22

HINTS of OCCURRENCES, &c.

their drawings; for the beautiful tints that are feen in nature, are too various and tranfient, and the circumftances to

be attended to in the forms and outlines of natural objects, too numerous for the niceft judge, or the moft curious and

attentive obferver, to bear in his mind. The defe61s of memory are confequently fupplied by invention; hence it

happens, that the works of many artifts are frequently diftinguiftied by the forms and colouring of their rocks, trees,

or other interefting obje6ts, which being nearly alike in all fubje6ts, give a famenefs to their produ6tions, which never

can appear in works copied from nature. The fame may be obferved of pencilling; thofe who ftudy the works of

eminent mailers, are folicitous only to acquire their manner of producing effe£ts. Thofe who ftudy nature, will be as

*

various in their manner, as in their fubje6ts; for the a6tual produ61ion of effe<5ts, not the manner of producing them,will be the obje£t of their folicitude. The firft point of excellence to which an artift can attain, is to copy nature cor-rectly ; the next, to give a clofe imitation of her beauties, which cannot be too minutely ftudied.

The chiaro ofcuro is, in general, a material objeCt of attention, for the moment of delineation Ihould be delayed,’till an opportunity of exprefting its moft pleafing effeCt occurs. I have frequently feen views in this tour, which haveappeared to me for feveral days without any force or effeCt, which when properly illumined, have become ftrikinglybeautiful: and, I believe, there are few who b^ftow any attention on the fubjeCt, that have not feen the moft triflingoutlines made charming by the mere effcCl of the fun. It is therefore my invariable praCtice, when the time permits,to {ketch the contours of feveral drawings, and to referve the finifhing of them, till fuitable and pleafing effeCts areproduced in nature. When thefe do not arife to give exercife to the judgment and tafte of an artift, (on which thechoice of the chiaro ofcuro belt fuited to the fubjeCt muft in all cafes depend) it may be allowable to give a little in-dulgence to his imagination. There is, indeed, one general rule admitted in drawing from nature, which leaves greatfcope and latitude to the fancy, viz. that although it be contrary to every idea of propriety, to throw a light on anypart of a landfcape, from whence the rays of the fun are excluded by an intervening objeCt, it is allowable for a fhadowto be introduced wherever the artift pleafes; becaufe the fame objects that are vividly illumined in one minute, maythe next appear in a fainter light, from the intervention of a thin tranfparent cloud; or be entirely (haded by a moregloomy one, impervious to the rays of the fun. The greateft force and moft pleafing effect are difplayed, when theatmofphere is furcharged with fleeting clouds; ftrong fhadows being then oppofed to ftrong lights, the artift has an op-portunity of giving the utmoft force to his fubje£t, and of difplaying the nicety of his judgment, by proportioning thedegrees of light to the importance of the obje£ts to be illumined; which cannot be correctly done, when the uniformglare of an unclouded fun overfpreads the whole region. Great {kill and tafte, however, are required to produce a goodand proper effed from the introdu&ion of various lights; for unlefs one of them be fufficiently predominant to attra6lthe firft notice, the eye wanders over the fubjeft without diftinguifhing the principal obje<5t, which in every poffible cafe,both in hiftory and landfcape-painting, fhould be illumined by the principal light.

THE END OF THE SECOND NUMBER.