HARMOGE (n. f.)

HARMOGE (eng.) · HARMOGE (lat.)
TERM USED IN EARLY TRANSLATIONS
HARMOGE (lat.) · HARMOGE (eng.)
DETHLEFS, Hans Joachim, « HARMONIE DES COULEURS », 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. 259-263.

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Quotation

Soo hebben wy noch voorder te letten op ’t ghene ons Plinius voorhoudt; dat daer naemelick nae ’t uytvinden van ’t licht en schaduwe, noch yet anders tot de Konst is toeghevoeght, ’t welck men ’t schijnsel ofte het afsetsel noemt, Dit schijnsel wierd Tonos ghenaemt, seght hy {Lib. xxxv. Cap. 5.}, om dat het tussen ’t licht en schaduwe tusschen beyden loopt, ende uyt beyde schijnt te ontstaen. Wat de verdrijvinge ende het verschiet der verwen belanght, het selvighe wierd Harmoge geheeten. Dies schijnt oock het woord Tonus alleenlick uyt te wijsen d’uytwerckinghe van een gheweldigher licht; wanneer naemelick het eene of het andere deel der Schilderye, ’t welck ghenoeghsaemlick schijnt verhooght te wesen, noch krachtigher verhooght wordt; mids te weghe brenghende het gene het welck ghenoegh scheen af te steken, nu maer alleen voor een schaduwe dient, om het ghene van te vooren af-stack noch meer afstekende te maeken. Doch hier van hebben wy in de voorgaende afdeylinghe ghehandelt.

[Suggested translation, Marije Osnabrugge:] As such we should pay more attention to that which Plinius tells us; namely that after the invention of the light and shadow, something else was added to the Art, which one calls the glow or the contrast [NDR: problematic translation of the term afsetsel], This glow is called Tonos, he says {…}, because it sits between the light and shadow and appears to originate from both. What the diminuition and the degradation of the colours is concerned, this is also called Harmoge. The term Tonus also appears to point to the execution of a mightier light; namely when some or another part of the Painting, which appears to have been heightened sufficiently, is heightened even more powerful, causing that that which appeared to stand out sufficiently, now only serves as a shadow, to make that which stood out before stand out even more. Yet we have talked about this in the previous part.

The suggested translation is problematic with regard to the translation of the terms 'afsetsel', 'verdrijving' and 'verschiet', which are translated here as contrast, diminuition and degradation (of colours). The user is advised to reconsider these translations carefully. [MO]

verdrijvinge · verschiet

Conceptual field(s)

EFFET PICTURAL → qualité de la lumière

Quotation

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]

verschiet · verdrijvinge · verstervinge

Conceptual field(s)

EFFET PICTURAL → qualité des couleurs
EFFET PICTURAL → perspective

Quotation

 [...] en de Hermoge (of olyverwenen) verdwijning of versmelting, door de zelve gemakkelijk te vertoonen is.

[BLANC J, 2006, p.357]. Et il est facile, grâce à elles , de montrer ce qu’est l’harmogè, c’est-à-dire la disparition ou [ndr : la transition entre les couleurs].

Conceptual field(s)

EFFET PICTURAL → qualité des couleurs