OPPORTUNITEIT (n. f.)
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… de selvighe moet noch voorder met ons uyt d’oude schrijvers aenmercken dat de voornaemste deughd van een nette en welghestelde Inventie aller meest in dese vier dinghen bestaet. In de waerheyd. In d’Opertuniteyt, ofte in de waerneminghe van een bequaeme geleghenheyd van tijd en plaetse, in de discretie, ofte in de bescheydenheyd van een tuchtigh ende eerbaer beleyd. In de Magnificentie, ofte in de staetelickheyd. Wat de waerheydt belanght; De Schilder-konst maeckt altijd vele wercks van de waerheyd, seght Philostratus Iconum Lib. I. in Narcisso. Ende ghelijck dien Historie-schrijver soo wel met bedrogh schijnt om te gaen, seght Ammianus Marcellinus {Lib. XXIX.}, de welcke eenighe warachtighe gheschiedenissen wetens en willens voor by gaet, als die eenighe valsche gheschiedenissen verdicht; even alsoo plaght de maelkonste in het uytdrucken der waerheydt op dese twee dinghen goede achtinghe te nemen, sy wil aen de eene sijde daer toe niet verstaen dat se yet soude uytdrucken ’t ghene men in de nature niet en vindt, men kanse wederom aen d’andere sijde daer toe niet brenghen datse yet soude overslaen ’t ghene men in de nature vindt.
[Suggested translation, Marije Osnabrugge:] …the same has to remark with us from the old writers that the main virtue of a neat and well-composed Inventie mainly consists of four things: In the truth. In the Opportunity, or in the observation of an appropriate situation of time and place, in the discretion, or the modesty of a disciplinary and honorable policy. In the Magnificence, or in the stateliness. For as far as the truth is concerned; The Art of painting always pays a lot of attention to the truth, says Philostratus Iconum Lib. I. in Narcisso. And like the History-writer manages to deal so well with deceit, says Ammianus Marcellinus {…}, that it appears to consciously pass by any truthful histories, when he poetizes some false histories; as such the art of painting tends to pay attention to these to things when expressing the truth, on the one hand she does not want it to happen that she would express that which one cannot find in nature, and on the other hand she cannot bring herself that she would neglect that which one finds in nature.
In the Latin edition (1637), most of the terms are given only in Greek. The Greek term used for 'opportuniteit' is καιρος. [MO]
Conceptual field(s)
Quotation
De voornoemde waerheyd plaght sich altijd nae de teghenwoordighe gheleghenheyd van de voorghestelde materie te richten; Soo bestaet oock ’t waernemen van de opportuniteyt ofte occasie allermeest daer in, dat wy onse wercken nae den eysch der voorvallende omstandigheden marcksaemlick soecken aen te leggen. (…) Derhalven heeft oock Philostratus {Iconum LIB. I. in Paludib.} de wijsheyd ende d’occasie op eenen seer goeden grond de voornaemste hoofd-stucken der Konste ghenaemt.
[Suggested translation, Marije Osnabrugge:] The aforementioned truth always tends to direct itself after the present situation of the proposed matter; As such the observation of the opportunity or the occasion exists mostly in that we attempt to noticeably conceive our works after the demand of the existing circumstances. (…) Likewise Philostratus {…} has also called wisdom and occasion for a very good reason the most important chief principles of the Art.
In the Latin edition, Junius uses the Greek term καιρος. [MO]
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Quotation
[...] nochtans en laet sich d’occasie der omstandigheden, die ment in ’t schilderen moet waernemen, aen sulcke onveranderlicke Konst-regulen niet verbinden, dat men de selvige allen Konstenaeren voor een sekere vaste wet haerer Konste soude moghen opdringhen: Want ghelijck het in vele andere dinghen plaght te gheschieden, soo siet men ’t selvighe oock menighmael in d’aenmerckinghe van dese oportuniteyt ofte occasie ghebeuren, dat de gantsche gheleghenheyd der omstandigheden sich anders en anders opdoet, dus of so verandert sijnde nae den eysch van tijd, plaetse, en andere eyghenschappen die men in ’t werck noodsaeckelick moet uytdrucken, ’t blijckt dan dat het den Konstenaeren immers doch hoog-noodigh is altijd met d’occasie haerer teghenwoordigher materie te raede te gaen.
[Suggested translation, Marije Osnabrugge:] … nonetheless the occasion of the circumstances, which one should observe in painting, does not let itself be attached to such unchangeable Art-rules, that one could force them upon all Artists as a certain fixed law of their art: Because just like it tends to happen in many other things, as such one often sees the same happen in the observation of this opportunity or occasion, that the whole situation of circumstances poses itself in different ways, that is, as if changed after the demand of time, place and the other characteristics that one should necessarily express in the work, it then becomes clear that it is always very necessary that the Artists always question the occasion of their present matter.
This excerpt does not occur in the Latin edition. [MO]