SUBJECT (n.)
TERM USED AS TRANSLATIONS IN QUOTATION
SUJET (fra.)TERM USED IN EARLY TRANSLATIONS
SUJET (fra.)FILTERS
LINKED QUOTATIONS
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)
Quotation
However I will here make him [ndr : au lecteur] an Offer of an Abstract of what I take to be those by which a Painter, or Connoisseur, may safely conduct himself, referring to the Book it self for further Satisfaction.
I. The Subject must be finely Imagin’d, and if possible Improv’d in the Painters Hands ; He must Think well as a Historian, Poet, Philosopher, or Divine, and moreover as a Painter in making a Wise Use of all the Advantages of his Art, and finding Expedients to supply its Defects.
Conceptual field(s)
Quotation
PAINTING is indeed a Difficult Art, productive of Curious pieces of Workmanship, and greatly Ornamental ; and its Business is to represent Nature. Thus far the Common Idea is just ; Only that ‘tis More Difficult, More Curious, and More Beautifull than is Commonly Imagin’d.
‘Tis an entertaining thing to the Mind of Man to see a fine piece of Art in Any kind ; and every one is apt to take a sort of Pride in it as being done by one of his Own Species, to whom with respect to the Universe he stands related as to one of the Same Countrey, or the Same Family. Painting affords us a great Variety of This kind of Pleasure in the Delicate, or Bold management of the Pencil ; in the mixture of its Colours, in the Skilful Contrivance of the several parts of the Picture, and infinite Variety of the Tincts, so as to produce Beauty, and Harmony. This alone gives great Pleasure to those who have learn’d to see these things. To see Nature justly represented is very Delightfull, (supposing the Subject is well chosen) It gives us pleasing Ideas, and Perpetuates, and Renews them ; [ndr : le terme Pleasing doit être ajouté ici, cf l’errata présent au début de l’ouvrage] whether by their Novelty, or Variety ; or by the consideration of our own Ease, and Safety, when we see what is Terrible in themselves as Storms, and Tempests, Battels, Murthers, Robberies, &c. Or else when the Subject is Fruit, Flowers, Landscapes, Buildings, Histories, and above all our Selves, Relations, or Friends.
Conceptual field(s)
Quotation
The History-Painter is obliged oftentimes to paint all these kinds of Subjects [ndr : visages, histoires, paysages, batailles, sujets grotesques, natures mortes, fleurs, fruits, bateaux, etc.], and the Face-Painter Most of ‘em ; but besides that they in such Cases are allow’d the Assistance of other Hands, the Inferior Subjects are in Comparison of their Figures as the Figures in a Landscape, there is no great Exactness required, or pretended to.
Conceptual field(s)
Quotation
There is some Degree of Merit in a Picture where Nature is Exactly copy’d, though in a Low Subject ; Such as Drolls, Countrey Wakes, Flowers, Landscapes, &c. and More in proportion as the Subject rises, or the End of the Picture is this Exact Representation. Herein the Dutch, and Flemish Masters have been Equal to the Italians, if not Superior to them in general. What gives the Italians, and Their Masters the Ancients the Preference, is, that they have not Servilely follow’d Common Nature, but Rais’d, and Improv’d, or at least have always made the Best Choice of it. This gives a Dignity to a Low Subject, and is the reason of the Esteem we have for the Landscapes of Salvator Rosa, Filippo Laura, Claude Lorrain, the Poussins ; the Fruit of the two Michelangelo’s, the Battaglia, and Campadoglio ; and This, when the Subject it self is Noble, is the Perfection of Painting : As in the best Portraits of Van-Dyck, Rubens, Titian, Rafaëlle, &c. and the Histories of the best Italian Masters ; chiefly those of Rafaëlle ; he is the great Model of Perfection !
CAMPIDOGLIO, Michelangelo (Michele Pace del Campidoglio)
CERQUOZZI, Michelangelo (Michelangelo delle Battaglie)
École flamande
École italienne
École néerlandaise
LAURI, Filippo
LE LORRAIN (Claude Gellée)
POUSSIN, Nicolas
RAFFAELLO (Raffaello Sanzio)
ROSA, Salvator
RUBENS, Peter Paul
TIZIANO (Tiziano Vecellio)
VAN DYCK, Antoon
Conceptual field(s)
Quotation
{Pirrichus.} PIRRICHUS was one that busied himself about little Things, and all mean and inferior Subjects, as of Herbs, Flowers, Beasts, Insects, Tradesmens Shops, and other such like, as have no Gust of any noble Idea, for which he was Surnam’d Rhyparographus.
{Serapion.} SERAPION, on the other hand, was for Picture of a Colosean Stature, such as their Shops and Stalls, were not big enough to contain ; his Excellencies were seen in Painting mighty Tents, Stages, Theaters and Pageants, but for a Face, or the Figure of a Man, or Woman, he durst never attempt to make an Essay. {Dionysius.} On the other side Dionysius was good for nothing else, and therefore was commonly call’d Anthropographus.