ONGEVOEGHELICKHEYD (n. f.)
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Democritus hield staende dat de verwen in haeren eygenen aerd een gantsch nietigh dingh sijn, maer dat de vermenghinghen der selvigher onse fantasijen allermeest plaghten te verwecken, wanneermen in ’t bequaeme ende maetvoeghelicke aenstrijcken der Coleuren een goede stellinghe, bevallighe figuren ende een gheschickte by-een-voeghinghe der selvigher figuren verneemt, siet Stobaeus eclog. physie. Cap. 19. Dies ghebeurt het oock menighmael dat verscheyden figuren in een tafereel, niet teghenstaende de bequaeme ghevoeghlickheyd haerer verwen, onse ooghen in ’t minste niet en konnen bekoren; ons dunckt dat wy een haetelicke wanschickelickheyd in de selvighe speuren, niet soo seer van weghen ’t een of ’t ander ghebreck ’t welck wy in de figuren selver aenmercken, als van weghen de losse ongheschicktheyd der by-een voeghinghe. Dese schickingh-Konst ofte t’saemenvoeghinghe van veele ende verscheyden figuren die malckander in een stuck ontmoeten, wordt ghemeynlick de Dispositie ofte Ordinantie genaemt; soo schijntse oock maer alleen in die Schilderyen plaetse te hebben, dewelcke uyt veele ende bysondere Beelden bestaen. Het is wel waer datmen oock inde stucken die maer een Beeld in sich vervatten, een sekere gheschiktheyd behoort waer te nemen; en dien Konstenaer wordt met recht gheoordeelt sijne Konste onlijdelick mishandelt te hebben, die eenen deftighen mensche in staetelicke Raedsheerskleederen op sijn hoofd staende conterfeyt; nochtans schijnt dese onhebbelicke onghevoeghelickheyd veele eer den naem van een quaede stellinghe dan van een quaede Ordinantie te verdienen.
[Suggested translation, Marije Osnabrugge:] Democritus argued that the colours on by themselves are a rather futile thing, but that the mixing of them tends to excite our fantasy very much, when one finds in the competent and measured application of the colours a good composition, lovely figures and an appropriate grouping of these same figures, see Stobaeus (…). Therefore it also happens often that several figures in a scene, nothwithstanding the skillful propriety of their colours, cannot please our eyes the least; we believe to discover a horrible deformity in it, not so much because some or other failure that we recognize in the figures themselves, but rather because of the loose lack of order of the composition. This art of composing or grouping of many and different figures that meet eachother in one piece is commonly called the Disposition or Ordinance; as such it only appears to occur in paintings that consist of many and different Figures. It is however true that one also needs to observe a certain order in the pieces that only contain one Figure; and the Artist, who portrays a distinguished man in stately councilor’s clothes standing on his head, is rightfully considered to have mistreated his Art insufferably; nonetheless this objectionable disorder deserves the name of a bad order rather than of a bad Ordinance.
I would like to thank Wieneke Jansen (Leiden Universtiy) for her precious advice on the Latin edition of this citation. [MO]
Conceptual field(s)
Quotation
[...] dat allerley Schilderyen dies te slimmer sijn, hoe beter dat haeren sin als oock de verstroyde ghedeelten der selvigher souden gheweest sijn, indien syse door een goede schickinghe bequaemelick hadden opghemaeckt. Want ghelijck de welstandigheyd van een goede Ordinantie door d’uytnemenheyd der dinghen die wel in een ghevoeght sijn dapper verfraeyt wordt, soo plaght oock d’onghevoeghlickheyd van een quade Dispositie gheweldigh verleelickt te worden door de treffelickheyd der dinghen die onbequaemelick t’saemen ghevoeght sijn; vermids de grove versuyminghen, die inde schickinghe begaen sijn, niet alleen door het licht der dinghen selver gheopenbaert worden, maer men kanse met eenen oock ghemackelick ontdecken uyt de onghelijckheyd der verwen, als mede uyt de holle oneffenheyd van diepe kloven en scheuren die allenthalven in ’t ondichte en misvoeghde werck sijn te vinden.
[Suggested translation, Marije Osnabrugge:] …that all sorts are therefore more clever, the better their use as well as the scattered parts of it would be, if the would have competently drawn them up by means of a good order. Because like the harmony of a good Ordinance is embellished much by the excellence of things that have been assembled well, as such the disorder of a bad Disposition is made much more ugly by the decency of things that have been combined in an incompetent manner; while the grave omissions that have been committed in the order, are not only revealed in light of the things themselves, but one will likely also easily discover it from the inequality of the colours, as from the hollow unevenness of deep gaps and cracks that can be found everywhere in the open [NDR: ?] and disorderly [NDR: ?] work.
Junius places a good composition (schikking, ordonnantie) opposite a bad one. The good composition can be recognized by an overall propriety (welstand) of the painting. The bad composition, on the other hand, is characterized by disorder (onghevoeghelickheyd) and, in addition, the problem will also be mirrored in the unbalanced use of colours (onghelijckheyd der verwen) and a general unevenness or lack of balance (oneffenheid). As such, Junius describes the principle of composition as a main component of a good painting. This section is not included in the Latin edition of 1637. [MO]