ct and

its

ground,

appearance of the object and

its

ground.

produce

you

will

The

best draughtsmen

tlie



Titian and Paul Veronese themselves

could do nc more than this

some power of doing

in

it

;

and you

an

will

way,

inferior

stand the exceeding simplicity of what

is

soon be able to get if

you once under-

to be done.

Suppose

you have a brown book on a white sheet of paper, on a red

You have nothing

tablecloth. red, white,

and brown,

dark to light

in

the

in the

do but to put on spaces of

to

same shape, and gradated from

same degrees, and your drawing

not look at what you sec,

if

brighter or duller colours than are there,

if

If

you

will

m with rous "

or to produce anything,

and

Nature

yourself up for her master.

to obey

done

is

put on

try to put

them

her,

in

fact,

but the plain, un-

finished trantiuillity of the thing before you,

need not hope to get on.

wt

you

try to

a dash or a blot, or to cover your paper with " vigo-

lines,

affected,

you

and you

tboD you think-

will

find

will

show you nothing

But forget

yourself,

you

if

you

and

try

obedience c»si^r and happier

Lie*,

riRsT pftActicft.

6ii

i.j

real difficulties are to get the rtjinemmt of the forms

The

You may depend upon

the tvenims of the gradations.

you are

wrong,

your work,

dissatisfied with

too uneven.

any

in

may

It

enough

true

not be wrong

and you

Do

and

outline;

is

its

finely

always too coarse or probability

in all

But

not

shades are in blotches, or

Get

it

more tender and more

your drawing must be weak because Till

you can draw

draw with nothing; when you can draw with

you can draw with a log of wood charred at the end.

that,

True boldness and power are only to be gained by fencing and dancing,

in

is

edges are not

its

pointed pen in your hand.

with that, you can

and

when

it,

more powerful.

will find it is

not, therefore, think

you have a

it



(so-called) great point. in

Bcratches, or full of white holes. true,

4ft

precision in the

all

Even

care.

ultimate ease depends on early

commencement; much more

in singing or

draw-

ing.

Now,

I

do not want you to copy Fig.

stone before you in the end,

but to copy the

5.,

Fig. 5.

To which

done.

is

measure the extreme length of the stone with com-

first

passes,

way that

and mark that length on your paper; then, between the

points marked, leave something like the form of the stone in light,

You till

scrawling the paper

cannot

you

riglitly see

begi.i finishing, so sketch

much room

for

then more cautiously

fill

and putting

in

leave too

ally up,

X'c'u ne'.'d till

over,

all

round

it,

as at

what the form of the stone it

h,

Fig.

really

5. is

in quite rudely; only rather

the high light, than too

little

:

and

in the shade, shutting the light gradu-

the dark cautiously on the dark

side.

not plague yourself about accuracy of shape, because,

you have practised a great

draw that shape rectness by

deal,

quite truly, and you

it is

impossible for you to

must gradually gain

means of these various exercises

mainly to do at present

is,

:

cor-

what you have

to get the stone to look solid and

a

50

THE ELEMENTS OF DRAWING.

rouud, not it

its

exact coutcur

is

as nearly right as yon can without vexation;

^et if

much minding what

ftftt

it

more right by thus feeling your

you

tried to

outline;

see

is

outline at

to imitate as nearly as

ai e

to

—only draw

and yon

For you can

first.

will

shade, than

it in

ac

set

only a certain space of gradated shade,

other such spaces about

Arith

till

draw the

what you

way

i

it;

and those pieces of shade yea

you can, by scrawling the paper over

you get them to the right shape, with the same gradations

which they have be done well,

if

And

Nature.

in

you have to

confusion in the sketch, than

For

outline. efiTect

instance, I

touches, I thought I

fight if

had begun

it it,

served that nothing less modify,

:

was going

if

I

likely to

your way through a

little

to draw, beside a, another its

dark side out

but when I had laid on the

would be better to

stop,

and

In which beginning

first

b.

is

so determined but that I can

it will

and add to or diminish the contour as outline being

I

few

you

let

at

the lines which suggest the

others

more

you have an accurately traced

on the stone; reflected light bringing

from the background

how

this is really

see

be ob-

more

work

or

on,

blended with the

do not want them; and the having to

fill

up the

yacancics and conquer the irregularities of such a sketch, will

probably secure a higher completion at

hoar had been spent In doing dark.

this,

in

last,

than

if

half an

getting a true outline before beginning

however, take care not to get the drawing too

In order to ascertain what the shades of

it

really are,

tut a round hole, about half the size of a pea, in a piece o!

white paper, the colour of that you use to draw on. hit of paper,

with the hole

in

it,

different |>ottion3 of the stone (or

You

to see th«

other subject) ihrough the

will find that, thus, the circular hole looks like

of the patches of colour

thi«

between you and your stone,

aud pass the paper backwards and forwards, so as

hole.

Hold

yo3 have been accustomed

om

to match,

LET.

Ok FIRST

1,

only changing seen through

as

iu deplli

You

it.

PllACTlCB

it lets

difierent piu;es of the stoLc be

be able thus actually to matek the

will

colour of the stone, at any part of

but that

blacl:,

by tiutiug the paper

it,

And you

beside the circular opening. ing never looks quite

51

will find that this

all

open

the rouudings of the

stone are given by subdued greys.'

You

will

probably

of the paper

that the

little circle

When

spot.

find, also, that,

some parts of the

on, look luminous

it lies

then

tells

as a light spot instead of a dark

you cannot imitate

this is so,

it,

for

paper

light brighter than white

means of getting

stone, or

through the opening, so

:

you have no but by hold-

ing the pa))er more sloped towards the light, you will find that

many

parts of the stone, which before looked light through the

hole, thcu look

dark through

it;

aud

if

you can place

tlio

paper

such a position that every part of the stone looks slightly

in

dark, the

little

your drawing

hole will

put

is

every gradation. cumstances,

through If

light

how

tell

same

in the

You

always as a spot of shade, and light, you can imitate or

be amazed to

will

find,

il

match

under these

cir-

slight the differences of tint are, by which,

infinite delicacy of

gradation, Nature can express form.

any part of yom* subject

will obstinately siiow

itself as a

through the hole, that part you need not hope to imitate

Leave

it

When

white,

you can do no more.

you have done the best you can to get the general

form, proceed to finish,

by imitating the texture and

all

the

cracks and stains of the stone as closely as you can ; and note, y

increoaing difflculty of mbjoct, not b«

You

61

OK FIRST PRACTICE.

LET. I,]

will probably, in spite of

your pattern drawings, be at

all

puzzled by leaf foreshorten-

first

ing

especially because the look

;

of retirement or

projection de-

pends not so much on the perspective of the leaves themselves

as on

two

double sight of the

the

eyes.

Now

there are certain

by which good painters

artifices

can partly conquer this

difficulty;

as slight exaggerations of force or colour in the nearer parts,

and

of obscurity in the more distant

ones

;

but you must not attempt

When you

anything of this kind. are

sketching the

first

one of your eyes,

shut

fix

leaves,

a point

the background, to bring the

in

point of one of the leaves against, Pig.e.

and so sketch the whole bough

you

as

made

it

in

a fixed position,

as

you see that object with

one

looking with

Your drawing never can be made

only. itself,

see

eye

to look like the object

both eyes,' but

perfectly like the object seen with one,

it

can be

and you must be

content when you have got a resemblance on these terms. •

In order to get clearly at the notion of the thing to be done,

take a single long '

why

If ;

leaf,

hold

it

with

its

point towards you, and

you understand the principle of the stereoscope you if

ment, as of time.

not, I

it

does not matter

;

trust

me

will

know

for the truth of the state-

cannot explain the principle without diagrams and .much

k)sa

THE ELEMENTS OF DRAWING.

68 as flat as

you can, so as to see nothing of

you wanted

if

slope

it

three or four

extremes, with ;vill

its ribs

how

soon find out

Draw ters

;

pieces of

most

;

you, and watch

different

it

as it length

before you.

between these

as they appear in each position, and yoa it

must

be.

practise, in this way,

bough and

Then

it so.

down

positions

I

its thinness, as

outline

only two or three of the leaves

first

and

but

it

length, held perpendicularly

its full

in

it

was

thin it

down gradually towards

ens out to

Draw

know how

to

[lET.

leafage,

till

then larger

;

clus-

more and more complicated you

find

you can master the

arrangements, not consisting of more than ten or

difficult

You

twelve leaves.

find as

will

you do

this,

if

you have an

opportunity of visiting any gallery of pictures, that you take a

much more masters

;

will see that

are composed of fully

than before in the work of the great

lively interest

you

very often their best backgrounds

more than a few sprays of

little

brought against

studied,

the

distant

leafage, care-

sky

;

and

that

another wreath or two form the chief interest of their foregrounds.

If

you

live

in

London you may

accu/ratdy by the degree of admiration

you

test

your progress

feel for

the leaves

of vine round the head of the Bacchus, in Titian's Bacchus and

Ariadne.

mass

All this, however, will not enable you to

Yoa

of foliage.

vegetation, that

it is

yoa can by any

The mass

is

will find,

on looking at any rich piece of

only one or two of the nearer clusters that

possibility

draw

in

this

Yoa must now

therefore

have recourse to some confused

execution, capable of expressing

Nature.

And,

i>f

complete manner.

too vast, and too intricate, to be thus dealt with.

mode of

i)f

draw a

first,

that confusion

is.

the

confusion

of

you must understand what the character If

you look carefully at the outer sprays

any tree at twenty or

thirty yards' distance,

(oom defined against the sky

in

you

masses, which, at

will

first,

see

look

LET,

ON

I.]

quite definite

;

but

if

you examine them, you

many

with the real shapes of leaves,

some of them,

69

first" PRACTICE.

stalks of leaves,

;

for,

supposing the real leaf shape to be

when removed some yards from

this,

i;

against the sky, as at

which

are,

and some, leaves seen with the

edge turned towards you, and coming into sight

way

mingled

will see,

indistinct lines,

then,

in

a broken

as at a, Fig. t.,

the eye, will appear dark

when removed some yards

b

Fig.T.

farther

still,

the stalk and point disappear altogether, the mid-

dle of the leaf is

becomes

the condition at

of

it,

the

c,

little

more than a

line

;

and the

and point of

inexpressible in the woodcut, that the stalk

leaf,

though they have disappeared to the

eye,

some

influence in c/iecking the light at the places

exist,

and cause a

which remains

result

only with this farther subtlety in the look

slight

visible, so

ha*e yet

where they

dimness about the part of the leaf that

its

perfect effect could only be

rendered by two layers of colour, one subduing the sky tone a little,

the next drawing the brok in portions of the

leaf,

as at

and carefully indicating the greater darkness of the spot middle, where the under side of the leaf

This

is

j

in the

is.

the perfect theory of the matter.

not reach such accuracy

c,

In practice

we

can-

but we shall be able to render tb©

THE ELEMENTS OF DRAWING.

10

[let.

general look of the foliage satisfactorily by the following

I,

mode

of practice.

Gather a spray of any long. it

Fix

steadily

you are behind

it

put

;

it

it,

anything that

Then draw very

and then

mass and stalk of

it

against the paper

Fig. 8.

Do

in

will

support

:

filling

carefully, first

them up with

in simple black profile, as is

placing

ink, every leaf

you see them

a bough of Phillyrea so drawn.

not be afraid of running the leaves into a black mass

they come together

if

Put a sheet of not very white paper

as usual. pencil,

about a foot or eighteen inches

about eight feet away from you, or ten

far-sighted.

them with

tree,

by the stem

firmly

;

this exercise is only to teach

the actual shapes of such masses are

when seen

when

you what

against the sky.

FlK. 8.

Make two

bough of every

carofal Btndios of this kind of one

commoa trco—oak,

ash, elm, birch, beech &c.

;

in

fact, if

yoq

LET.

ON FIRST PRACTICE.

I.]

are good, and industrioiis, you will fully at least three times

tl

make one such study

a week, until you have examples of

every sort of tree and shrub you can get branches

make two

are to

care-

You

of.

studies of each bough, for this reason



all

masses of foliage have an upper and under surface, and the side

view of them, or

tion of branches

profile,

shows a wholly

from that seen

different organisa-

They

the view from above.

in

are generally seen more or less in profile, as you look at the

whole file

tree,

and Nature pute^her best composition

not unfrequently, also, and

draw

The

it

if

into the pro-

But the view from above or below occurs

arrangement.

it

is

quite necessary you should

you wish to understand the anatomy of the

difference

between the two views

is

tree.

often far greater than

£ a

6 Fig. 9.

you could

easily conceive.

upper view, and h the Fig. 8.

is

For

profile,

instance, in Fig.

9.,

a

is

the

of a single spray of Phillyrea.

an intermediate view of a larger bough

;

seen from

beneath, but at some lateral distance also.

When

you have done a few branches

one of the drawings, and put then a yard and a

half,

it

first

in this

manner, take

a yard away from you,

then two yards

;

observe

how

the thin-

ner stalks and leaves gradually disappear, leaving only a vague

and

slight darkness

where they were, and make another study

of the effect at each distance, taking car^ to

draw nothing

72

TUK ELEilENTS OF DKAWING.

more than you

[

LET.

1

really see, fof iu this dousists all the difference

between what would be merely a miniature drawing of the leaves Been near, and a full-size drawing of the same leaves at a

By

tance.

appear of

full

size, I

mean

their outline

if

the size which they would really

were traced through a pane of glass

mean

to

full size

of

held at the same distance from the eye at which you

hold your drawing.

dis-

You can always

ascertain this

any object by holding your paper upright before you, at the distance from your eye at which you wish your drawing to be

Bring

seen.

mark upon crosses,

always

its

or goes find

edge across the object you have to draw, and

edge the points where the outline of the object

this

behind,

You

edge of the paper.

the

When you have made a few careful

experiments of

this

your own drawings, (which are better for practice, at

and does not shake, and

lustre

on the leaves,) you

trees, only not

may

some

try the extremities of the real

And

in

80 that no tree extremity, stand

Inu:

yv\i

at least the

were, eats them

is

once succeed

truly in

still,

away

nor any other

drawn by a photo-

drawing a few sprays

much more

lovely

and

interest-

than any phGtogra})h can be.

All this the

if

wili Sr.d the result

it

ever so

it

form coming ag&in6t bright sky,

and

;

a photograph extends much

within the edges of the leaves, and, as

you

this brightness

loss of the outline itself

chemical action of the light

;

than quite

doing much at a time, for the brightness of the

causes, I believe,

graph

is

not confused by sparkles of

is

sky will dazzle and perplex your sight.

rightly,

kind on

first,

the real trees, because the black profile in the drawing stable,

will

thus measured, smaller than you supposed.

it,

diflQoiir.y,

however, attaches to the rendering merely*

dark form of the sprays as they come against the sky

Within those spniys, and

in

the heart of the tree, there

yomplexity of a much more embarrassing kind

|

for nearly

is

ti

al.

(.tit.

OU

t.J

leaves have

some

lustre,

aud

all

through them)

light

(Jetting

tJ

FiitSt t>RA(3TICE.

besides the intricacies of

its

are more or less traDsIuceut therefore,

;

in

ony given leaf

own proper shadows and

foreshort-

enings, there are three series of circumstances which alter or jiide

forms.

its

often very forcibly. Lurface,

shadows cast on

First,

it

by other leaves

Secondly, light reQected from

its

lustrou

sometimes the blue of the sky, sometimes the white of Thirdly, forms aud

flouds, or the sun itself flashing like a star.

shad'>ws of other leaves, seen as darknesses through the translucent ]>arts of the leaf

a most important element of foliage

;

bnt wholly neglected by landscape artists

effect,

The consequence

of all this

is,

that except

clmnce, the form of a complete leaf vellous

and quaint confusion, very

in general.

now and then by

never seen

is

definite,

;

but a mar-

indeed, in

evi-

its

dence of direction of growth, and unity of action, but wholly

and inextricable, part by

indefinable

You cannot

patience.

possibly

work

part,

it

you took a twelvemonth's time to a tree fore try to discover

by

less imitate,

its

by any amount of

out in fac simile, thi)ugh ;

and you must

some mode of execution which

own

I

have led you to

form only, because

part or parts of ii'bich

exnross

h

it

exists

thing to be proved

of drapery,

is

tree

is

clearest.

which does not involve

in soThe

this inimitableness, this

completely.

or

detail.

by observation of

mystery of quantity,

needs peculiarity of handling and trick

foam, so

terities

it

this conclusion

in that the

But no natural object

there-

more

variety and mystery, the variety and

mystery of Nature, without absolute delineation of

Now

will

of touch

to

If leaves are intricate, so is moss, so

rock cleavage, so are fur and hair, and texture

and of clonds.

And although

of handling are wliolly useless'

first

the thorough knowledge

that

if

you cannot draw

a

of the

branch 4

if

uK'thods and dex-

you have not gained

form of the thing

perfectly,

thou

much

;

so less

THE ELEMENTS OF DRAWING.

74

a

tree

and

;

uot a wreath of mist perfectly,

if

flock of clouds less

and

;

a grass bank

sive form,

work

LLE^

less a

much

not a single grass blade perfectly,

if

yet having once got this power over deci-

;

you may

much

1

safely

— carry out your

— and

must, in order to perfection of

knowledge by every aid of method and

dexterity of hand.

But, in order to find out what method can do, you must

now

look at Art as well as at Nature, and see what means painters and

engravers have actually employed for the expression of these subtleties.

Whereupon

arises the question,

you to obtain engravings

You

?

what opportunity have

ought,

if it

is

at

all in

your

power, to possess yourself of a certain number of good examples of Turner's engraved works

:

if

this

be rot

in

your power, you

must just make the best use you can of the shop windows, or of any plates of which you can obtain a loan.

them to better doing

so,

use.

Very

possibly,

them may stimulate you

the diflBculty of getting sight of

to put

But, supposing your means admit of your

possess yourself,

first,

of the illustrated edition either

of Rogers's Italy or Rogers's Poems, and then of about a dozen

named

of the plates indicate

engraving.'

'

If

in the

annexed

lists.

The

prefixed letters

the particular points deserving your study in

Be

you can, get

sure, therefore, that

first

tbo plates

each

your selection includes, a

marked with a

star.

The

letters

moaa

ai follows:

stands for architecture, inchiding distant grouping 6f towna, cottagoa,

kc e clouds, includiug mist

and

auriul cffoots.

/ foliage.

ground, including low

/ '

hills,

when not rooky.

ffffcts of light.

n

ntountains, or bold rocicy ground.

p powvr of general arrangement and

effect.

Lkf.

all

ON

i.J

U

FIRST PRKCnCt.

events, one plate luaiked with each letter

plates

marked with two or three

the best.

Do

not

p:et

— of course

letters are, for the

more than twelve of these

most

tho

part,

plates, noi

I ]uiet water. t

runuing or rough water; or rivers, even flow

is

From a

ef r.

if

calm,

beautifully marked.

Arundel.

the

England

Series.

when

their

Hue

ui

t6

OF DRAWING.

fHfi feLEiiENtS

even

twelve at

the

all

[htf.

For the more engravings yon

first.

have, the less attention you will pay to them.

the

that

truth,

1

enjoyment

It

from

derivable

a genera]

is

art

cannot

be

increased in quantity, beyond a certain point, by quantity o^ possession

;

is

it

only spread, as

were, over a larger surfa>.c^

it

and very often dulled by finding ideas repeated

Now

works.

for

a beginner,

always better that

it is

two good

tion should be concentrated or one or

different

in

his atten-

things,

and

all

enjoyment founded on them, than that he should look at

his

He

many, with divided thoughts, his best

way

of discovering

and watch them

It

seem to know everything, never rightly.

Beware

come

;

reality

in

:

know anything

are, in general,

and they

will

more

for

you to look at

be of more use to you when

to talk of composition, than they are at present

;

we

still, it

do you a great deal of good, sometimes to try how far you

eau get their delicate texture, or gradations of tone

F^om

p

men who

the

of hand-book knowledge.

These engravings than to copy

and

;

one of the worst errors of

is

age to try to know and to see too much

this

will

to discover

to think long over few things,

is

it

earnestly.

much

has

r.

Scott's

Melrose.

m. Glencoe.

c wi.

a

I.

as jooi

Works. c

/ r. Drjburgh.*

;

Loch

Coriskin.

Gaerlavcrook.

F^rom the " Rivera of France.^

a

q.

Oh&t«au ot Amboise, with largo bridge on right.

I

fr. Rouen, looking down river, poplarH



'

p.

the

a p. Rouen CatkedraL

f p. Pont do I'Arche. flp.Wcw on the Seine,

on right.*

avenue.

Rouen, with catliedral and ralubow, avenue on the

left,

a e e

p.

Bridge of Meulan.

gp". Caude\>eu.*

wltl

ON

LET. I.]

drawing

pen-and-iak

FIRST PRACTICl.

be apt to incliae tjo much to 8

will

scratchy and broken kind of shade. of the white convent

v/all,

T1

and

tlie

For

instance, the texture

drawing of

the vignette at p. 22 1. of Rogers's Poems,

work can possibly be achievement

you can at sky at 144.,

of the

you

approach

it.

same volume, or the ;

and

if

it

«f

In like manner, 7.,

if

ot tbt

foliage at pp. 12.

you can once draw the

and roll

river at p. 9. of the " Italy," of the

and running

city in the vignette of

223.,

tiled roof,

as exquisite

be a great and profiiabi*

it will

all

its

imitate the dark distant country at p.

be good gain

will

it

ing clouds

you can at

if

all

p. 80.,

and

;

is

Aosta at

p. 25., or

the moonlight at p.

even Nature herself cannot afterwards

will find that

very terribly puzzle you with her torrents, or towers, or

moon

light.

You

need not copy touch for touch, but try to get the

And

effect.

if

you

feel

and begin

to think that engraving

copying

cannot help you to draw, remember that

from

it

common drawing

ter.

is

a mere

got into the knack of

drawing more

much

only by

You perhaps have got

that engraving

as

it is

over paper.

difficult

more It is

i.s

not drawing, and thai

into a careless habit of thinking

enough when one has

On the contrary, it is a form of than common drawing, by exactly so

it.

dif&cult to cut steel than to

it

at certain stages either to less

pencil

pure

a habit of hand and arm ; bat

not so in the foliage you are trying to copy, of which the

best and prettiest parts are always etched fine steel

point and free hand

mh)tcad of black, which renders of

move the

true that there are certain mechanical aids

machine work, or to more or

a

it diflfers

has to enooun-

tiie difficulties it

business, easy

and methods which reduce

this is

8aii)«

discouraged by the delicacy required,

what you are about.

And

it

:

—that

only the line

much more

is,

drawn with

made

is

difficult to

white

judge

the trying to copy these platei

~^

^a

be good

Will

labour and

how

little

not, however, suppose that I give

do as well



little

it

who have

a

really to

bat

;

it is

you the engraving as

e

necessary you should be able tc

before you think of doiog better, and you will fiud

and hints

helps

remember that

all

the various

in

become

work of

engravers' foregrounds are bad

you see the peculiar wriggling parallel ings

awaken you to the rea

it.

model— far from

many

I

aud make you uiiderstaud

of tLe eugraver,

people must work, in this world, in

[tW.

t)RA'«ril*Q

for yon, because it will

skill

do anything

Do

CF

tflE ELEMEf^fS

distinct,

lines of

you must not copy

;

Only

it.

whenever

;

modern engrav-

nor admire

:

it

is

only the softer masses, and distances; aud portions of the foliage in the plates

purpose, of ihe ful '

if

marked

England

aud

series

instructive,

Ludlow

"

you may copy. The best

/, which

you can get ;

the thicket on the right

and very

aud " Powis "

for this

the " Chain bridge over the Tees,"

it, is

is

The

like Turner.

also

very beauti-

is

foliage in the

remarkably good.

Besides these line engravings, and to protect you from what harift

there

is

possible, with

in their influence,

(of figures, not landscape). ject, or

you are to provide

It

whether a sketchy or

does not matter of what sub-

tinislied one,

but the sketchy ones

are generally cheapest, and will teach you most. well

rapid lines have steady purpose

;

Tiie

Abraham and

• im//;—not

" Prodigal

Copy

tiie

it

as

Rembrandt's most

and that they are

almost inconceivable precision when

"

that

as you can, noticing especially

Interesting.

yourself, if

a Renibraudt etching, or a photograph of one

laid with

object becomes at

Son," " Death of

the

ail

Virgin,"

Isaac," and such others, containing iucideu

aH minutely

than you can tlraw on piipcr

:

the diamond cuts finer lines on

witli

your pin

tones us even, and toucla-s us iirm.

;

tlio stee!

but you must be able to goi

character rather thaa chiaroscuro, will be the most instruo

aiid

You eau buy oue

tiT6

little loss, for

another

examining

his

and

;

many

Durur's.

must keep

then excha ^ge

;

at

il,

good know

gradually, obtain a

&c.,

of

do so with the greatest

possible, with

if

Yoa

an engraving of

This you will not be able to copy

beside you, and refer to

it

If

line.

so,

well

it

things, but a long time at each.

also provide yourself,

Albert

The

copy

work at museums,

care, not looking at

must

;

Whenever you have an opportunity

ledge of his system.

In

W

OM nnat pracHc*.

iM9, t J

;

but you

as a standard of precision

it

you can get one with a wing in

crest with the cock, that with the skull

it,

will

be best.

satyr,

and the

it

and

" Melancholy," are the best you could have, but any will do.

Perfection in chiaroscuro drawing ters,

If it

;

and Durer has

little

between these two mas-

Rembrandt

Rembrandt and Durer.

vague

lies

or no

is

often too lose and

of mist or uncertainty.

efl'ect

you can see anywhere a drawing by Leonardo, balanced between the two characters

;

yo.j will

find

but there are no en-

gravings which present this perfection, and your style will be best formed,

therefore,

Lean rather

Durer,

to

by alternate study of Rembrandt and

Durer

;

it

is

better for amateurs to err

on the side of precision than on that of vagueness *s I have just said,

now and then a quarter

of an inch square or so,

much nearer you can come the leafy

;

and see how

you cannot possibly

crown of the " Melancholia

try to

draw

" too often.

you cannot get either a Rembrandt or a Durer, you may

It still

and though,

:

you cannot copy a Durer, yet try every

learn

much by

carefully studying

any of George Cruik

shank's etchings, or Leech's woodcuts in Punch, on the free

with Alfred Rethel's and Richter's

side

;

But

in so

'

doing you

will

'

on the severe side

need to notice the following points

See, for account of these plates, the Append' k on "

itudietL"

Works

:

to Oi

80

THE ELEMEXTS OF DRAWING.

When

—that —and is

visible,

make a

he

reduced to show the black

is

lines help, as far as will

1

th
at

partly also

its

roundness, and the flow of

its

grain.

And

Albert Durer, wiiose work wa.s chiefly engraving, sets himself

always thus to muko his

much by them, both

lines as valuable as possible

of shade and direction of surface

;

telling

:

and

if

you were always to be Uinitcd to cngravmg on copper (and did

LET.

FIRST PRACTICE,

O.V

I.]

81

not want to express effects of mist or darkness, as well as cate forms), Albert Durer's

way

work would be the

of

deli-

best ex-

Fig. 10.

ample is

But, inasmuch as the perfect

for you.

by shade without

lines,

ceive their subject as complete, even it

most rapidly, you

much

straight lines, that

is

to

draw

is

right, or vice versa,

when done very by the

e'Vort

AVhen the hand

left

quickly, the line

is

hooked a

at return to the next.

;

lines

the easiest line

upwards to the

from the right downwards to the

of theic kind of lines

little

Hence, you

left

;

and even

if

lines

always

he draws carefully, you

from

left

master would have used curved ones.

and

at the end will

pen sketch of a very gre&t master

him using simple straight

Inferior

and quickest

is free,

one inclining from the

,fiad the pencil, chalk, or

find

are not limited in

to direction of line, but will

to say, with the easiest

possible to themselves. it

trust

the shade of a rounded surface with nearly

often scratch in

for

of drawing

when they are sketching

when they

will find that,

means, they do not

way

and the great painters always con-

to right, Fig. 11.

full

will

when an is

a

fair

facsimile of part of a sketch of Raphael's, which exhibits these

cliaracters very distinctly.

Even the 4*

careful drawings of Leo-

THE ELEMENTS OF DRAWING.

[let.

nardo da Vinci are shaded most commonly with straight

lines

I.

;

and you may always assume

as a point

it

increasing the probability of

a drawing be-

ing by a great master

you

if

rounded

find

surfaces, such as those

of cheeks or

lips,

shad-

ed with straight

lines.

But you

also

will

now understand how easy

it

must be

for dis-

honest dealers to forge or

sketches 11.,

scrawled

imitate like

Figure

and pass them

for

the work of great masters

and

;

how

the

power of determining the genuineness of a

drawing depends enon your know-

tirely

ing

tlie

facts of the

object drawn, and per-

whether

ceiving

Fig. 11.

hasty handling

conducive to the exprcRsion of those truths.

work, at

it« fastest,

no

lino is

be great. exactly

Now

to judge of

what he meant to

this

the all

In a great man's

thrown away, and

rapidity, but the ermumiy of the execution tliut

is

it is

you

not by the

!'!rably

it,

and your near

will

easily

and

wheu done with one

fix

the pencil.

While

wet, take out the higher lights with the

when

it

lights with the penknife.

is

quite dry, scratch out the highest

Five minutes, carefully applied, wiU

LET.

II.

SKETCHING FROM NATURE.

J

do much by these meaas. i

do not

like studies

little

taJviug

your wet

oflf

;

to be whit©

is

for

you cau gel and layiug

tint,

i(

darker here and there, than you can with

•^/ody-colour white, unless uJ

the paper

ou grey paper so well

wore gradation by the on cuuningly a

Of course

101

you are consummately

There

skilful.

no objection to your making your Dureresque memoranda ou

grey or yellow paper, and touching white

only,

;

them with

or relieving

do not depend much on your white touches, nor

oaake the sketch for their sake.

When

Thirdly. for in

Dureresque

you hare neither time

detail,

for careful study nor

sketch the outline with pencil, then dasb

much

the shadows with the brush boldly, trying to do as

a^

you possibly can at once, and to get a habit of expedition and deC/

nou

;

laying more colour again and again into the tints as

thoy dry, using every expedient which your practice

has sug-

g««ted to you of carrying out your chiaroscuro in the manageable and moist material, taking the colour off here with the dry brush, scratching out lights in of the brush, rubbing

it

in

there with the

it

Then, when the colour

your sponge, &c.

is in,

and mark the outline characters vigorously, the Liber Studiorum. for carrying

away

wooden handle

with your fingers, drying

This kind of study

off

with

take your pen

in the

is

it

manner

of

very convenient

pieces of effect which depend not so

much

on refinement as on complexity, strange shapes of involved sliadows,

sudden

effects,

of sky, &c.

;

and

it is

most useful as a

safeguard against any too servile or slow habits which the

minute copying may induce

in

you

;

for although

the endea-

vour to obtain velocity merely for velocity's sake, and dash for display's sake,

velocity

is

as baneful as

it

is

despicable

;

there are a

and a dash which not only are compatible with perfect

drawing, but obtain certain results which cannot be had oxhetwifie

And

it is

perfectly safe for

you to study occasionally

foi

THE ELEMENTS OF DRAWING.

108

[lET.

IT.

speed and decision, while your continual course of practice

is

such as to ensure your retaining an accurate judgment and a tender

Speed, under such circumstances,

touch.

fatiguing than tempting

;

and you

is

rather

will find yourself

always

beguiled rather into elaboration than negligence.

Fourthly.

You

will find it of

great use, whatever kind of

landscape scenery you are passing through, to get into the habit of making will find that selves,

one,

memoranda

many

of the shapes of shadows.

objects of no essential interest in them-

and neither deserving a

may

finished study, nor a Dureresque

yet become of singular value in consequence of the

fantastic shapes of their

tant effect,

shadows

that the shadow

element than the substance.

is

n«.

ble

;

;

of timl)ers to which the

;

it

happens often, in

dis-

by much a more important

it,

as in the figure, the arrange-

81.

shadows are owing

but at half a mile's distance,

bers would not bo seen

for

Thus, in the Alpine bridge. Fig.

21., seen within a few yards of

mcnt

You

in

i.^

percepti-

bright sunlight, the tim-

and a good painter's expression of th«

LET.

109

SKETCHING FROM NATURE.

II.]

bridge would be merely the large spot, aud the crossed bars, of

pure grey 22. a

;

;

wholly without indication of their cause, as in Fig.

we saw

and

if

as

in

appear,

at

it

22.

Fig.

greater distances,

still

aud

b

a strange, un-

intelligible, spider-like

spot of grey

A

light hill-side.

would

c,

diminishing at last to

on the

it

perfectly

great painter, throughout

his

dis-

«

continually reduces his ob-

tances,

jects to these

shadow abstracts

and

many persons

the singular, aud to

unaccountable,

;

the

of

efifect

con-

fused touches in Turner's distances, is

owing

thorough ac-

chiefly to this

curacy and intense meaning of the

shadow

abstracts.

Studies

of

this

made when you are

F

HB.

or

hardness

pencil

of

the

drawing

your

when

:

kind

are

in haste, it

easily

with an

requires

point

c

some ensure

to

Fig. 28.

enough

delicately

the forms of the shadows are very subtle

to be so somewhere,

pencil

is

indeed a very precious

draw a

they arfr sure

instrument after

master of the pen and brush, for the both, and will

;

aud are generally so everywhere.

line

The

you. are

pencil, cunningly used,

is

with the precision of the one and

the gradation of the other

;

nevertheless,

it

is

so unsatisfac-

tory to see the shai-p touches, on which the best of the deta

depeads, getting gradually deadened by time, or to

I

find the

places

where force was wanted look

that

should recommend rather the steady use of the pea, or

I

shiny,

and

brush, and colour, whenever time admits of

it

like

;

a

fire-grate,

keeping only a

THE ELEMENTS OF DRAWING.

110 Binall

[LET.

lueraoriviidnm-book in the breast-pocket, with

its well-cut,

sheathed pencil, ready for notes on passing opportunities never being without

Thus first

to

but

:

this.

manner

ranch, then, respecting the

draw from

11.

But

natm*e.

to you, if I also note one or

in

which you are

may perhaps

it

at

be serviceable

two points respecting your

choic*

of subjects for study, and the best special methods of treating

Bome of them

;

one of by no means the least

for

which you have at

common,

to encounter

first

difficulties

a peculiar

is

instinct,

as far as I have noticed, to all beginners, to fix on

exactly the most unmanageable feature in the given scene.

There are many things if

at

all,

;

every landscape which can be drawn,

only by the most accomplished artists

noticed that

dash at

in

it

or, if

is

not these,

pleasing to him in

;

and

have

I

nearly always these which a beginner wiU.

itself, is

when he has drawn

it,

be something which, though

it will

a picture, and in which,

unfit for

he will have

As some

pleasure.

little

slight protection against this evil genius of beginners, the fol-

lowing general warnings

Do

1,

If

;

useful

not draw things that you love, on account of their

associations

them

may be

;

or at least do not

draw them because you

hot merely when you cannot get anything

you try to draw places that you

always entangled amongst

neat

love,

brick

iron ;

railings,

besides that

be continually led into some endeavour to

will

love

draw.

you are sure to be

walls,

gravel walks, greenhouses, and quickset hedges

yon

else to

make your

cL'awiug pretty, or conjpletc, which will be fatal to your pro-

You need

gresM

never hope to get on,

if

you are the

least

anxious that the drawing you are actually at work upon should looK nice

when

it

is

done.

it

then,

though when you are

right,

All you have to care about

and to learn as much

make

in

sitting in

doing

it

as ])08sible.

is

to

Su

your friend's parlour, or

LET.

ill

SKETCHING FKOM NATURE.

II.]

llj

your own, and have nothing else to do, you

thing that

is

there, for practice

on the carpet

fern

even the

;

be sure that

:

because itis a beloved

pab

and nol

for practice,

is

it

may draw any

fire-irons or the

nor a friendly poker and tongs,

car[iet,

Dor because you wish to please your friend by drawing

he":

room. Also, never

am

make

work

will

you know that

give

it

it

worth anything you

is

— a time

be precious to everybody

away

till

Of

presents of your drawings.

addressing you as a beginner

it is

;

I

your

but be resolute not to

worth something (as soon as

know that

will

course

may come when

so).

it is

anyone

If

asks you for a present of a drawing, send them a couple of

cakes of colour and a piece of Bristol board

:

those materials

are, for the present, of more value in that form than

if

you

had spread the one over the other.

The main reason will

much

for this rule

is,

however, that

its

observance

protect you from the great danger of trying to

make

your drawings pretty. 2.

Never, by choice, draw anything polished

complicated in form.

Avoid

all

brass rods aud curtain orna-

ments, chandeliers, plate, glass, and fine of a piece of furniture does not matter

but do not fret yourself

especially if

;

if it will

steel.

if it

A

comes

shining knob in

your way

;

not look right, and choose

only thmgs that do not shine. 3.

to

Avoid

all

They are exceedingly

very neat things.

draw, and very ugly when drawn.

diflficult

Choose rough, worn, and

clumsy-looking things as

much

aoi na/e a more

or profitless study than a newly-painted

difficult

Thames wherry, nor a

4.

;

for instance,

better study than an old

barge, lying ashore at low-tide think very ugly will be

as possible

good

:

for

in

you can-

empty

coal-

general, everything that you

you

to draw.

Avoid, as much as possible, studies

in

which one thing

'9

THE ELEMENTS OJ DRAWING.

112

You

through auotber.

xeeii

turn of the river

when

it

near branches

its

;

is there,

as well as

you can, yet always look network

into definite masses, not into

front of

it

entangled with the

all

it,

it

down,

for subjects that

that

;

rather for a

is,

than for one with a thin tjee

rather for a mass of wood,

;

and though,

;

you must not imaginarily cut

cottage with a dark tree beside in

between you and the

intensely difficult to represent this

is

the tree

but do fall

It

II

constantly find a thin tree

will

Btaudiiig before your cliosen cottage, or

distance.

(^LET.

and

blue,

soft,

rouaded, than for a ragged copse, or confusion of intricate stems. 5.

Avoid, as far as possible, country divided by hedges.

Perhaps nothing

in

utterly unpicturesque lish

patchwork of

the whole compass

of landscape

field

and hedge, with

trees dotted over

independent spots, gnawed straight at the cattle Still,

do not be discouraged

if

you

find

and that the subject overmasters you. it

so

is

and unmanageable as the ordinary Engit

you have chosen

It is

in

line.

much

ill,

better that

should, than that you should think you had entirely mastered

But at

it.

first,

and even

for

for very discomfortable failure

without some wholesome

some

time,

you must be prepared

which, nevertheless, will not be

;

result.

As, however, I have told you what most definitely to avoid, I

may, perhaps, help you a

general,

all

little

by saying what

banks are beautiful things, and

better than large landscapes.

fou must look

for places

river's edges, with

If

you

live iu

where the ground

will

In

to seek.

reward work

a lowland country, is

broken to the

decayed posts, or roots of trees

or, if

;

by

great good luck fh'Tc should be such things within your reach, for

remnants of

steAn iful,

in

all

sparingly,

and

ins

i>s

outs,

and haystacks, and

much more a French

;

much

rally as

Freach

one.

palings,

is

drawn with sure to bo

French landscape

is

superior to English as Swiss landscape

some

in

;

modern

with Ionic and Doric porticos.

villas

old English village, or cluster of farm-houses,

lovt/y

ao

is

the middle distance are alwayj

carefully, provided they are not

rows of pattern cottages, or

Any

it

subject.

respects, the

French

is

scenes as that avenue on the Seine, which

incomparable. I

geneto

is

Such

have recommendeu

ycu to buy the engraving

of,

sion of graceful rusticity

and cheerful peace, and

admit no rivalship

in their expresin

the beauty

of component lines.

In drawing villages, take great pains with the gardens

garden

rustic

draw

all

fences,

is

in

every

way

beautiful.

If

the rows of cabbages, and hollyhocks, and broken

and wandering eglantines, and bossy roses

have better practice, nor be kept by anything

Make

a

;

you have time,

intimate friends of

all

in

:

you cannot

purer thoughts

the brooks in your neighbor

hood, and study them ripple by ripple. Village churches in England are not often good subjects there

is

ness of line.

Old manor-houses are often pretty.

usually, with us, too prim,

not think there is

possible

There

is

;

a peculiar meanness about most of them, and awkward-

to

is

and cathedrals too

a single cathedral

1

England from which

do it

obtain one subject for an imprj.ssive drawing

always some discordant

about them.

in

Ruins are

orderly.

civility,

or jarring vergerLsa'

tHK ELEMENTS OF DRAWI.VG

114

jou

If

a mountain or

live in

Be

redundance of subject.

variegated lichens,

its

you have done

hills

quite

the patterns of

all

you can do

Till

no use your thinking of sketching among

i?

place, to dravs

first,

complete roundings, and

the lichen in true local colour.

tl

country, your onir ilaneer

hill

resolved, in the

a piece of rounded rock, with rightly, getting its

[LEf.

this, it is of

but when once

;

the forms of distant hills will be compara-

this,

tively easy.

When

you have practised

may be

subjects as

for a little time

accessible to you,

from such of these

you

will certainly find

make you wish more than ever

diflQculties arising

which

a master's help

these difficulties will vary according to the

:

own mind (one

character of your

them

all

work

and

;

answered

on, in

much

for herself

make some

will

;

impossible to anticipate

is

too large a book

this

good hope that nature

pret to you

own part

would make

it

it

that I can anticipate

all

work

as

may come

;

will, in

her

own

this letter

to

1

tc

time, inter-

that farther experience on your

difficulties

your way.

in

if

you must be content

disappear

;

and that others

be removed by the occasional observation of such

will

for

question occurring to one per-

and one to another), so that

son,

ful

will

Nevertheless,

without a few general remarks, such as

you after you are somewhat advanced

in

artists'

not close

I will

may be power

;

use-

and

these remarks may, I think, be conveniently arranged under

three heads, having reference to

the drawing of vegetation,

water, and skies.

And, laid

first,

of vegetation.

enough about

Yoo may

trees already

;

yet

think, perhaps,

if

we hare

you have done as yon

were bid, and tried to draw them frequently enough, and care fiUly iiioru

enoogb, yoa of them.

tion, respecting

will

be ready by this time to

You

will

the

mode

also recollect that

we

iiear left

a

liitlc

our ques

of expressing intricacy of leafage

Lei.

115

sketching from NATURfe.

n.J

partly uusettled

in

the

I

letter.

first

left

it

so

wanted you to learn the

real structure of leaves,

them

I

for yourself, before

because

1

by drawing

troubled you with the naost subtle

considerations as to mct/iod in drawing them.

And by

thia

imagine, you must have found out two principle things

time, I

universal facts, about leaves

namely, that they always,

;

in

the main tendencies of their lines, indicate a beautiful diver-

gence of growth, according to the law of radiation, already referred

to

and the second, that

;'

divergence

this

never

is

formal, but carried out with endless variety of individual I

must now press both these

facts

on your attention a

line. little

farther.

You may perhaps have been

surprised that I have not yet

spoken of the works of J. D. Harding, especially to have

met with the passages

referring to

Painters, in which they are highly praised. praised,

edly

for

they are

draughtsman which express

the

only

if

them

you happen in

They are

Modern deserv-

works by a modern

any wise the energy of

in

trees,

and the laws of growth, of which we have been speaking. There are no lithographic sketches which, character, obtained with

little

for truth of general

cost of time, at all rival Hard-

Calame, Robert, and the other lithographic landscape

ing's.

sketchers are altogether inferior in power, though sometimes a little

for

deeper

reference it

in

But you must not take even Harding

meaning.

will

;

and

if

use his works for occasional

you can afford to buy

be serviceable to you

See the closing letter in •

may

a model, though you

Bogue, Fleet Street.

this

If

in various

his

Lessons on Trees,

ways, and will at present

volume.

you are not ucquainted with Harding'a

works (an unlikely supposition, considering their popularity), and can not meet with the one in question, the diagrams given here will enable yo'l t«

understand

all

that

is

needful for our purposes.

THE ELEMENTS OF DRaWiNG.

116

me

help

[lET.

to explain the point under consideration.

And

well that I should illustrate this point by reference to

U.

h

it

Hard

works, because their great influence on young studentr

luff's

renders

desirable that their real character should be tho-

it

roughly understood.

You

will find, first, in the title-page of the

Lessons on Trees.

a pretty woodcut, in which the tree stems are drawn with great truth, is

and

in

a very interesting arrangement of

lines.

not quite worthy of Mr. Harding, tending too

his pupil, at starting, think everything

much

Plate

depends on black dots

Then,

growth.

in

The

first

may

practise from

examples

arranging

lines

Plate

we come

2.,

to the point at issue.

in that plate are given lo the pupil that h

them

freely

hand gets into the habit of

his

till

a similar manner

in

and they are

;

stated by Mr. Harding to be universal in application outlines

expressive

of foliage," he

They

them."

of

tions

resembling our Fig.

Hisistcd

a

•;

the main lines are good, and very characteristic of tree

still

less

1.

make

to

upon

common

that

are,

centre

enclosed by]

;"

23.

;

" their

that

ovoid curves

;"

" all

modifica-

more or

and the characters especially " tend

they

" are but

says,

of groups of lines,

consist

;

and

at

inner

their

ends

terminate

ends to in

[are

that " the outer ends arj

most emphatic."

Now,

as thus expressive of the great

laws of radiation and enclosure, thi

main principle of

^Z^T"

'

-

^^^ ^ r yig 28

^^y»

is

®'"'

method of

niie,

respecting

fo-

the

that the outer end of the

to be moKt emplmtic, dues not indeed at

for the line at

exe-

The reason of

conclusions

liage composition. last

Hoe

this

cution confirms, in a very interesting

one end of a natural leaf

is

first

appear

;

not more emphatic

LkT.

SKETCHING FROM NATUfti.

II.]

than

the

method,

line

the

at

other

:

lit

but ultimately,

Harding's

in

darker part of the touch stands more or

this

the shade at the outer extremity of the leaf mass

less for

and, as

;

Harding uses these touches, they express as much of character as any mere habit of touch tunately, th«r«

is

am

tree

But, unfor-

express.

another law of tree growth, quite as fixed as

the law of radiation, which this

modes of execution wholly

and

other couveutioual

all

This second law

lose sight of.

is,

that the radiating tendency shall be carried out only as a ruling spirit in reconcilement with perpetual individual caprice

on the part of the separate leaves. touch

is

monotonous,

it

must be also

So^that the moment a

leaf individually being just as essential

growth with It does

cluster

its

companions

not matter

may

be, nor

how

how

the liberty of the

false,

a truth, as

its

unity of

group.

in the radiating

small or apparently symmetrical the

large or vague.

a more formal one than h in Fig.

You can

9. p. 71.,

hardly have

nor a

formal

less

one than this shoot of Spanish chestnut,

shedding Fig.

24.

leaves,

its

but

;

in

either of them, even

the

general' reader,

unpractised of

the

in

recommended cises,

any

previously

must

see

exer-

that

there are wandering lines

mixed with the

Fig. 24.

the wild ones

:

and

if

radiating

ones,

and

radiating

lines

with

he takes the pen and

tries to

copy eiiht/

THE ELEMENTS OF DRAWING.

lis

[leT.

of these examples, he will find that neither play of

hand

it.

to loft

nor to right, neither a free touch nor a firm touch, nor any learnable or describable touch whatsoever, will enable him to

a resemblance of

produce, currently, either

draw

it

slowly, or give

it

matter worse

it

it

;

but that he must

And (which makes

up.

the

though gathering the bough, and putting

still)

close to you, or seeing a piece of near foliage against the sky,

you may draw the

entire outline of the leaves, yet if the spray

and

way

you

will miss, as

has light upon

it,

we have

a point of a leaf here, and an edge there

seen,

is

ever so

little

a

off,

;

some

of the surfaces will be confused by glitter, and some spotted

with shade

;

and

for the edges or

if

you look

carefully

dark stems which you

through

this confusion

really can

see,

and put

only those down, the result will be neither like Fig.

9.

nor

and puzzling piece of work

Fig. 24., but such an interrupted as Fig. 25.'

Fig. 25.

Now,

it is in

the perfect acknowledgment and expression of

these th^ee laws that

There

'

I

is, first,

draw

this figuro (a

Inipoiwible to

woudcat.

all

good drawing of landscape

the organic unity

cxprem

;

consists.

the law, whether of radia-

young nhoot of oak)

in outline only, it

being

the refinementM of Hhudu in JiHtiuit folingc in u

i.kt.

gkercfitKo p&ok NAtOftic.

li.j

or

tion,

or

parallelism,

masses of herbs and

;

I say, first, there

This

the

is

members subjected

more or

is

less concealed.

must be observance of the ruling organic

first

between good

distinction

artists

Your common sketcher or bad painter puts

artists.

on the trees as

they were moss tied to sticks

if

;

to

and, lastly, the mystery under which tho

separate character of each

law.

tbe

rules

and clouds, and waves

of rocks,

secondly, the individual liberty of the

these laws of unity

which

action,

coiicurreui

trees,

lid

the lines of action or growth

and bad

his leaves

he cannot see

;

he scatters the shapeless clouds

;

over his sky, not perceiving the sweeps of associated curves

which the real clouds are following as they

fly

and he breaks

;

mountain side into rugged fragments, wholly unconscious of

his

the lines of force with which the real rocks have risen, or of

On

the lines of couch in which they repose.

government

of

the contrary,

it is

main delight of the great draughtsman to trace these laws

the

;

and

his tendency to error

is

exaggeration of their authority rather than in

we have

Secondly, I say,

and

of the

liberty

to

separate

always

in

the

its denial.

show the individual character

leaves,

clouds,

or

And

rocks.

herein the great masters separate themselves finally from the inferior ones

;

at

by the

all, it

is

for

if

the

men

of inferior genius ever express law

sacrifice of individuality.

Ixosa has great perception of the

of clouds,

but never draws a single

accurately.

Similarly,

Thus, Salvatcff

sweep of foliage and

Gainsborough,

leaflet in

his

rolling

or mist wreath landscape,

feeling

but

the detail gives nothing but meaningless touches

in

even so

for

iiuK-h as the species of tree,

leafage, being ever discernible.

pressions of terly

has

masses of form and harmony of colour

great

much

less

work, the individuality

is

not

the variety of

Now, although both

government and individuality are

;

itd

these ex.

essential to mas-

the more cssertial, 0'\d the mort

iid

fHE ELEMENTS CF of attaiumeut

difficult

D&AW1IJlirincipal

the near tree as »1k.

2fl.

in

wrought

the

Fig.

work looks

and

branch on is

etched

26.

Tlic

at first

li'^o

a scholar's instead of a inaster'H

^

bat when tbo light and sbado aru added, ever/ touch

LET.

falls into

its

and a perfect expression of grace and com-

place,

Nay

plexity results.

even before the light and shade ar« added,

you ought to be able to

stem loses

see that these irregular

where the expression

especially

lines,

ithe

125

SKETCHING FROM NATURE.

II.]

itself in

and broken

way

given of the

is

more true than the mo-

the leaves, are

notonous though graceful leaf-drawing which, before Tomer's

had been employed, even by the best masters,

time,

distant masses.

Fig.

27.

is

their

in

characteristic of the

sufficiently

manner of the old woodcuts after Titian

;

in which,

the leaves are too

see,

you

much

of one shape, like bunches of fruit

and the boughs too

;

completely seen, besides be-

somewhat

ing

soft

and

leathery in aspect, owing to the want of angles in their

Titian,

ventional structure

and

By

outline.

Fig. 8T.

was only given

their exquisite delineation

this

great

men

like

somewhat con.

in haste to distant

masses

;

of the foreground, kept their

conventionalism from degeneracy

:

but

in

the drawing of the

Caracci and other derivative masters, the conventionalism prevails

everywhere, and sinks gradually into scrawled work, like

Fig. 28, about the worst

habit of using,

suppose

Note,

"free,"

also, that in

a bough rally

more

it

is

which

it

is

possible to get into the

though aa ignorant person

noble outline drawing,

wrongly drawn, because

somewhere,

as

in

Fig.

it

26.,

line,

it

does not follow that

looks contracted unnatujust

Very often the muscular action which the

might perhaps

and therefore better than Fig. 26.

is

above the tO

foliage.

be expressed by

runs into the middle of the branch, and the actual

THE ELEMENTS OF DRAWING.

126 outline

of

the

not

at

all

or

then

only

shade that

branch ;

by its

or the cause

and the

that

at

it

place

[let.

may be dimly

U

seen,

is

future

actual shape, of

disap-

its

pearance, will be indicated.

One point more remains and

to be noted about trees, I

have done.

In the minds

ml in colouring

this deliberation.

Use Chinese white, well ground, to mix with your colours

You

order to pale them, instead of a quantity of water.

in

will

thus be able to shape your masses more quietly, and play the colours about with so mucli,

and you

more ease will

they will not

;

damp your paper

be able to go on continually, and lay

forms of passing cloud and other fugitive or delicately shapea lights,

otherwise unattainable except by time.

This mixing of white with the pigments, so as to render them

opaque, constitutes &orfy-colour drawing as opposed to trans'parmt-coXonv drawing and you will, perhaps, have to

you that

this

body-colour

is

" illegitunate."

legitimate as oil-painting, being, so far as handling

the

same process, only without

someness, or

its

inconvenience

uncleanUness,

its

for oil will not

;

often said

it

It is

is

just as

concerned,

its

unwhole-

dry quickly, nor

carry safely, nor give the same effects of atmosphere without

And

tenfold labour.

if

you hear

looks chalky or opaque, and, as

is

said that the body-colour

very likely, think so your-

that though certain effects of glow

H'lf,

be yet assured of

iiiU

transparencies of gloom

this,

it

are not to be reached without

transparent colour, those glows and glooms are not the noblest

aim of fresco

After

art.

and

oil

parent colour

many

years' study of the various results of

painting in Italy, and of body-colour and transin

England,

I

am now

the greatest things that are to be

entirely convinced

done

iu art

thai

must be done

in

THE ELEMENTS OF DRAWING.

142

The habit of depending on varnish

dead colour.

right of the nobler translucence which

various colours amidst each other

on Imnd

or

exquisite play of hue

obtained by breaking

is

and even when, as by Co^

:

joined with exquisite trans

is

parency, the delight in the depth almost always leads

mean and

painter into

false chiaroscuro

dark backgrounds instead of luminous

and confined

'

I

leads him to like

and to enjoy,

than open sunshine

light rather

really greatest thoughts of the greatest

as

it

;

ones,*

the

in

more than grandeur of composition,

general, quality of colour

far

Ill

transparency, makes the painter comparatively lose

lints for

reggio,

[LET.

remember, been reached

All the degradation of art

so that the

:

men have

always, so

dead colour, and the

in

which was brought about, after the

rise

of the Dutch school, by asphaltum, yellow varnish, and brown trees,

would have been prevented,

Any

dead colour. shining

only painters had been forced to work in

if

but fallacy in dead colour

;

believe that

is

however,

necessary,

oetween translucency and

in

liustrc.

above, a dangerous temptation, ihinine»$,

is

people,

if it is

browned and

detected on the instant.

is

I

even

whenever a painter begins to vnsh that he could touch any

portion of his work with gum, he It

some

colour will do for

is,

going wrong.

is

matter,

this

carefully

to

Translucency, tliough, as in its place, beautiful

Nay, one of

always, in painting, a defect.

;

my

distinguish I

have said

but lustre, or best paintei^

friends (the " best " being understood to attach to both divisions of that

awkward compound word), lustre

on

was an iguoblencss

to ladies' eyes,

kept

me from

and

to

in

tried

the other day to persuade

anything

and

;

mattcm

dcMtriictivo of loveliness

was only the

mountain streamd, and

yielding the point to him.

too quickly in auch

it

;

One

is

to

morning dew, which

but there can be no question that lustre

in colour,

Whatever may be the pride of

would be sorry

polisn a roa« ?

if

that

apt always to goncralist

fTS OF

[lKT.

iu a state of intellectual declitc, tl.eir col-

You must

dull.'

also take great care not to b€

who have

misled by affected talk about colour from people

the gift of it

numbers are eager and voluble about

:

probably never

The modern

lensation.

who

whc

it

Overbeck

religionists of the school of

eat slate-pencil

nol

one genuine colour

in all their lives received

are just like people

Ill

and chalk, and assure

everybody that they are nicer and purer than strawberries and plums.

Take care

any idea that colour

also never to be misled into

can help or display form; colour' always disguises form, and is

meant It

"

is

to do so.

dogma among modern

a favourite

warm

nearness, and " cold colours " (blue '

writers on colour that

colours " (reds and yellows) " approach " or express

The worst general character

and grey) "

retire " or ex-

that colour can possibly have

is

a pre

Talent tendency to a dirty yellowish green, like that of a decaying heap

of vegetables

;

this colour is accurately indicative

of decline or paralysis

in missal-painting. *

That

is

to

The gradations

say, local colour inherent in the object.

of colour in the various shadows belonging to various lights exhibit forna,

and therefore no one but a colourist can ever draw form» perfectly (sec

Modern Painters,

chap.

vol. iv.

at the

iii.

end)

;

but

all

notions of ex-

plaining form by superimposed colour, as in architectural mouldings, are

absurd.

Colour adorns form, but does not interpret

prettier,

because

cheek

prettier because

is

it is

;heck bone better

f^om another, as

striped, but

if it

in

it is

it

docs not

flushed, but

were not.

groimding a

looit

it.

An

apple

is

a bit rounder; and a

you would see the form of the

Colour may, indeed, detach one shape bas-relief, hut

it

always diminishes the

appearance of projection, and whether you put blue, purple, red, yellow, or gre

th(MiiseIves,

but

180

LET

ELEMENTS OF DRAWING.

TIIF.

III

j

because the mind perceives at once that there has oeen cosl uselessly

thrown away

for the sake of formality.'

We

Well, to return to our continuity. oerian bridge in Fig. 32.

by having

farther interesting

is still

But as

a watch-tower.

lur

see that the

of the absolutely perfect type,

is

I

perhaps was not the case

its

want you to note in

is

b)

what

especially

L ridge, but

the real

«ii{

main arch crowr.ed

entirely

Turner's doing, you will find that though the arches diminisn gradually, not one ferent shapes

but

This

is

all

if

dif-

this clearly in Fig. 32.,

you cannot see

:

are

you

leaf,

will

with

indeed also part of the ideal of a bridge, because

lateral currents near the shore are of course irregular in

tlie

'

sizes

—they

the larger diagram, Pig. 34., over

in

ease.

and

regularly diminished

is

The

make

ccst of art in getting a bridge level

always

is

to the height of the central arch at

any

the whole bridge level by putting the

hill

get u;

tending to have got

money

in building

rid

of

it

when you have

you

lost, for

rate,

niusi

and you only can

farther back, and pre-

not, but have only wasted

an unnecessary embankment.

Of course, the bridge

should not be dilHcultly or dangerously steep, but the necessary slope,

whatever can take road

;

may

it it,

be, should be in the bridge itself, as far as the bridge

and not pushed

the npproach, as in our Waterloo

a.sidc into

the only rational excuse for doing which

oinst be long

and that any restivcness of the horse than on

gerous

tlic

euihariknifnt

In reality,

though

it

To

tliis I

the bridge, and

rail

;

is

it is

is

always gaaide.i by

sure to have no parapet, OT bettor to have the slope on

the roadway wide in proportion, so as to be quit*

waste of spaciMU the river

is

no

loss,

ftnbankmnt at the side loses good ground; and so bridge* arc right as well as beautiful, and

Kimc day, inxtcud of the

uilnd.

the slope

not more dan-

first, it is

looks so, for the bridge

aud secondly, that

make

safe, bocHiiHO n little

tro 6nr,

when

more dangerous on the bridge

is

answer:

an effective ]>ampet, but the embankment oaly a useless

that

is

inconvenient to put on a drug at the top of the bridge,

it is

I

hope

to see

but your wide

my

picturesque

them

built again

frightful slraiglii-backed things wliioli

mid »cc«pt from tbo

pcotifica?

rigidities

we

faticy

of the engineering

ON COLOUR AND COMPOSITION.

18i

i,E:i.

!il.]

she,

and a simple builder would naturally vary

aoal

answer the purpoHo well enough uh

ihai;

it is.

LET.

ON COLOUR AND COMPOSITION.

Ill,]

whole

tree, yet

191

always securing the compliance with the great

universal law that the branches nearest the root

back

and, of course, throwing some always back as well as

;

forwards

;

the

appearance of

Figure

it

is

action

rudely

beautiful,

by

per-

bough

seen from below

gives

much

being

shows

25.

the perspective of such a

46.

reversed

and rendered more striking and

increased, spective.

as

bend most

;

Fig.

look

the

it

would have from above.

You may have not

what and

suppose,

already

subtleties

light

;

of perspective

and shade are involved

branch-flakes, actions

you

if

discovered,

now

as

you see them

raised,

the wind, or lifted

in the

now depressed

drawing of these

different

in ;

directions

touched on the edges by

up and bent back so as to show

white under surfaces of the leaves shivering in

bottom of a boat

rises

them

in windless mornings, or

grace of deep-charged snow.

dew

light,

as the ;

or

of the grass beneath

bowed down under oppressive

Snow

time,

by the way,

of the best for practice in the placing of tree masses will only

the

all

white with spray at the surge-crest

drooping in quietness towards the

and

;

is

one

but you

be able to understand them thoroughly by beginning

with a single bough and a few leaves placed tolerably even, as in Fig. 38. p. 185.

two

First one with three leaves,

lateral ones, as at

a

;

then with

five,

as at

a central and b,

and so on

directing your whole attention to the expression, both

;

by con-

tour and light and shade, of the boat-like arrangements, which, in

your earlier studies,

will

have been a good deal confused,

partly owing to your inexperience, and partly to the depth of shade, or absolute blackness of mass required in those studies.

I

THE ELEMENTS OF DRAWING.

192

One thing more remains

You

of the wood.

be noted, and

to

[lCT

"

tXl

you onl

I will let

see that in every generally representative

have surrounded the radiating branches with a dotted

6gure

I

line

such lines do indeed terminate every vegetable form



and you see that they are themselves beautiful curves, which, according to their flow, and the width or narrowness of the spaces they enclose, characterize the species of tree or

express of age. foliage.

limit

;

or formal action,

its free

So

that, throughout all

Nature

and marking a unity

by the rising of

its

the freedom of her wildest

in

the whole tree, caused not only

branches from a

joining in one work,

having ascertained

common

by

root, but

and being bound by a common law. this, let

and

on expressing an encompassing

resolved

is

leaf,

grace of youth or weight

its

moment

us turn back for a

their

And to a

point in leaf structure which, T doubt not, you must already

have observed

in

your earlier studies, but which

it

is

well to

state here, as connected with the unity of the branches in the

You must have

great trees.

whenever a leaf

is

compound,

other leaflets which in any the whole

whole leaf

leaf,

— those

noticed,

— that

is

way repeat

leaflets

are

should think,

I

to

say, divided

that into

or imitate the form of

not symmetrical, as the

but always smaller on the side towards the point

is,

of the great leaf, so as to express their subordniation to

and show, even when they are pulled small independent leaves, but Fig. 47.,

out

its

clearly.

which

is

It

is

h

of one large leaf.

will illustrate the principle

composed of a central large mass. A, and two which the one on the right ouly

Each of these masses and two

it,

that they are not

a block-plan of a leaf of columbine, with-

minor divisions on the edges,

lateral onea, of

tral

members

ofif,

is

lateral ones

balanced equally by

is

lettered,

B

again composed of three others, a cen

its

;

but observe, the minor one, a of A, opposite

;

but the minor &

I

of

B

if

LET.

6U

m.]

larger than

its

193

COLOttft jLKD COliPOSlTlOK.

opposite b

2.

Again, each of these minor

3 Fig. 4T.

masses

A,

is

is

divided into three

;

but while the central mass, a of

symmetrically divided, the b of

largest side-lobe being lowest.

lowest lobe in relation to b) b I.

;

its

the lower

own

therefore,

character.

This law

far as I is

2

its

own

leaf,

as

and bo also

;

that which

is

in

always is

were by cour-

it

captain leaf;

subordination

and always

and secondary

carried out even in single leaves.

is

its

(its

dignity or power, in the imme-

diate presence of the greater or

expressing,

c

lateral leaf is

and the smaller lobe

nearer the central mass

subduing some of

nnsymmetrical,

is

b 2, the lobe c 1

larger than

So that universally one lobe of a

larger than the other,

tesy,

is

B

Again

As

know, the upper half, towards the point of the spray,

always the smaller

;

convex at the springing,

and a is

slightly

different

used for the lower

exquisite variety to the form of the whole leaf

9

curve,

side, ;

more

giving an

so that one

194

THE BLEKENtS OP DSAWTVfl.

ff.KT.

??

or the chief elements in the beauty of every subordiuaie leaf

throngboat the

And now,

if

made

tree, is

own bwliness and

depend on

to

confession of

its

its

subjection.

we bring together

have ascertained in

we

trees,

under four great laws

;

in one

view the principles we

may be summed

shall find they

and that

perfect

all

*

vegetable form

is

appointed to express these four laws in noble balance of author Hy. 1.

Support from one living root.

2.

Radiation, or tendency of force from some

Liberty of each bough to seek

3.

by

piness according to its needs,

play and

its

its

nourishment

from light and

rain,

gathering

up to get strength

blossoms

may

lay

fitful

sunshine

by

upon

it,

and

any load which

for

may tempt

certain limits, expressive of

according to

'

its

its

its

any

for

its

young

Imperfect vegetable form

ilif>

siutieau

its fruit-

stress of its storm-

shoots, in their unde*

life.

bough to stop within

and

;

I

to

consider that which ;

or which

work with them

more importaut

diiitinctions,

trees

is

is

in its nature )e

susceptible of contiuuai

power of giving pleasure hj

M in the case of the smaller grasses.

here to explain these minor 'kli

sufiicient

power, magnitude, and state of health, to

lujurj without materially losing the

•f

in

kindly fellowship and fraternity

neighbourhood

pendent, as in runners and climbers

anpect,

both

required

or playing hither and thither ad

;

Imperative requirement of each

with the boughs in

some

finding

cided states of mind about their future 4.

its

it.

and hap-

the other branches, or knotting and

tossed luxuriance of leaves the

livelihood

irregularities of action

among

ful

own

its

work, either stretching out to get

breathing-place itself

one given

some stated connexion with

point, either in the root, or in

I

itt

have not, oC course, eptuM

but the laws above stated uppJy

and shrubs

likely to be familiar to

t.h»t

1^4

ON COLOUR AXD COMPOSITION.

LKT. III.]

bring out the general perfectness of the great curve, and

cir-

cumferent stateliness of the whole tree.

may

I think I

work out the moral

leave you, unhelped, to

analogies of these laws

you may, perhaps, however, be a

;

i^like

human

actions should spring radiantly

rays) from some single heart motive

the most beautiful

;

systems of action taking place when this motive of the whole it

It typically

puzzled to see the meeting of the second one.

tie

expresses that healthy

;

life,

while also

and the action

many

lies

at the root

clearly seen to proceed from

is

beautiful secondary systems of action tak-

ing place from motives not so deep or central, but in beautiful subordinate connexion with the central or

The other significative

laws, ;

lit

if

you think over them, you

life

some

motive

will find equally

and as you draw trees more and more

in their

various states of health and hardship, you will be every day

more struck by the beauty of the types they present of the truths most

essential for

mankind to know

this vegetation of the earth,

*

There

and you

;'

will see

necessary to our

;

shadows which arc the most

by their pretty play and change.

will find that

what

life, first,

likely of all to attract

you examine them, you

If

the shadows do not take the forms of the leaves, but that,

through each interstice, the light of a round or oval spot

;

that

is

falls,

to say,

at a little distance, in the form

it

produces the image of the sun

cast either vertically or obliquely, in circle or ellipse according to

itself,

the slope of the ground. effect,

when they

fall

Of course the sun's rays produce the same

through any small aperture

tween leaves are the only ones

likely to

or to attract his attention to

by

what

is

a very tender lesson of this kind in the shadows of le&vea

ia

apon the ground attention,

which

this type

show us

that,

may

it

its

it

:

but the openings be-

to an ordinary observer,

frequency, and lead him to think

signify respecting the greater

Sun

;

and how

even when the opening through which the

light is too small

enters, if

it

show

to

let

us see the

comes straight from Him,

Sun

it

maj

eartli receive!

himself, the ray of light that

will still

bear with

it Ilis

image.

196

THE ELEMENTS OP DRAWING,

and then as

as purifying the air for us

food,

[lBT.

and just as neces

—what

Bary to our joy in

all

and leaves,

are meant to teach us as

theui,

I say,

places of the earth,

ttl

these trees

we contemplate

and read or hear their Ijvely language, written or spokep

for us, not in frightful black letters, nor in dull sentences, but

m

fair

green and shadowy shapes of waving words, and blos-

somed brightness of odoriferous intrusive wisdom,

Well, reader

I

am

may be

and sweet whispers of un-

wit,

and playful morality.

my

sorry myself to leave the wood, whatever ;

but leave

it

we

must, or

we

shall

compose no

more pictures to-day. This law of radiation, then, enforcing unison of actiou arising from, or proceeding to,

some given

point,

is

in

perhaps, of

principles of composition, the most influential in producing

all

the beauly of groups of form.

or interesting,

but

this

Other laws make them

generally

In the arrangement of masses in pictures,

beautiful.

stantly obeyed

by

great composers

tiie

principality, with careful

forcible

chief in rendering

is

;

concealment of

but, like its

them

it is

con-

the law of

imperativeness, the

point to which the lines of main curvature are directed being

very often far away out of the picture.

a system of curves

will

Sometimes, however,

be empluj^od deQnitely to exalt, by their

concurrence, the value of some leading object, and then the law

becomes traceable enough. Id the inRtance before us, the principal object being, as we

have seen, the tower on the bridge, Turner has determined that bis

system of curvature should have

K)wer.

The diagram

p, '12., will

towers, and the

bank

Fig, 34, p. 182,,

show how is

its

this

is

done.

origin in the top of thia

compared with Fig. 32

Ouc curve

joins the

two

continued by Die back of the figure sitting on

into the piece of Itent timber.

of great importance, and Turner has

This

is

a limiting curve

drawn a considerahie

pari

LM. of

III.

ON COLOUU AND

J

191

COMPOSlTIOlf.

with the edge of the timber very carefully, and then led

it

the eye

up to the

by some white spots and indica

sitting girl

tious of a ledge in the

bank

then the passage to the tops of

;

the towers cannot be missed.

The next curve of

begun and drawn carefully

is

course by the rudder

its

and the heads of the

it is

;

figures,

for half an inch

then taken up by the basket

and leads accurately to the tower

The gunwales of both the boats begin the next two

angle. curves,

which meet

in the

same point

;

and

are centrali&id

all

by the long reflection which continues the vertical

Subordinated to

this first

lines.

system of curves there

begun by the small crossing bar of wood inserted behind the rudder

which the figure

;

sits,

another,

is

angle

in the

continued by the bottom of the bank on interrupted forcibly beyond

up again by the water-line leading to the bridge

it,'

bat taken

foot,

and

pass-

ing on in delicate shadows under the arches, not easily shown in so

This

rude a diagram, towards the other extremity of the bridge. is

a most important curve, indicating that the force and

sweep of the river have indeed been large arches

;

in

old times under the

while the antiquity of the bridge

is

told us by

the long tongue of land, either of carted rubbish, or

down by some minor and

is

now used

washed

stream, which has interrupted this curve,

as a landing-place for the boats,

and

for

em

barkation of merchandise, of wliich some bales and bundles ar< laid in a heap,

'

immediately beneath the great tower.

In the smaller figure (82.),

it will

be seen that

caused by a cirt coming down to the water's edge

;

A

com

this interruption if

and

this objoct is ser-

viceable as beginning another system of curves leading out of the picture

on the outline.

right,

As

but so obscurely drawn as not to be easily represented

it is

been omitted

unnecessary to the exp'anation of our point here,

in tlie larger

diagram, the direction of the crrve

oaing indicated by the 1a.shes only.

it

'H

it lia^

begini

198

tflfi

BLE11EOT8 Ot DRAWING.

mon composer would hare put other, but

its

tured base adorns a pillar )f its

;

he uses them as a foundation

importance precisely as the sculp-

and he farther increases the aspect

;

height by throwing the reflection of

it

down

far

in the

All the great composers have this same feeling

nearer water.

about sustaining their vertical masses Prout using the

artifice

:

you

most dexterously

will constantly find

(see, for instance, the

with the wheelbarrow under the great tower, in the

figure

sketdi of St. Nicolas, at Prague, and the white group of

under the tower Titian,

in the

sketch of Augsburg

aod Tintoret continually put

;

')

most prominent instance of

their principal figures at

his composition

on

being the drawing of Turin from the Superga, I chose

already given

Fig. 20.,

figure!'

and Veronese,

Turner found out their secret very

bases of pillars.

Italy.

Ill

these bales to one side or the

Turner knows better

tower, adding to

for his

[vtt.

to

early, the

this principle in

Ilakewell's

illustrate

foliage

drawing, chiefly because, being another instance of precisely the

same arrangement,

it will

serve to convince you of its being

There, the vertical, formed by the larger tree,

tentional.

inis

continued by the figure of the farmer, and that of one of the smaller trees by his stick.

The

lines of the interior

mass of the

bushes radiate, under the law of radiation, from a point behind the farmei-'s head

;

but their outline curves are carried on and

repeated, under the law of continuity, by the curves of the dog

and boy

—by

the way, note the remarkable instance in these 3f

the use of darkest lines towards the light

guidiug the eye up to the right, the ture,

Keep

of Windsor, which

as the bridge tower

irhicb the

is

is

in

;



all

more or

order to bring

it

the central object of the

ia the

Goblentz.

The

les»

finally to pic-

wall oc

boy climbs answers the purpose of contrasting, botb

'

Both

io the Bketcbes io

Flande rt and QeruiMiy.

and character, with these greater curves

(iirectioQ

in

lOt

OH COLOtJR AND COMPOSITION.

LET. lU.]

;

thu*

correspondiug as nearly as possible to the minor tongue of laud in

This, however, introduces us to another law,

the Ooblentz.

wliich

we must

consider separately.

THE LAW OP CONTRAST.

6.

Of course the character

of everything

rise

out of silence

darkness, darkness by light art every colour has an

reLeve

will

best manifested bj

Rest can only be enjoyed after labour

Contrast.

heard clearly, must

it,

is

it

;

light

;

and so on

sound, to be

;

is

exhibited by

opponent colour, which,

if

may

be made

an opponent form or

line

near them

so, also,

;

more striking to the eye by ;

a curved line

is

set

a straight one, a massy form by a slight one, and so on

good work nearly double the

all

or form would have uucombined,

in

brought near

more completely than any other

every form and line

Now

in all things.

value, is

;

ofif

by

and

in

which any given colour

given to each by contrast.'

In this case again, however, a too manifest use of the artifice vulgarises a picture. visibly,

Great painters do not commonly, or very

They introduce

admit violent contrast.

and with

intermediate links

indeed, the opposition to

tell

of

tender change

upon the mind as a

it

by stealth

;

allowing,

surprise, but

not as a shock.*

'

If

you happen

to

meet with the plate of Durer'e representing a coat

of arms with a skull in the shield, note the value given to the concave

curves and sharp point of the helmet by the convex leafage carried roun4 it

in front

;

and the use of the blank white part of the shield

in opposing

the rich folds of the dress. *

Turner hardly ever, as far as

oppose a

full

dark, without

I

remember, allows a strong

some intervening

tint.

light t«

His suns never set

ochind dark mountains without a film of cloud above the mountain't

THE ELEMENTS OF DRAWING.

'iOO

ITius

rock of Ehreubreitstein, Fig. 35.,

in the

cmreat of the

[lET

111

the maiu

being downwards, in a convex swell, thej

lines

are suddenly stopped at the lowest tower by a counter series ol beds,

nearly

directed

force sets ciled to

oflf

and

by a

it

across them.

straight

This adverse

relieves the great curvature, but

it

is

recon

which at

series of radiating lines below,

first

sympathize with the oblique bar, then gradually get steeper, till

they meet and join in the

fall

No

of the great curve.

sage, however intentionally monotonous,

is

pas-

ever introduced by

a good artist without soTne slight counter current of this kind so much, indeed, do the great composers feel the necessity of

that they will even do things purposely in

or unsatisfactorily^

ill

order to give greater value to their well-doing in other places.

In a skilful poet's versification the so-called

are not inferior because he could not do

cause he feels that

if all

bad or

them

;

if all

the melody itself would be fatiguing

;

were equally melodious,

and he purposely

duces the labouiing or discordant verse, that the his

felt in

inferior lines

better, but be-

were equally weighty, there would be

no real sense of weight anywhere

be

;

it,

full

ring

main sentence, and the finished sweetness

chosen rhythm.*

And

intro-

in

may his

contitmally in painting, inferior artists

destroy their work by giving too

much

of

all

that they think

is

good, while the great painter gives just enough to be enjoyed,

and passes to an opposite kind of enjoyment, cr to an state of

enjoyment '

**

A

:

he gives a passage of

inferior

rich, Involved, ei

prudent chief not always must displaj

Hi* powers

But with

in cquui ranks anells

colour hardly

felt

anywhere.

in

its wilful

bad

All its

in

har-

German too

fre-

refusals of fact

by reason of a feverish kind of excitement, which

violently on particular points,

thought

trenchant white

apt to be out of harmony, in consequence of

]uent conditions of affectation, and 03

to

almost sure to be the case with

and makes

the picture to stand on end, as

it

all

the lines of

were, like a cat'»

Hi

tHE ELEMENTS OF DRAWING.

fur electrified

good woik

while

;

always as quiet as a

til

coucbtiiil

and as strong.

leopard

ha?e now stated to you

I

is

fLEt

me

occur to

the laws of composition whicb

all

as capal)le of being illustrated or defined

but

;

there are multitudes of others which, in the present state of

knowledge, define

I

cannot define, aud others which

aud these the most important, aud connected with the

;

deepest powers of the art.

Among

those which I hope to bo

able to explain when. I have thought of

them more, are the

laws which relate to nobleness and ignobleness ness especially which in its essence,

is

we commonly

hope to explain, are

chiefly

Among

those which

but, for that very reason,

;

than any others.

These

are,

as inexplicable as our bodily sensations are

impossible, I think, to explain

notes

'

ar.vei

J

laws of expression, and others

bearing simply on simple matters influential

that ignoble-

;

call " vulgarity," and which;

one of the most curious subjects of inquiry

connected with human feeling.

more

mj

never hope to

I

why one

from tne

it

;

first,

being just us

succession of musical

be noble and pathetic, and such as might h&ve

shall

beeu suQg by Casella to Dante, aud why another succession

aud

l)ase

ridiculous,

and would be

good ear of Bottom, as

The

d.slike bitterness.

iaexplicablc

'

In

(beir

good because

is

we

like

BUcci'Knion it

like sweetness,

it

good

is

;

work

is

and

always

and innocently

entirely inexplicable, nor can lilce

likiiij? it, if

a right and a wrong in

muaic

is

m wo

Just

rfifructory pcn»on into

M eUo io

why we

best part of every great

the best arraiigomcnta of colour, the delight occasioued b;

all

mode of

•boat;

it

:

to explain

la

only for the reasonably

fit

it,

it

bo rea-soned

an air in niusio, but oaroot reaflon &nj they do not

aud a good

:

und yet there

taate luid

is

diutiuetlj

b«d test* reapectiug

it

LSt.

al"

ON COLOUR AKD C0MP3SITI0K.

Itl.]

gracious, opening as

ilic

green of the earth, or falling as the

(lew of heaven.

But though you cannot explain them, you may always render

more

yourself more and

sensitive to these higher qualities by

the discipline which you generally give to your character, and

with regard to the choice of incidents

this especially

;

a kind

of composition in some sort easier than the artisiical arrange-

and colours, but

knents of lines

addressed to deeper

For

instance, in the "

The

poses.

the river, ject

purpose

first

and make

every sort nobler, because

last vignette

Datur Hora Quieti," the

Poems, the plough

to Roger's

in

feelings.

is

the foreground has three pur-

in

meet the stream of sunlight on

to

brighter by opposition; but any dark

it

whatever would have done

this.

Its second

purpose

is,

two arms, to repeat the cadence of the group of the two and thus give a greater expression of repose figures

would have done

purpose

as

is,

it lies

Its third

this.

abandoned

in the

being moored, and having their

human labour

sails

and

ol>-

by

its

shij)S,

but two sitting

;

cl.ief,

or pathetic,

furrow (the vessels also

down), to be a type of

The parts

closed with the close of day.

of

which the hand leans are brought most clearly into sight

it

on

and

;

they are the chief dark of the picture, because the tillage of the ground the

soft

is

required of

light

sweetest after

we glance

it.

as a punishment

of the setting toil.

sun

brigliter,

These thoughts

carelessly at the design

assuredly affects the

aieunt

man

feelings,

;

and

may

have

because rest

is

never occur to us as

and yet

their

increases,

under current

as

the

paint ei

should, the impression of melancholy, and of peace.

Again, in the " Lancaster Sands," which I

but they make

;

marked

as

is

one of the plates

most desirable for your posscssiou

stream of light which

falls

;

the

from the setting sun on the advauc

ing tide stands similarly in need of

some

force of near object tu

*

m

ELEMENTS OF DRAWING.

Tflfi

at

the swoop of an angry seagull at a dog,

is

drawing back as the wave

it,

type of the anger of

over his

rises

shrieks within a foot of his face.

•ea's

LET.

lit

But the iucideut which Turmjr has here

relieve its brightness.

adopted

I

feet,

who

yelps

and the bird

unexpected boldness

Its

is

a

ocean element, and warns us of the

its

advance just as surely as the abandoned plough told us of

the ceased labour of the day. It

however,

not,

is

much

so

the

in

of single

selection

the feeUng which regulates the

Incidents of this kind as in

arrangement of the whole subject that the mind of a great

composer a

is

A

known.

felicitous chance, as

may be

single incident

suggested by

a pretty motto might be for the head-

But the great composers so arrange

ing a chapter.

all their

designs that one incident illustrates another, just as one colour

Perhaps the "Heysliam," of the Yorkshire

relieves another.

series which, as to its locality,

to the last

may

drawing we have spoken

be considered a companion of,

presents as interesting an example as feeling in this respect. Tillage,

The subject

or red roofs

,

;

discern

the

ranged

ia

little

traffic

U something is

not in the

houses

from

the

there

is

ou

the

in

common

a somewhat monotonous

moss that at fields

closed at the end by a

ftrcet

;

there are no pretty bow-windows,

the roofs so green with

way

a simple nortli-couutry

nothing but a single street of thatched and

chiefly clay-built cottages,

gate

:

find of Turner's

or rocky steps of entrance to the rustic doors,

or quaint gables

of

is

on the shore of Morecambe Bay

sense, a picturesque village

line,

the " Lancaster Sands,"

we could

and

first

trees.

we hardly The

village

wooden gate, indicating

road

through

it,

the

and giving

the look of a large farmstead, in which a righ*

lies

through the yard.

Tiic road

full

of ruts, and winds

down a bad

which leads to bit of hill

tiiiii

betwecu

two brokcD banks of moor ground, succeeding immediately

eudosures which surround the vilhige

Ihe few

to

hardly be called fencing

iH

ON COLOUR AND COMrOSITION.

LKT. IH.J

fill

dothes on

g.*>.rdeus

but a decayed fragment or two of

;

the gaps in the bank striped

it,

they cai

,

and a

;

and

blue

with some

clothes-line,

and a smock-frock,

red,

stretched between the trunks of some stunted willows

it

a rerj

;

small haystack and pigstye being seen at the back of the cot

tage beyond.

An

empty, two-wheeled, lumbering cart, drawn

by a pair of horses with huge wooden

along the

rough road,

At the end of the

of stone is

it

village there

one of

no doubt the clergyman's its

is

kitchen,

long lighted.

and

A

it

few

there

;

only by

its

ono would expect

is

This

some smoke from

is

in

the sea, are

;

this

such a village ;

clergyman'.s

little

neater

;

close to

of a border war-tower, standing

of the

feet

than

perhaps lately built by

and beyond the church,

'

on their circular mound, worn on

Puseyism" was unknown

not having been the

the church, discernible from the

is

low-arched belfry, a

two fragments

and farrows by the

fire

hundred yards from

the Puseyite incumbent

^*

and the roof

but very rougii.

rather thick, the

is

house, nearer the shore,

'

roof,

its

from the lowest chimney at the back, evidently that

of

cottr.ge

in

chimneys, none from any other in the village

smoke th'^

a better house, with three

is

instead of thatch,

shingle

going slowly home

is

being about country dinner-time.

chimneys and a dormer window

house

collars, the driver sitting

the sun, sideways on the leader,

'lazily in

its

brow deep

village

in the days

when

bot the kindly and helpful influences of what

into edges

children.

On

the

drawing was made

this

may be

;

called ecclesiastical

sentiment, which, in a morbidly exuggerated condition, forms one of the

— use —had been

onucipal elements of " Puseyism," ixictiug

which

will

serve for

it,

I

northern districts long before.

10

this

word

regretfully,

known and

feit in

no other our wUd

THE ELEMENTS OF DRAWING.

5J18

bank of the

dog barking

a vixenish

-at

one: the milkmaid

feeding another, a gentle white one, which turns

Is

HI

which forms the foreground, are a few cows,

injor,

carter's

[lET.

head

its

to her,

expectant of a handful of fresh hay, which she ha:

brought

for

her blue aj)ron, fastened up round her waist

in

it

ehe stands with

;

on her head, evidently the village

pail

liei"

coquette, for she has a neat bodice, and pretty striped petticoat

under the blue apron, and red stockings.

Nearer

us,

tlit

cowherd, barefooted, stands on a piece of the Umestone rock (for the

ground

whether boy or a

girl's

girl

we are not

probably the

;

sure

first,

;

girl

to bare feet)

may be

it

;

a boy, with

with a pair of ragged

as the old bonnet

is

evidently

keep the sun out of our eyes when we are looking

to

among

strayed cows

for

and not pleasurable

worn-out bonnet on, or a

trowsers on useful

thistly

is

at present to watch

the moorland hollows, and helps us

(holding the bonnet's edge down) the

quarrel of the vixenish

cow with the dog, which, leaning on

our long stick, we allow to proceed without any interference.

A

little

the right the hay

to

being got

is

in,

of which the

milkmaid has just taken her apronful to the white cow the hay

very

is

of the rocks

;

thin,

it

carry

hard

but

and cannot well be raked up because

we must glean

of our stack behind the

a bundle of

;

it

like corn,

willows

to

it

safely

any.

Beyond the

village

to is

hence the smallncsa

and a woman

kneeling

together,

edge,

;

the

against

hay-cart

a rocky

hill,

is

pressing

the

rock's

without dropping

deep set with brush-

wood, a square crag or two of limestone cmergiLg here and there, with pleasant turf

on their brows, heaved

in russet

and

mossy mounds against the sky, which, clear and calm, and as

golden

the sea.

as

A

the

mo.ss,

stretches

single cottage Just

vf the hill, looking

seaward

;

down behind

shows

its

it

towards

roof over the edge

perhaps one of the village

ahii\>

ON COLOUR AND COMPOSITIOX.

Lir. 1X1.]

herds

runs

aad may have

a sea captaiu now,

is

mother may

bis

the

into

Then under the

bay.

border tower, over the sand

sea

blue

the

is

long curved

in

built it there, that

the sails of his ship whenever

sec

first

21V»

itself,

slowly

lines,

and beyond

hill,

;

but no

;

on



miles

not one fisherboat on the beach,

sail is visible,

not one dark speck on the

Beyond

horizon.

qijiet

Cumberland mountains, clear

the

in

shadows of cloud

and glcaras of shallow water on white sand alternating

away

the

waves flowing

the

il

in the sun,

are

all

with rosy light

all their crags.

I

should

thhik

harmony there

in

cannot but

reader

the

is

this

composition

;

feel

the

the kind of

purpose

entire

of the painter to give us the impression of wild, yet gentle,

country

monotonous as the succession of the

life,

waves, patient and enduring as the rocks full

mountain

and baptismal dew of heaven,

air

tween days of

noiseless

but peaceful, and

and quiet hope, and sanctified by the pure

health

of

;

toil

falling softly be-

and nights of innocence.

All noble composition of this kind can be reached only instinct

you caiuiot

:

you may see invent

it.

expression,

it,

and

set yourself to

seize

it,

at

And your power among

in its

much alone

own

stillness.

discerning what

best in

is

own mind

as to allow

The

noisy

it

to

life

;

above

all,

become acutely

of modern days

on your sensitive is

wholly

incompatible with any true perception of natural beauty.

you go down into Cumberland by the railroad, frequented hotel, and explore the

hills

live in

If

some

with merry companions,

however ranch you may enjoy your tour or their conversation, depend upon

you

it

subject rightly

;

;

natural subjects, depends wholly on the tem-

per in which you keep your living so

arrange such a subject

times, but never laboriously

all

of

by

you

will

will

never choose so

much

as one pictorial

not see into the depth of any.

Ba*

820

THE ELEMENTS OF DRAWING.

take knapsack and stick, walk towards the

journeys

—ten or twelve

miles a day

hills

by short day's

hills

—taking a week from some away

starting-place sixty or seventy miles Utile wayside inns, or the

[lBT. in.

sleep at the pretty

:

rough village ones

then take the

;

as they tempt you, following glen or shore as your eye

glances or your heart guides, wholly scornful of local fame or fashion

and of everything which

,

duty to

pride to do.

see, or

.

anything when you are not

away from what you

yourself

thing better

world

Never the

in

feel to

the ordinary traveller's

force yourself to admire

humour

;

be lovely,

but never force in

search of any-

and gradually the deeper scenes of the natural

:

will unfold

of passionate

is

it

themselves to you in

power

;

and your

still

increasing fulness

difficulty will

be no more to

seek or to compose subjects, but only to choose one from

among

the multitude of melodious thoughts with which you will be

haunted, thoughts which will of course be noble or original proportion to your of mind

:

for it

is

own depth

not so

in

of character and general power

much by

the consideration you give to

any single drawing, as by the previous

discipline of

your powers

of thought, that the character of your composition will be

determined.

Simplicity of

life will

make you

sensitive to the

retnement and modesty of scenery, just as inordinate excite-

ment and pomp of

daily

and affected forms. rate

judgment

will

your actions wise four living

opoD the

;

make your

make you

enjoy coarse colours

art precious, as they will

make

and every increase of noble enthusiasm

spirit will

Itrorks

life will

Habits of patient comparison and accu-

be measured by the reflection of

of your hands. Faithfully yours .T.

in

its light

RURWH

APPENDIX.

THIKQS TO BB STUDIED Thb worct danger by exposed, 80

is

much

self to ter,

far,

to which

a sclitury student

that of liking things that he shonld not.

his difficulties, as his tastes,

conquer

;

many works

which

lie

It is

must

fc

not

set him-

and although, under the guidance of a ma* of art

may be made

instructive,

which arc

only of partial excellence (the good and bad of them being

duly distinguished), his safeguard, as long as he studies ahme, will

be

in

allowing himself to possess only things, in their way,

80 free from faults, that nothing he copies in

them can

seriously

mislead him, and to contemplate only those works of art which

he knows to be either perfect or noble therefore set

down

whom you may you may is

kittle.

It

and a

in their errors.

I will

names of the masters

few^

of the books which

In these days of cheap illustration, the

always rather of your possessing too much than too

may admit

bad art may set

off

on the whole,

wholesome

I

safely admire,

safely possess.

danger

but.

clear order, the

in

food,

I

of

and

some question, how

far the looking at

illustrate the characters of the

believe it is best to live always

and that our

taste of

it

will not

good

;

on quite

be made mor«

k^^

APPENDIX.

acute by feediug,

however temporauly, on

ashes.

Of

course

works of the great masters can only be serviceable to the

the

made

student after he has

considerable progress himself.

Tt

only wastes the time and dulls the feelings of young persons, to

drag them through picture galleries

at least, unless they them-

;

Generally, young

selves wish to look at particular pictures.

people only care to enter a picture gallery when there

chance of getting leave to run a race to the other end of

it

is

a

and

;

they had better do that in the garden below, —if, however, they have any real enjoyment of pictures, and want to look at this

one or that, the principal point

never to disturb them

is

looking at what interests them,, and never to at

what does

Nothing

not.

is

young people

of the least use to

(nor,

by the way, of much use to old ones), but what

them

;

and

therefore,

though

it

is

in

make them look

interests

of great importance to pui

nothing but good art into their possession, yet when they are passing through great houses or galleries, they should be allow-

ed to look precisely at what pleases them

them as

way

in

a boy has had

and goes up

what he was begin

in

the

it

like,

that

to is

by the

a Vandyck

;

if

way

0**

in

which he can

.sees in it is

a likeness to a

the wholesomest ;

and

if

a

way

girl's

with dreams of angels and saints, and she pauses

heaven, that

ftndy

not

he love mountains, and

Ueforc an Angelico bccayse she thinks like

it,

of some great man,

life

which he can begin the study of landscape is filled

at

portrait of him, to see

the wholcsomest

study of portraiture

YorkKhire scar, or an Alpine pass, that

mind

not useful to

and the healthiest

when they look

is

dwell on a Turner drawing because he

io

;

represents something they h'ke in nature.

his heart filled

thirstily

if it is

:

some other way

which art can interest them

as art, but because If

be

art, it will

is

the wholesomest

religious art.

it

way

must surely be indeed for her to begin

tb«

tttlNGS TO BE STUDIED,

When, however,

.

the studeut has

'^^O

made some

definite

progress

and every picture becomes really a guide to him, false or true, in his

own work,

much

80

to trust

it is

as look at

me

of great importance that he should nevei

bad art

;

and then,

the reader

if

willing

is

in the matter, the following advice will be useful

In which, with his permission, I will quit the indirect

to him.

and return

more

to the epistolary addresa, as being the

c «•

Tenient. First, in Galleries of Pictures

You may

1.

:

look, with trust in their being

Titian, Veronese, Tintoret, Giorgione,

quez

;

John

always right, at

and Velas

Bellini,

the authenticity of the picture being of course estab

Ushed for you by proper authority. 2,

You may

tion of right

Francia,

look with admiration, admitting, however, que*

and wrong,' at Van Eyck, Holbein, Perugino

Angelico, Leonardo da Vinci,

Correggio,

Vandyck

Rembrandt, Reynolds, Gainsborough, Turner, and the modern Pre-Raphaelites.*

You had

better look at no other painters

than these, for you run a chance, otherwise, of being led far off the road, or into grievous faults, by

some of the other great

ones, as

Michael Augelo, Raphael, and Rubens

resides,

corrupted in taste by the base ones, as Murillo, Sal*

vator, Claude,

may '

this

I

examples of

do not mean necessarily to imply

evil,

their greatness

;

many

faults,

but such

and sometimes

men

You

with safe universality

inferiority of rank, in saying that

second class of painters have questionable often

and of being,

Gasper Poussin, Teniers, and such others.

look, however, for

men have

;

qualities.

The greates

their faults are a part of

are not, of course, to be looked

upon by

the student with absolute implicitness of faith. •

Including under this term, John Lewis, and William Uuut of the Old

Water-colour, who, take him pelicve, that ever existed.

L

all

in

all, is

the best painter of

still life, ]

424

APPENbti.

of reprobation, beiag

that everything you see

sure

Doraenicliino, the Caracci, Bronzino,

is

bad, ai

and the figure pieces of

Salvator.

Among

named

those

OOK too much

at,

Kelico, Correggio,

but, if

you

study under question, you cannot

foi

nor grow too enthusiastically fond

way

An

Reynolds, Turner, and the Pre-Raphaelites

or other.

for instance,

If,

you must be going wrong you begin

to

lilio

Kern

brandt or Leonardo especially, you are losing your feeling colour

;

if

;

find yourself getting especially fond of any of the

others, leave off looking at them, for

fiome

of,

you

like

Van Eyck

be getting too fond of rigid detail

Gainsborough

for

or Pcrugino especially, you must ;

aud

if

you

like

Vandyck

or

you nmst be too much attracted by

especially,

gentlemanly flimsiness. Secondly, of published, or otherwise multiplied, art, such as

you may be able Ih

shops,

to get yourself, or to see at private houses or

the works of the following masters are the most

desirable, after the Turners,

have asked you to get

1.

Rembraudts, and Durers, which

I

first

Samuel Prout.

All his published lithogra])hic sketches are of the greatest Value, wholly unrivalled in

power of

feeling of architectural subject.

comj)Osition,

and

in love

aud

His somewhat mannered linear

execution, though not to be imitated in your OM'n sketches from

Nature,

may be

great aitiod in it,

safest

may,

is

or con-

one

of

Certainly at

!2^

APPEl^Dll.

present, and perhaps through all your

wisest

when they make you content

literature life

and art are best

and familiar

homble

lore.

for

in

life,

your teachers art

quiet virtue, and that

you which point out,

in

things, the objects for hopeful laboui*,

comraot

and

fox

rUE ELEMENTS OF PERSPECTIVR

I.

TBS

ELEMENTS OF PERSPECTIVE ARRANGED FOR THE DSE OF SCHOOLS,

AND INTENDED TO BE READ IN CONNEXION WITH TH» FIRST THREE ROOKS OF EUCUD.

By AunOK or

JOHN RUSKIN,

M.A.

"HODEKir PAIKTKRS,*^ "BKVXH lamps or AKOHirKOTntB." ''»TOBtl

or vvNiOK," "lcotukbb on AsoirmccruRS and PAiimM

"LU1BNT8 OP DRAWING,"

rTO.

NEW YORK: JOHN WILEY AND SONS, 53 East

Tenth Street,

Second door west of Broadway.

1891.