VERSTERVING (n. f.)

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Wat het woord Harmoge belanght, het schijnt maer alleenlick een onondervindelicke Konst-grepe te beteyckenen, door welcke d’allerbehendighste Konstenaers onghevoelighlick en steelsch-wijse van d’eene verwe in d’andere vallen, sonder datmen de rechte verwisselingh en ’t rechte afscheydsel der selvigher verwen eenighsins kan bespeuren. Wy oordeelen ’t oversulcks niet onghevoeglick tot breeder verstand van dese Harmoge, ofte dit verschiet, een exempel of twee uyt de nature voord te brengen. Want indien wy de gantsch seldsaeme vermenghinge van Zee en Lucht in haer ontwijcken ende ververren oyt hebben aenghemerckt, het en kan ons niet onbekent sijn, hoe wijse beyde ontrent den Horizont ofte ontrent den ghesichteynde, uyt ons ghesicht verliesen; dewijsse nae haer verflauwende verschiet sachtelick in malckander loopen, sich in eenen bedommelden nevel-mist soo wonderbaerlick vereenighende, dat het ons onmogelick is ’t rechte affscheydsel der selvigher aen te wijsen, siet Stat. Papinius Lib. V. Thebaid. Daer is noch in den reghen-boghe een klaerer bewijs van sulcken verschiet der verwen te vinden. Want alhoewelmen in dit veelverwige wonder-werck der nature een groote verscheydenheyd der Coleuren ghewaer wordt, nochtans kanmen niet sien dat de selvighe erghens hardelick aen malckander stooten, dewijlse door een seer aerdigh ververuwde verdrijvinghe niet alleen sachtelick in malckander schijnen te vloeyen, maer oock uyt malckander te groeyen; offe schoon in haere uyterste deylen dapper verschillen, evenwel wordense een in ’t raeken; wantse weder-sijds in haeren tusschen grond soo gantsch soetelick verdwijnen, dat men noch d’eene noch d’andere bescheydenlick sien kan; ende in stede van d’een of d’ander vindt men maer alleen de verstervinghe van twee verwen, die allenghskens verbleyckende heymelick in malckander worden versmolten, siet Ovid. Lib. VI. Metamorph. en Seneca Lib. I. Nat. quaest. Cap. 3.

[Suggested translation, Marije Osnabrugge:] What the term Harmoge is concerned, it appears to just mean an invisible Art-practice, by which the most able Artists move inappropiately and furtively from one colour to the next, without any possibility to perceive the real change and the real border of the same colours. For this reason we do not find it unseemly to produce an example or two from nature to futher understand this Harmoge or chromatic degradation. Because if we have ever seen the rather rare mixing of Sea and Sky in its reclining and distancing, it cannot be unknown to us, how we lose them both out of sight near the Horizon or the vanishing point; the manner in which they softly flow into eachother towards the fading chromatic degradation, uniting themselves so miraculously in a damp fog, that it is impossible to us to point out its true border, see Stat. Papinius (…). In the rainbow we can find an even clearer proof of such a degradation of colours. Because although one becomes aware of the great diversity of colours through this multicolour miracle-work of nature, nevertheless one cannot see that they bump harshly against eachother somewhere, while they appear to not only softly flow into eachother through a very fine painted diminuition of colours, but also grow away from each other; although they differ very much in the outer parts, yet they become one in touching; as they disappear so sweetly in their shared space, that one cannot see one or the other separately; and instead of one or the other one only finds the corruption of two colours, that are secretly melted into eachother by gradually fading, see Ovid (…).

The terms verschiet, verdrijving and versterving are difficult to translate to English. I have chosen the terms degradation (of colours), diminuition and corruption. The user is advised to carefully reconsider these suggested translations. [MO]

harmoge · verschiet · verdrijvinge

Conceptual field(s)

EFFET PICTURAL → qualité des couleurs
EFFET PICTURAL → perspective