PAINTER (n.)

BILD-MALER (deu.) · KUNSTMALER (deu.) · MALER (deu.) · PEINTRE (fra.) · PITTORE (ita.) · SCHILDER (nld.)
TERM USED AS TRANSLATIONS IN QUOTATION
KUNSTENAAR (nld.) · PEINTRE (fra.) · SCHILDER (nld.) · SCHILDERKUNST (nld.)
TERM USED IN EARLY TRANSLATIONS
PEINTRE (fra.)
GERMER, Stefan (éd.), Les Vies de Poussin. Bellori, Félibien, Passeri, Sandrart, Paris, Macula, 1994.
HECK, Michèle-Caroline, « PEINTRE », dans HECK, Michèle-Caroline (éd.), LexArt. Les mots de la peinture (France, Allemagne, Angleterre, Pays-Bas, 1600-1750) [édition anglaise, 2018], Montpellier, Presses Universitaires de la Méditerranée, 2018, p. 374-381.
HEINICH, Nathalie, Du peintre à l’artiste. Artisans et académiens à l’âge classique, Paris, Éditions de Minuit, 1993.
KRIS, Ernst et KURZ, Otto, L'Image de l'artiste. Légende, mythe et magie : un essai historique, Paris, Rivages, 1987.
WARNKE, Martin, L’Artiste et la cour. Aux origines de l’artiste moderne, Paris, Éditions de la maison des sciences de l'homme, 1989.
WASCHEK, Matthias (éd.), Les vies d'artistes, Actes du colloque international de Paris, Paris, Musée du Louvre Éd. - École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts, 1996.
WITTKOWER, Rudolf et WITTKOWER, Margot, Les enfants de Saturne : psychologie & comportement des artistes de l'Antiquité à la Révolution française, Paris, Macula, 1985.

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LINKED QUOTATIONS

7 sources
20 quotations

Quotation

Of Graving.
It is possible for one to be a good Painter, and yet not to be able to draw well with the pen, because there is not required in a Painter such a curious and exact carriage of the hand : but it is impossible for one ever to Grave or Etch well, except he can draw well with the pen. First therefore presupposing you can doe the first before you attempt the second, you must provide divers graving tooles, both long and short : some for hard worke, some for sweet worke, some for smaller worke, and some for greater: also a peece of a Beaver hat, and a good oyle stone, smoothed on one side, and free from pin holes, and plates of Copper or Brasse exactly polished.

Conceptual field(s)

L’ARTISTE → qualités

Quotation

Of the powers of a Painter and Painting
{In reference to Philosophy and Poetry And Painting.}
Philosophers, divide the universe (which is their subject) into three Regions ; Cælestiall, Aeriall, Terrestriall.
So the
POETS, (who imitate humain Life, in measured lines,) have lodged themselves, in three Regions of Mankind ; Court, Citty, and Country.
So the
PAINTERS, (whose Art is to imitate Nature) performe it in three severall Qualities ; Design, Proportion, and Colour.
{Into three sorts.} And these, into three sorts of
Painting ; Prospective, (or Landskip), Historicall, and Life.
Prospective ; a wonderfull freedome, and liberty, to draw, even, what you list, so various is Nature in that.
Historicall ; respects due Proportions and figures.
Life ; only the Colour.
In each of these ; you must have dependency upon all the
other, but necessarily, on each in particular.

Conceptual field(s)

PEINTURE, TABLEAU, IMAGE → définition de la peinture
GENRES PICTURAUX → genres (généralités)

Quotation

Neither yet is this Proportion proper unto painting alone, but extendeth it self even unto all other Arts […] ; because it was the first pattern of all Artificial things : So that there is no Art, but is someway beholding to Proportion : yet notwithstanding the Painter as (Loo Baptista Albertus affirmeth) insomuch as he considereth mans Body more especially, is justly preferred before all other Artizans, which imitate the same, because antiquity meaning to grace Painting above all the rest, Handicrafts men exempting onely Painters out of that number.

Conceptual field(s)

PEINTURE, TABLEAU, IMAGE → comparaison entre les arts

Quotation

Proportion is a correspondency and agreement of the Measure of the parts between themselves and with the whole, in every Work, this correspondency is by Vitruvius called Commodulation, because a Modell is a Measure which being taken at the first measureth both the parts and the whole. […] and without this a Painter (besides that he is not worthy the name of a Painter) is like one which perswadeth himself he swimmeth above Water, when indeed he sinketh, to conclude then it is impossible to make any decent or well proportioned thing, without this Symetrical measure of the parts orderly united.
Wherefore my greatest endeavour shall be, to lay open the worthiness of this part of painting unto all such as are naturally inclined thereunto, by reason of a good temperature joyned with an apt Disposition of the parts thereof, for such men will be much affected therewith, to the end they may the better perceive the force of
Nature : who by industry and help of a good conceipt, will easily attain to so deep a reach, that they will be able upon the sudden to discern any Disproportion, as a thing repugnant to their Nature : unto which perfection on the contrary Side they can never attain, whose Judgements are corrupted through the Distemperature of their Organical parts, I speak of such who not knowing the virtue of proportion, affect nothing else, but the vain surface of garish colours, wrought after their own humour, who prove only Dawbers of Images and Walls throughout the whole World ; moving the beholders partly to smile at their Follies, and partly to greive that the Art should be thus disgraced by such absurde Idiot’s : who as they have no judgement herein ; so do they run into divers other most shamefull errors, into which I never heard that any ever fell, who were acquainted with the Beauty of proportion, but have rather prooved men of rare Spirits and found Judgements, […].

Conceptual field(s)

L’HISTOIRE ET LA FIGURE → proportion
L’ARTISTE → qualités

Quotation

I shall not undertake to determine here, which of these two Arts [ndr : la peinture et la sculpture] deserves our Admiration most : [...] But this I may say in favour of the Art of Painting, whose praises I am now to Celebrate, That it certainly is of a greater Extent than Sculpture, and has an Infiniter Latitude to delight us withal. [...] And from this Idæa of the Art, we may naturally derive a Consequence of the Admiration and Esteem due by us to the Artist ; he who at the same time is both Painter, Poet, Historian, Architect, Anatomist, Mathematician, and Naturalist ; he Records the Truth, Adorns the Fable, Pleases the Fancy, Recreates the Eye, Touches the Soul ; and in a word, entertains you with Silent Instructions, which are neither guilty of Flattery, nor Satyr ; and which you may either give over, or repeat with new Delight as often as you please.
            If these
Qualities do not sufficiently recommend the Owner of them to our Esteem, I know not what can ; and yet by a strange Fatality, we name the word Painter, without reflecting upon his Art, and most dis-ingeniously, seem to place him among the Mechanicks, who has the best Title to all the Liberal Arts.

artist

Conceptual field(s)

L’ARTISTE → qualités

Quotation

Friend.
            I have heard, that in some Pictures of Raphael, the very Gloss of Damask, and the Softness of Velvet, with the Lustre of Gold, are so Expressed, that you would take them to be Real, and not Painted : Is not that as hard to do, as to imitate Flesh ?
                        Traveller.
            No : Because those things are but the stil Life, whereas there is a Spirit in Flesh and Blood, which is hard to Represent. But a good Painter must know how to do those Things you mention, and many more : As for Example, He must know how to Imitate the Darkness of Night, the Brightness of Day, the Shining and Glittering of Armour ; the Greenness of Trees, the Dryness of Rocks. In a word, All Fruits, Flowers, Animals, Buildings, so as that they all appear
Natural and Pleasing to the Eye. And he must not think as some do, that the force of Colouring consists in imploying of fine Colours, as fine lacks Ultra Marine Greens, &c. For these indeed, are fine before they are wrought, but the Painter’s Skill is to work them judiciously, and with convenience to his Subject.

Conceptual field(s)

L’ARTISTE → qualités

Quotation

Friend,
            I observe, great Painters have generally, either Handsome Wives, or Beautiful Mistrisses, and they are for the most part, extreamly sensible to Beauty.
                        Travellour.
            How can they be otherwise ? being such Judges as they are, of Feature and Proportion ; and having besides, so strong an Imagination, as they must have, to excell in their Art.

Conceptual field(s)

L’ARTISTE → qualités
CONCEPTS ESTHETIQUES → beauté, grâce et perfection

Quotation

Traveller,
            There remained in Græce some little footsteps of the Art [ndr : au Moyen Âge] ; and from thence it was, that about the Year 1250, there came some Painters, who could hardly be called Masters, having scarce any more knowledge of the Art than just to draw the Out-lines without either Grace or Proportion ; the first Schollar they made in Italy, was at Florence, and was called Cimabue ; who being helped by Nature, soon outdid his Masters, and began to give some strength to his Drawings, but still without any great Skill, as not understanding how to manage his Lights and Shadows, or indeed, how to Design truely ; it being it those days an unusual and unattempted thing to Draw after the
Life.

master

Conceptual field(s)

L’ARTISTE → qualités

Quotation

Traveller.
           
The World here in our Northern Climates has a Notion of Painters little nobler than of Joyners and Carpenters, or any other Mechanick, thinking that their Art is nothing but the daubing a few Colours upon a Cloth, and believing that nothing more ought to be expected from them at best, but the making a like Picture of any Bodys Face.
            Which the most Ingenious amongst them perceiving, stop there ; and though their Genius would lead further into the noble part of History Painting, they check it, as useless to their Fortune, since they should have no
Judges of their Abilities, nor any proportionable Reward of their Undertakings. So that till the Gentry of this Nation are better Judges of the Art, ’tis impossible we should ever have an Historical Painter of our own, nor that any excellent Forreigner should stay amongst us.

Conceptual field(s)

L’ARTISTE → qualités
SPECTATEUR → jugement

Quotation

Traveller.
            Invention
is the Manner of Expressing that Fable and Story which the Painter has chosen for the Subject of his Piece ; and may principally be divided into Order and Decorum. By the first, the Painter places the parts of his Subject properly, so as the Spectator may imagine that the thing did not happen otherwise than as it is there Represented ; and so as the whole Content of the Story, though it imbrace never so many Figures, make but one BODY, Agreeing with its self in all its Parts.
For Example : Suppose a Painter to Represent the Story of the Jews gathering Manna in the Desart ; he must so order it, that the Persons employed in the Piece do all do the same thing, though in different Aptitudes ; and there must appear in their Countenances the same Joy and Desire of this Heavenly Food ; and besides, he must Represent a Countrey proper, and give his Figures their Draperies according to the Customs and Manners of the Nation he Represents : all this Raphael has done in this very Story : and indeed, that part of Invention was so great in him, that he seldom Designed a Story in his first SCHIZZOS, that he did not do it four or five several ways, to choose at last the best. But to do this, a Painter, besides a Fanciful, Flourisihing Genius of his own, must help himself by reading both History and Fable, and Conversing with Poets and Men of Learning ; but above all, the Painter must have a care that he pitch not upon such an Invention as is beyond his Forces to perform.

Conceptual field(s)

L’ARTISTE → qualités
L’ARTISTE → règles et préceptes

Quotation

I am sorry the Great, and Principal End of the Art has hitherto been so little Consider’d ; I don’t mean by Gentlemen only, or by Low, Pretended Connoisseurs, But by those who ought to have gone higher, and to have Taught Others to have Followed them. ‘tis no Wonder if many who are accustom’d to Think Superficially look on Pictures as they would on a Piece of Rich Hangings ; Or if such as These, (and some Painters among the rest) fix upon the Pencil, the Colouring, or perhaps the Drawing, and some little Circumstantial Parts in the Picture, or even the just Representation of common Nature, without penetrating into the Idea of the Painter, and the Beauties of the History, or Fable. I say ‘tis no wonder if this so frequently happens when those whether Ancients or Moderns, who have wrote of Painting, in describing the Works of Painters in their Lives, or on other occasions have very rarely done any more ; Or in order to give us a Great Idea of some of the Best Painters have told us such Silly Stories as that of the Curtain of Parrhasius which deceiv’d Zeuxis, of the small lines one upon the other in the Contention between Apelles and Protogenes, (as I remember, ‘tis no matter of whom the Story goes) of the Circle of Giotto, and such like ; Trifles, which if a Man were never so expert at without going many degrees higher he would not be worthy the name of a Painter, much less of being remembred by Posterity with Honour.
‘tis true there are some Kinds of Pictures which can do no more than Please, as ‘tis the Case of some Kinds of Writings ; but one may as well say a Library is only for Ornament, and Ostentation as a Collection of Pictures, or Drawings. If That is the Only End, I am sure ‘tis not from any Defect in the Nature of the Things themselves.
I repeat it again, and would inculcate it, Painting is a fine piece of Workmanship ; ‘tis a Beautiful Ornament, and as such gives us Pleasure ; But over and above this We PAINTERS are upon the Level with Writers, as being Poets, Historians, Philosophers and Divines, we Entertain, and Instruct equally with Them.
This is true and manifest beyond dispute whatever Mens Notions have been ;

To wake the Soul by tender Strokes of Art,
To raise the Genius, and to mend the Heart.

Mr. Pope.

is the business of Painting as well as of Tragedy.

Conceptual field(s)

PEINTURE, TABLEAU, IMAGE → comparaison entre les arts
L’ARTISTE → qualités

Quotation

We will only observe further the different Idea given by the Painter, and the Poet [ndr : dans Poussin, Tancrède et Herminie et le Tasse, dans le passage de la Jérusalem céleste s’y rapportant]. A Reader of Tasso that thought less finely than Poussin would form in his Imagination a Picture, but not Such a one as This. He would see a Man of a less Lovely, and Beautiful Aspect, Pale, and all cut, and mangled, his Body, and Garments smear’d with Blood : He would see Erminia, not such a one as Poussin has made her ; and a thousand to one with a pair of Scissars in her hand, but certainly not with Tancred’s Sword : The two Amoretto’s would never enter into his Mind : Horses he would see, and let ‘em be the finest he had ever seen they would be less fine than These, and so of the rest. The Painter has made a finer Story than the Poet, tho’ his Readers were Equal to himself, but without all Comparison much finer than it can appear to the Generality of them. And he has moreover not only known how to make use of the Advantages This Art has over that of his Competitor, but in what it is Defective in the Comparison he has supply’d it with such Address that one cannot but rejoyce in the Defect which occasion’d such a Beautiful Expedient.

Conceptual field(s)

PEINTURE, TABLEAU, IMAGE → comparaison entre les arts

Quotation

A Man may be a very good Painter, and not a good Connoisseur in This particular [ndr : c’est-à-dire dans la manière d’identifier un artiste d’après une œuvre]. To know, and distinguish Hands, and to be able to make a good Picture are very different Qualifications, and require a very different Turn of Thought, and both a particular Application.

Conceptual field(s)

L’ARTISTE → qualités

Quotation

As the Poets, so the Painters have stor’d our Imaginations with Beings, and Actions that never were ; they have given us the Finest Natural, and Historical Images, and that for the same End, to Please, whilst they Instruct, and make men Better. I am not dispos’d to carry on the Parallel, by descending to Particulars, nor is it my Present business : Mr. Dryden has done it, tho’ it were to be wish’d he had been in less Haste, and had understood Painting better when his Fine Pen was so employ’d.

Conceptual field(s)

PEINTURE, TABLEAU, IMAGE → comparaison entre les arts
PEINTURE, TABLEAU, IMAGE → définition de la peinture

Quotation

Words paint to the Imagination, but every Man forms the thing to himself in his Own way : Language is very Imperfect : There are innumerable Colours, and Figures for which we have no name, […] ; whereas the Painter can convey his Ideas of these Things Clearly, and without Ambiguity ; and what he says every one understands in the Sense he intends it.
And this is a Language that is Universal ; Men of all Nations hear the Poet, Moralist, Historian, Divine, or whatever other Character the Painter assumes, speaking to them in their own Mother Tongue.

Conceptual field(s)

PEINTURE, TABLEAU, IMAGE → définition de la peinture

Quotation

But (by the way) ‘tis not every Picture-maker that ought to be called a Painter, as every Rhymer, or Grubstreet Tale-Writer is not a Poet, or Historian : a Painter ought to be a Title of Dignity, and understood to imply a Person endued with such Excellencies of Mind, and Body, as have ever been the Foundations of Honour amongst Men.

Conceptual field(s)

L’ARTISTE → qualités

Quotation

and Painting, as well as Poetry, requiring an Elevation of Genius beyond what pure Historical Narration does ; the Painter must imagine his Figures to Think, Speak, and Act, as a Poet should do in a Tragedy, or Epick Poem ; especially if his Subject be a Fable, or an Allegory. If a Poet has moreover the Care of the Diction, and Versification, the Painter has a Task perhaps at least Equivalent to That, after he has well conceived the thing (over and above what is merely Mechanical, and other particulars, which shall be spoken to presently) and that is the Knowledge of the Nature, and Effects of Colours, Lights, Shadows, Reflections, &c.

Conceptual field(s)

L’ARTISTE → qualités
GENRES PICTURAUX → peinture d’histoire
CONCEPTS ESTHETIQUES → génie, esprit, imagination

Quotation

‘Tis true, the Word Painter does not generally carry with it an Idea equal to what we have of other Professions, or Employments not Superior to it ; the Reason of which is, That Term is appropriated to all sorts of Pretenders to the Art, which being Numerous, and for the most part very Deficient, (as it must needs happen, so few having Abilities and Opportunities equal to such an Undertaking) These consequently have fallen into Contempt ; […] ; and this being visible in a great Majority, it has diminish’d the Idea which ought to be apply’d to the Term I am speaking of ; which therefore is a very Ambiguous one, and should be consider’d as such, if it be extended beyond This, that it denotes one practising such an Art, for no body can tell what he ought to conceive farther of the Man, whether to rank him amongst some of the Meanest, or equal to the most Considerable amongst Men.

Conceptual field(s)

L’ARTISTE → qualités

Quotation

Of INVENTION
BEING determined as to the History that is to be painted, the first thing the Painter has do do, is
To make himself Master of it as delivered by Historians, or otherwise ; and then to consider how to Improve it, keeping within the Bounds of Probability. Thus the Ancien Sculptors imitated Nature ; and thus the best Historians have related their Stories.

Conceptual field(s)

L’ARTISTE → qualités
L’HISTOIRE ET LA FIGURE → sujet et choix

Quotation

AFTER him [ndr : Lysippe de Sicyone] succeded his Scholar Pamphilus de Macedonia, the first that improv’d himself, and the ART, by his Study of good Literature, and especially in Arithmetick and Geometry ; without which, he was of Opinion it was impossible to be a perfect and compleat Painter. His Authority so far prevail’d, that by a strict and perpetual Edict, the States of Greece ordain’d, that all Gentlemens Sons, and Freeborn, should go to the Painting School, and there be taught First, above all Things, the Art Diagraphice : That no Slave should have that Privilege, or under a Penalty be taught by any the ART, or Mystery of Painting ; and that it should be accounted and rang’d in the first Degree of the liberal Sciences.

Conceptual field(s)

L’ARTISTE → qualités
L’ARTISTE → apprentissage