 | The Works of William Mason |  |
III. VOL. III.
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THE ART OF PAINTING, OF CHARLES ALPHONSE DU FRESNOY;
TRANSLATED INTO ENGLISH VERSE BY WILLIAM MASON, M. A. WITH ANNOTATIONS BY SIR JOSHUA REYNOLDS.
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EPISTLE TO SIR JOSHUA REYNOLDS.
When
Dryden, worn with sickness, bow'd with years,
Was doom'd (my Friend, let pity warm thy tears,)
The galling pang of penury to feel,
For ill-placed loyalty, and courtly zeal,
To see that laurel which his brows o'erspread,
Transplanted droop on Shadwell's barren head,
The Bard oppress'd, yet not subdued by fate,
For very bread descended to translate:
And he, whose fancy, copious as his phrase,
Could light at will expression's brightest blaze,
On Fresnoy's lay employ'd his studious hour;
But niggard there of that melodious power,
His pen in haste the hireling task to close
Transform'd the studied strain to careless prose,
Which, fondly lending faith to French pretence,
Mistook its meaning, or obscur'd its sense.
Was doom'd (my Friend, let pity warm thy tears,)
The galling pang of penury to feel,
For ill-placed loyalty, and courtly zeal,
To see that laurel which his brows o'erspread,
Transplanted droop on Shadwell's barren head,
The Bard oppress'd, yet not subdued by fate,
For very bread descended to translate:
And he, whose fancy, copious as his phrase,
Could light at will expression's brightest blaze,
On Fresnoy's lay employ'd his studious hour;
But niggard there of that melodious power,
His pen in haste the hireling task to close
Transform'd the studied strain to careless prose,
Which, fondly lending faith to French pretence,
Mistook its meaning, or obscur'd its sense.
Yet still he pleas'd; for Dryden still must please,
Whether with artless elegance and ease
He glides in prose, or from its tinkling chime,
By varied pauses, purifies his rhyme,
And mounts on Maro's plumes, and soars his heights sublime.
This artless elegance, this native fire
Whether with artless elegance and ease
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By varied pauses, purifies his rhyme,
And mounts on Maro's plumes, and soars his heights sublime.
Provok'd his tuneful heir to strike the lyre,
Who, proud his numbers with that prose to join,
Wove an illustrious wreath for Friendship's shrine.
Mr. Pope, in his Epistle to Jervas, has these lines:
Read these instructive leaves, in which conspire
Fresnoy's close art with Dryden's native fire.
Fresnoy's close art with Dryden's native fire.
The flowers of song, does partial passion blind
Their judgment's eye! How oft does truth disclaim
The deed, and scorn to call it genuine fame!
How did she here, when Jervas was the theme,
Waft thro' the ivory gate the Poet's dream!
How view, indignant, error's base alloy
The sterling lustre of his praise destroy.
Which now, if praise like his my Muse could coin,
Current through ages, she would stamp for thine!
Let Friendship, as she caus'd, excuse the deed;
With thee, and such as thee, she must succeed.
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The witch has spells, and Jervas knew a day
When mode-struck belles and beaux were proud to come,
And buy of him a thousand years of bloom.
Alluding to another couplet in the same Epistle
Beauty, frail flower, that every season fears,
Blooms in thy colours for a thousand years.
Blooms in thy colours for a thousand years.
Perish alone that selfish sordid rhyme,
Which flatters lawless sway, or tinsel pride:
Let black Oblivion plunge it in her tide.
From fate like this my truth-supported lays,
Ev'n if aspiring to thy pencil's praise,
Would flow secure: but humbler aims are mine;
Know, when to thee I consecrate the line,
'Tis but to thank thy genius for the ray
Which pours on Fresnoy's rules a fuller day:
Those candid strictures, those reflections new,
Refin'd by taste, yet still as nature true,
Which, blended here with his instructive strains,
Shall bid thy art inherit new domains;
Give her in Albion as in Greece to rule,
And guide (what thou hast form'd) a British School.
Ev'n if aspiring to thy pencil's praise,
Would flow secure: but humbler aims are mine;
Know, when to thee I consecrate the line,
'Tis but to thank thy genius for the ray
Which pours on Fresnoy's rules a fuller day:
Those candid strictures, those reflections new,
Refin'd by taste, yet still as nature true,
Which, blended here with his instructive strains,
Shall bid thy art inherit new domains;
Give her in Albion as in Greece to rule,
And guide (what thou hast form'd) a British School.
And, O, if aught thy Poet can pretend
Beyond his favourite wish to call thee Friend,
Be it that here his tuneful toil has drest
The Muse of Fresnoy in a modern vest;
And with that skill his fancy could bestow,
Taught the close folds to take an easier flow;
Be it, that here thy partial smile approv'd
The pains he lavish'd on the art he lov'd.
Beyond his favourite wish to call thee Friend,
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The Muse of Fresnoy in a modern vest;
And with that skill his fancy could bestow,
Taught the close folds to take an easier flow;
Be it, that here thy partial smile approv'd
The pains he lavish'd on the art he lov'd.
W. MASON. October 10, 1782.
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THE ART OF PAINTING,
WITH THE ORIGINAL TEXT SUBJOINED.
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True poetry the Painter's power displays:
True Painting emulates the Poet's lays;
The rival sisters, fond of equal fame,
Alternate change their office and their name;
Bid silent Poetry the canvass warm,
The tuneful page with speaking picture charm.
True Painting emulates the Poet's lays;
The rival sisters, fond of equal fame,
Alternate change their office and their name;
Bid silent Poetry the canvass warm,
The tuneful page with speaking picture charm.
What to the ear sublimer rapture brings,
That strain alone the genuine Poet sings;
That form alone where glows peculiar grace,
The genuine Painter condescends to trace:
No sordid theme will verse or paint admit,
Unworthy colours, if unworthy wit.
That strain alone the genuine Poet sings;
That form alone where glows peculiar grace,
The genuine Painter condescends to trace:
No sordid theme will verse or paint admit,
Unworthy colours, if unworthy wit.
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From you, blest Pair! Religion deigns to claim
Her sacred honours; at her awful name
High o'er the stars you take your soaring flight,
And rove the regions of supernal light;
Attend to lays that flow, from tongues divine,
Undazzled gaze where charms seraphic shine;
Trace beauty's beam to its eternal spring,
And pure to man the fire celestial bring.
Her sacred honours; at her awful name
High o'er the stars you take your soaring flight,
And rove the regions of supernal light;
Attend to lays that flow, from tongues divine,
Undazzled gaze where charms seraphic shine;
Trace beauty's beam to its eternal spring,
And pure to man the fire celestial bring.
Then round this globe on joint pursuit ye stray,
Time's ample annals studiously survey;
And from the eddies of Oblivion's stream
Propitious snatch each memorable theme.
Time's ample annals studiously survey;
And from the eddies of Oblivion's stream
Propitious snatch each memorable theme.
Thus to each form, in heaven, and earth, and sea,
That wins with grace, or awes with dignity,
To each exalted deed, which dares to claim
The glorious meed of an immortal fame,
That meed ye grant. Hence, to remotest age,
The hero's soul darts from the Poet's page,
Hence, from the canvass still, with wonted state,
He lives, he breathes, he braves the frown of Fate,
Such powers, such praises, heaven-born Pair, belong
To magic colouring, and creative song.
That wins with grace, or awes with dignity,
To each exalted deed, which dares to claim
The glorious meed of an immortal fame,
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The hero's soul darts from the Poet's page,
Hence, from the canvass still, with wonted state,
He lives, he breathes, he braves the frown of Fate,
Such powers, such praises, heaven-born Pair, belong
To magic colouring, and creative song.
But here I pause, nor ask Pieria's train,
Nor Phœbus self to elevate the strain:
Vain is the flow'ry verse, when reasoning sage
And sober precept fill the studied page;
Enough if there the fluent numbers please,
With native clearness, and instructive ease.
Nor Phœbus self to elevate the strain:
Vain is the flow'ry verse, when reasoning sage
And sober precept fill the studied page;
Enough if there the fluent numbers please,
With native clearness, and instructive ease.
Nor shall my rules the artist's hand confine,
Whom practice gives to strike the free design;
Or banish Fancy from her fairy plains,
Or fetter Genius in didactic chains:
No, 'tis their liberal purpose to convey
That scientific skill which wins its way
On docile Nature, and transmits to youth,
Talents to reach, and taste to relish truth;
While inborn genius from their aid receives
Each supplemental art that practice gives.
Whom practice gives to strike the free design;
Or banish Fancy from her fairy plains,
Or fetter Genius in didactic chains:
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That scientific skill which wins its way
On docile Nature, and transmits to youth,
Talents to reach, and taste to relish truth;
While inborn genius from their aid receives
Each supplemental art that practice gives.
'Tis Painting's first chief business to explore,
What lovelier forms in Nature's boundless store
Are best to art and ancient taste allied,
For ancient taste those forms has best applied.
What lovelier forms in Nature's boundless store
Are best to art and ancient taste allied,
For ancient taste those forms has best applied.
Till this be learn'd, how all things disagree!
How all one wretched, blind barbarity!
How all one wretched, blind barbarity!
The fool to native ignorance confin'd,
No beauty beaming on his clouded mind;
Untaught to relish, yet too proud to learn,
He scorns the grace his dulness can't discern.
Hence reason to caprice resigns the stage,
And hence that maxim of the ancient Sage,
“Of all vain fools with coxcomb talents curst,
“Bad Painters and bad Poets are the worst.”
No beauty beaming on his clouded mind;
Untaught to relish, yet too proud to learn,
He scorns the grace his dulness can't discern.
Hence reason to caprice resigns the stage,
And hence that maxim of the ancient Sage,
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“Bad Painters and bad Poets are the worst.”
When first the orient rays of beauty move
The conscious soul, they light the lamp of love;
Love wakes those warm desires that prompt our chace,
To follow and to fix each flying grace;
But earth-born graces sparingly impart
The symmetry supreme of perfect art:
For tho' our casual glance may sometimes meet
With charms that strike the soul, and seem complete,
Yet if those charms too closely we define,
Content to copy Nature line for line,
Our end is lost. Not such the Master's care,
Curious he culls the perfect from the fair;
Judge of his art, thro' beauty's realm he flies,
Selects, combines, improves, diversifies;
With nimble step pursues the fleeting throng,
And clasps each Venus as she glides along.
The conscious soul, they light the lamp of love;
Love wakes those warm desires that prompt our chace,
To follow and to fix each flying grace;
But earth-born graces sparingly impart
The symmetry supreme of perfect art:
For tho' our casual glance may sometimes meet
With charms that strike the soul, and seem complete,
Yet if those charms too closely we define,
Content to copy Nature line for line,
Our end is lost. Not such the Master's care,
Curious he culls the perfect from the fair;
Judge of his art, thro' beauty's realm he flies,
Selects, combines, improves, diversifies;
With nimble step pursues the fleeting throng,
And clasps each Venus as she glides along.
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Yet some there are who indiscreetly stray,
Where purblind Practice only points the way;
Who every theoretic truth disdain,
And blunder on mechanically vain.
Some too there are, within whose languid breasts
A lifeless heap of embryo knowledge rests
When nor the pencil feels their drowsy art,
Nor the skill'd hand explains the meaning heart.
In chains of sloth such talents droop confin'd:
'Twas not by words Apelles charm'd mankind.
Where purblind Practice only points the way;
Who every theoretic truth disdain,
And blunder on mechanically vain.
Some too there are, within whose languid breasts
A lifeless heap of embryo knowledge rests
When nor the pencil feels their drowsy art,
Nor the skill'd hand explains the meaning heart.
In chains of sloth such talents droop confin'd:
'Twas not by words Apelles charm'd mankind.
Hear then the Muse; though perfect beauty towers
Above the reach of her descriptive powers,
Yet will she strive some leading rules to draw
From sovereign Nature's universal law;
Stretch her wide view o'er ancient Art's domain,
Again establish Reason's legal reign,
Genius again correct with science sage,
And curb luxuriant Fancy's headlong rage.
“Right ever reigns its stated bounds between,
“And taste, like morals, loves the golden mean.”
Above the reach of her descriptive powers,
Yet will she strive some leading rules to draw
From sovereign Nature's universal law;
Stretch her wide view o'er ancient Art's domain,
Again establish Reason's legal reign,
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And curb luxuriant Fancy's headlong rage.
“Right ever reigns its stated bounds between,
“And taste, like morals, loves the golden mean.”
Some lofty theme let judgment first supply,
Supremely fraught with grace and majesty;
For fancy copious, free to every charm
That lines can circumscribe or colours warm;
Still happier, if that artful theme dispense
A poignant moral and instructive sense.
Supremely fraught with grace and majesty;
For fancy copious, free to every charm
That lines can circumscribe or colours warm;
Still happier, if that artful theme dispense
A poignant moral and instructive sense.
Then let the virgin canvass smooth expand,
To claim the sketch and tempt the Artist's hand:
Then bold Invention, all the powers diffuse,
Of all thy sisters thou the noblest Muse:
Thee every art, thee every grace inspires,
Thee Phœbus fills with all his brightest fires.
To claim the sketch and tempt the Artist's hand:
Then bold Invention, all the powers diffuse,
Of all thy sisters thou the noblest Muse:
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Thee Phœbus fills with all his brightest fires.
Choose such judicious force of shade and light
As suits the theme, and satisfies the sight;
Weigh part with part, and with prophetic eye
The future power of all thy tints descry;
And those, those only on the canvass place,
Whose hues are social, whose effect is grace.
As suits the theme, and satisfies the sight;
Weigh part with part, and with prophetic eye
The future power of all thy tints descry;
And those, those only on the canvass place,
Whose hues are social, whose effect is grace.
Vivid and faithful to the historic page,
Express the customs, manners, forms, and age;
Nor paint conspicuous on the foremost plain
Whate'er is false, impertinent, or vain;
But like the Tragic Muse, thy lustre throw,
Where the chief action claims its warmest glow.
Express the customs, manners, forms, and age;
Nor paint conspicuous on the foremost plain
Whate'er is false, impertinent, or vain;
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Where the chief action claims its warmest glow.
This rare, this arduous task no rules can teach,
No skill'd preceptor point, no practice reach;
'Tis taste, 'tis genius, 'tis the heav'nly ray
Prometheus ravish'd from the car of day.
No skill'd preceptor point, no practice reach;
'Tis taste, 'tis genius, 'tis the heav'nly ray
Prometheus ravish'd from the car of day.
In Egypt first the infant art appear'd,
Rude and unform'd; but when to Greece she steer'd
Her prosperous course, fair Fancy met the Maid,
Wit, Reason, Judgment, lent their powerful aid;
Till all complete the gradual wonder shone,
And vanquish'd Nature own'd herself outdone.
Rude and unform'd; but when to Greece she steer'd
Her prosperous course, fair Fancy met the Maid,
Wit, Reason, Judgment, lent their powerful aid;
Till all complete the gradual wonder shone,
And vanquish'd Nature own'd herself outdone.
'Twas there the goddess fix'd her blest abodes,
There reign'd in Corinth, Athens, Sicyon, Rhodes,
Her various vot'ries various talents crown'd:
Yet each alike her inspiration own'd:
Witness those marble miracles of grace,
Those tests of symmetry where still we trace
All art's perfection: With reluctant gaze
To these the genius of succeeding days
Looks dazzled up, and, as their glories spread,
Hides in his mantle his diminish'd head.
There reign'd in Corinth, Athens, Sicyon, Rhodes,
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Yet each alike her inspiration own'd:
Witness those marble miracles of grace,
Those tests of symmetry where still we trace
All art's perfection: With reluctant gaze
To these the genius of succeeding days
Looks dazzled up, and, as their glories spread,
Hides in his mantle his diminish'd head.
Learn then from Greece, ye Youths, Proportion's law,
Inform'd by her, each just Position draw;
Skilful to change each large unequal part,
With varied motion and contrasted art;
Full in the front the nobler limbs to place,
And poise each figure on its central base,
Inform'd by her, each just Position draw;
Skilful to change each large unequal part,
With varied motion and contrasted art;
Full in the front the nobler limbs to place,
And poise each figure on its central base,
But chief from her that flowing outline take,
Which floats, in wavy windings, like the snake,
Or lambent flame; which, ample, broad, and long,
Reliev'd not swell'd, at once both light and strong,
Glides thro' the graceful whole. Her art divine
Cuts not, in parts minute, the tame design,
But by a few bold strokes, distinct and free,
Calls forth the charms of perfect symmetry.
True to anatomy, more true to grace,
She bids each muscle know its native place;
Bids small from great in just gradation rise,
And, at one visual point, approach the eyes.
Which floats, in wavy windings, like the snake,
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Reliev'd not swell'd, at once both light and strong,
Glides thro' the graceful whole. Her art divine
Cuts not, in parts minute, the tame design,
But by a few bold strokes, distinct and free,
Calls forth the charms of perfect symmetry.
True to anatomy, more true to grace,
She bids each muscle know its native place;
Bids small from great in just gradation rise,
And, at one visual point, approach the eyes.
Yet deem not, Youths, that Perspective can give
Those charms complete by which your works shall live:
What tho' her rules may to your hand impart
A quick mechanic substitute for art,
Yet formal, geometric shapes she draws;
Hence the true Genius scorns her rigid laws;
By Nature taught he strikes th' unerring lines,
Consults his eye, and as he sees designs.
Those charms complete by which your works shall live:
What tho' her rules may to your hand impart
A quick mechanic substitute for art,
Yet formal, geometric shapes she draws;
Hence the true Genius scorns her rigid laws;
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Consults his eye, and as he sees designs.
Man's changeful race, the sport of chance and time,
Varies no less in aspect than in clime;
Mark well the difference, and let each be seen
Of various age, complexion, hair, and mien.
Varies no less in aspect than in clime;
Mark well the difference, and let each be seen
Of various age, complexion, hair, and mien.
Yet to each separate form adapt with care
Such limbs, such robes, such attitude and air,
As best befit the head, and best combine
To make one whole, one uniform design:
Such limbs, such robes, such attitude and air,
As best befit the head, and best combine
To make one whole, one uniform design:
Learn action from the dumb; the dumb shall teach
How happiest to supply the want of speech.
How happiest to supply the want of speech.
Fair in the front, in all the blaze of light,
The hero of thy piece should meet the sight.
The hero of thy piece should meet the sight.
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Supreme in beauty: lavish here thine art,
And bid him boldly from the canvass start:
While round that sov'reign form th' inferior train
In groups collected fill the pictur'd plain;
Fill, but not crowd; for oft some open space
Must part their ranks and leave a vacant place,
Lest artlessly dispers'd the sever'd crew
At random rush on our bewilder'd view;
Or parts with parts, in thick confusion bound,
Spread a tumultuous chaos o'er the ground.
And bid him boldly from the canvass start:
While round that sov'reign form th' inferior train
In groups collected fill the pictur'd plain;
Fill, but not crowd; for oft some open space
Must part their ranks and leave a vacant place,
Lest artlessly dispers'd the sever'd crew
At random rush on our bewilder'd view;
Or parts with parts, in thick confusion bound,
Spread a tumultuous chaos o'er the ground.
In every figur'd group the judging eye
Demands the charms of contrariety:
In forms, in attitudes, expects to trace
Distinct inflections, and contrasted grace,
Where art diversely leads each changeful line,
Opposes, breaks, divides the whole design:
Thus, when the rest in front their charms display,
Let one with face averted turn away;
Shoulders oppose to breasts, and left to right,
With parts that meet and parts that shun the sight.
This rule in practice uniformly true
Extends alike to many forms or few,
Demands the charms of contrariety:
In forms, in attitudes, expects to trace
Distinct inflections, and contrasted grace,
Where art diversely leads each changeful line,
Opposes, breaks, divides the whole design:
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Let one with face averted turn away;
Shoulders oppose to breasts, and left to right,
With parts that meet and parts that shun the sight.
This rule in practice uniformly true
Extends alike to many forms or few,
Yet keep thro' all the piece a perfect poize:
If here in frequent troops the figures rise,
There let some object tower with equal pride;
And so arrange each correspondent side,
That, thro' the well-connected plan, appear
No cold vacuity, no desert drear.
If here in frequent troops the figures rise,
There let some object tower with equal pride;
And so arrange each correspondent side,
That, thro' the well-connected plan, appear
No cold vacuity, no desert drear.
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Say, does the Poet glow with genuine rage,
Who crouds with pomp and noise his bustling stage?
Devoid alike of taste that Painter deem,
Whose flutt'ring works with num'rous figures teem;
A task so various how shall art fulfill,
When oft the simplest forms elude our skill?
But, did the toil succeed, we still should lose
That solemn majesty, that soft repose,
Dear to the curious eye, and only found,
Where few fair objects fill an ample ground.
Yet if some grand important theme demand
Of many needful forms a busy band,
Judgment will so the several groups unite,
That one compacted whole shall meet the sight.
Who crouds with pomp and noise his bustling stage?
Devoid alike of taste that Painter deem,
Whose flutt'ring works with num'rous figures teem;
A task so various how shall art fulfill,
When oft the simplest forms elude our skill?
But, did the toil succeed, we still should lose
That solemn majesty, that soft repose,
Dear to the curious eye, and only found,
Where few fair objects fill an ample ground.
Yet if some grand important theme demand
Of many needful forms a busy band,
Judgment will so the several groups unite,
That one compacted whole shall meet the sight.
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The joints in each extreme distinctly treat,
Nor e'er conceal the outline of the feet;
Nor e'er conceal the outline of the feet;
The hands alike demand to be exprest
In half-shown figures rang'd behind the rest;
Nor can such forms with force or beauty shine,
Save when the head and hands in action join.
In half-shown figures rang'd behind the rest;
Nor can such forms with force or beauty shine,
Save when the head and hands in action join.
Each air constrain'd and forc'd, each gesture rude,
Whate'er contracts or cramps the attitude,
With scorn discard. When squares or angles join,
When flows in tedious parallel the line,
Acute, obtuse, whene'er the shapes appear,
Or take a formal geometric air,
These all displease, and the disgusted eye
Nauseates the tame and irksome symmetry.
Mark then our former rule; with contrast strong
And mode transverse the leading lines prolong;
For these in each design, if well exprest,
Give value, force, and lustre to the rest.
Whate'er contracts or cramps the attitude,
With scorn discard. When squares or angles join,
When flows in tedious parallel the line,
Acute, obtuse, whene'er the shapes appear,
Or take a formal geometric air,
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Nauseates the tame and irksome symmetry.
Mark then our former rule; with contrast strong
And mode transverse the leading lines prolong;
For these in each design, if well exprest,
Give value, force, and lustre to the rest.
Nor yet to Nature such strict homage pay,
As not to quit when Genius leads the way;
Nor yet tho' Genius all his succour sends,
Her mimic powers tho' ready Memory lends,
Presume from Nature wholly to depart,
For nature is the arbitress of art.
In Error's grove ten thousand thickets spread,
Ten thousand devious paths our steps mislead;
Mid curves, that vary in perpetual twine,
Truth owns but one direct and perfect line.
As not to quit when Genius leads the way;
Nor yet tho' Genius all his succour sends,
Her mimic powers tho' ready Memory lends,
Presume from Nature wholly to depart,
For nature is the arbitress of art.
In Error's grove ten thousand thickets spread,
Ten thousand devious paths our steps mislead;
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Truth owns but one direct and perfect line.
Spread then her genuine charms o'er all the piece,
Sublime and perfect as they glow'd in Greece.
Those genuine charms to seize, with zeal explore
The vases, medals, statues, form'd of yore,
Relievos high that swell the column's stem,
Speak from the marble, sparkle from the gem;
Hence all-majestic on th' expanding soul,
In copious tide the bright ideas roll;
Fill it with radiant forms unknown before,
Forms such as demigods and heroes wore:
Here pause and pity our enervate days,
Hopeless to rival their transcendent praise.
Sublime and perfect as they glow'd in Greece.
Those genuine charms to seize, with zeal explore
The vases, medals, statues, form'd of yore,
Relievos high that swell the column's stem,
Speak from the marble, sparkle from the gem;
Hence all-majestic on th' expanding soul,
In copious tide the bright ideas roll;
Fill it with radiant forms unknown before,
Forms such as demigods and heroes wore:
Here pause and pity our enervate days,
Hopeless to rival their transcendent praise.
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Peculiar toil on single forms bestow,
There let expression lend its finish'd glow;
There each variety of tint unite
With the full harmony of shade and light.
There let expression lend its finish'd glow;
There each variety of tint unite
With the full harmony of shade and light.
Free o'er the limbs the flowing vesture cast,
The light broad folds with grace majestic placed;
And as each figure turns a different way,
Give the large plaits their corresponding play;
Yet devious oft and swelling from the part,
The flowing robe with ease should seem to start;
Not on the form in stiff adhesion laid,
But well reliev'd by gentle light and shade.
The light broad folds with grace majestic placed;
And as each figure turns a different way,
Give the large plaits their corresponding play;
Yet devious oft and swelling from the part,
The flowing robe with ease should seem to start;
Not on the form in stiff adhesion laid,
But well reliev'd by gentle light and shade.
Where'er a flat vacuity is seen,
There let some shadowy bending intervene,
Above, below, to lead its varied line,
As best may teach the distant folds to join;
And as the limbs by few bold strokes exprest
Excel in beauty, so the liberal vest
In large, distinct, unwrinkled folds should fly,
Beauty's best handmaid is Simplicity.
There let some shadowy bending intervene,
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As best may teach the distant folds to join;
And as the limbs by few bold strokes exprest
Excel in beauty, so the liberal vest
In large, distinct, unwrinkled folds should fly,
Beauty's best handmaid is Simplicity.
To different ranks adapt their proper robe;
With ample pall let monarchs sweep the globe;
In garb succinct and coarse array the swain;
In light and silken veils the virgin train.
With ample pall let monarchs sweep the globe;
In garb succinct and coarse array the swain;
In light and silken veils the virgin train.
Where in black shade the deeper hollow lies,
Assisting art some midway fold supplies,
That gently meets the light, and gently spreads
To break the hardness of opposing shades.
Assisting art some midway fold supplies,
That gently meets the light, and gently spreads
To break the hardness of opposing shades.
Each nobler symbol classic sages use,
To mark a virtue, or adorn a Muse.
Ensigns of war, of peace, or rites divine,
These in thy work with dignity may shine:
But sparingly thy earth-born stores unfold,
Nor load with gems, nor lace with tawdry gold;
Rare things alone are dear in Custom's eye,
They lose their value as they multiply.
To mark a virtue, or adorn a Muse.
43
These in thy work with dignity may shine:
But sparingly thy earth-born stores unfold,
Nor load with gems, nor lace with tawdry gold;
Rare things alone are dear in Custom's eye,
They lose their value as they multiply.
Of absent forms the features to define,
Prepare a model to direct thy line;
Each garb, each custom, with precision trace,
Unite in strict decorum time with place;
And emulous alone of genuine fame,
Be Grace, be Majesty thy constant aim,
That Majesty, that Grace so rarely given
To mortal man, nor taught by art but Heaven.
Prepare a model to direct thy line;
Each garb, each custom, with precision trace,
Unite in strict decorum time with place;
And emulous alone of genuine fame,
Be Grace, be Majesty thy constant aim,
That Majesty, that Grace so rarely given
To mortal man, nor taught by art but Heaven.
44
In all to sage propriety attend,
Nor sink the clouds, nor bid the waves ascend;
Lift not the mansions drear of Hell or Night
Above the Thunderer's lofty arch of light;
Nor build the column on an osier base;
But let each object know its native place.
Nor sink the clouds, nor bid the waves ascend;
Lift not the mansions drear of Hell or Night
Above the Thunderer's lofty arch of light;
Nor build the column on an osier base;
But let each object know its native place.
Thy last, thy noblest task remains untold,
Passion to paint, and sentiment unfold;
Yet how these motions of the mind display!
Can colours catch them, or can lines pourtray?
Who shall our pigmy pencils arm with might
To seize the soul, and force her into sight?
Jove, Jove alone; his highly-favour'd few
Alone can call such miracles to view.
Passion to paint, and sentiment unfold;
Yet how these motions of the mind display!
Can colours catch them, or can lines pourtray?
Who shall our pigmy pencils arm with might
To seize the soul, and force her into sight?
Jove, Jove alone; his highly-favour'd few
Alone can call such miracles to view.
45
But this to rhet'ric and the schools I leave,
Content from ancient lore one rule to give:
“By tedious toil no passions are exprest,
“His hand who feels them strongest paints them best.”
Content from ancient lore one rule to give:
“By tedious toil no passions are exprest,
“His hand who feels them strongest paints them best.”
Yet shall the Muse with all her force proscribe,
Of base and barbarous forms that Gothic tribe,
Which sprung to birth, what time, thro' lust of sway,
Imperial Latium bade the world obey:
Fierce from the north the headlong demons flew,
The wreaths of science wither'd at their view;
Plagues were their harbingers, and war accurst,
And luxury, of every fiend the worst:
Then did each Muse behold her triumphs fade,
Then pensive Painting droop'd the languish'd head;
And sorrowing Sculpture, while the ruthless flame
Involv'd each trophy of her Sister's fame,
Fled to sepulchral cells her own to save,
And lurk'd a patient inmate of the grave.
Meanwhile beneath the frown of angry Heaven,
Unworthy every boon its smile had given,
Involv'd in Error's cloud, and scorn'd of light,
The guilty empire sunk. Then horrid Night,
And Dulness drear their murky vigils kept,
In savage gloom the impious Ages slept,
Till Genius, starting from his rugged bed,
Full late awoke, the ceaseless tear to shed
For perish'd Art; for those celestial hues,
Which Zeuxis, aided by the Attic Muse,
Gave to the wond'ring eye: she bade his name
With thine, Apelles, gild the lists of fame;
With thine to colouring's brightest glories soar,
The gods applaud him, and the world adore.
Of base and barbarous forms that Gothic tribe,
Which sprung to birth, what time, thro' lust of sway,
Imperial Latium bade the world obey:
Fierce from the north the headlong demons flew,
The wreaths of science wither'd at their view;
Plagues were their harbingers, and war accurst,
And luxury, of every fiend the worst:
Then did each Muse behold her triumphs fade,
Then pensive Painting droop'd the languish'd head;
46
Involv'd each trophy of her Sister's fame,
Fled to sepulchral cells her own to save,
And lurk'd a patient inmate of the grave.
Meanwhile beneath the frown of angry Heaven,
Unworthy every boon its smile had given,
Involv'd in Error's cloud, and scorn'd of light,
The guilty empire sunk. Then horrid Night,
And Dulness drear their murky vigils kept,
In savage gloom the impious Ages slept,
Till Genius, starting from his rugged bed,
Full late awoke, the ceaseless tear to shed
For perish'd Art; for those celestial hues,
Which Zeuxis, aided by the Attic Muse,
Gave to the wond'ring eye: she bade his name
With thine, Apelles, gild the lists of fame;
47
The gods applaud him, and the world adore.
Alas! how lost those magic mixtures all!
No hues of this now animate the wall;
How then shall modern art those hues apply,
How give design its finish'd dignity?
Return, fair Colouring! all thy lures prepare,
Each safe deception, every honest snare,
Which brings new lovers to thy sister's train,
Skilful at once to charm, and to retain;
Come, faithful Siren! chaste seducer! say,
What laws control thee, and what powers obey.
No hues of this now animate the wall;
How then shall modern art those hues apply,
How give design its finish'd dignity?
Return, fair Colouring! all thy lures prepare,
Each safe deception, every honest snare,
Which brings new lovers to thy sister's train,
Skilful at once to charm, and to retain;
Come, faithful Siren! chaste seducer! say,
What laws control thee, and what powers obey.
Know first, that light displays and shade destroys
Refulgent Nature's variegated dyes.
Refulgent Nature's variegated dyes.
Thus bodies near the light distinctly shine
With rays direct, and as it fades decline.
With rays direct, and as it fades decline.
48
Thus to the eye oppos'd with stronger light
They meet its orb, for distance dims the sight.
They meet its orb, for distance dims the sight.
Learn hence to paint the parts that meet the view
In spheric forms, of bright and equal hue;
While, from the light receding or the eye,
The sinking outlines take a fainter dye.
Lost and confus'd progressively they fade,
Not fall precipitate from light to shade.
This Nature dictates, and this Taste pursues,
Studious in gradual gloom her lights to lose;
The various whole with soft'ning tints to fill,
As if one single head employ'd her skill.
Thus, if bold Fancy plan some proud design,
Where many various groups divide or join,
(Tho' sure from more than three confusion springs,)
One globe of light and shade o'er all she flings;
Yet skill'd the separate masses to dispose,
Where'er, in front, the fuller radiance glows,
Behind, a calm reposing gloom she spreads,
Relieving shades with light, and light with shades.
And as the centre of some convex glass
Draws to a point the congregated mass
Of dazzling rays, that, more than nature bright,
Reflect each image in an orb of light,
While from that point the scatter'd beams retire,
Sink to the verge, and there in shade expire;
So strongly near, so softly distant throw
On all thy rounded groups the circling glow.
In spheric forms, of bright and equal hue;
While, from the light receding or the eye,
The sinking outlines take a fainter dye.
Lost and confus'd progressively they fade,
Not fall precipitate from light to shade.
This Nature dictates, and this Taste pursues,
Studious in gradual gloom her lights to lose;
The various whole with soft'ning tints to fill,
As if one single head employ'd her skill.
Thus, if bold Fancy plan some proud design,
Where many various groups divide or join,
(Tho' sure from more than three confusion springs,)
One globe of light and shade o'er all she flings;
49
Where'er, in front, the fuller radiance glows,
Behind, a calm reposing gloom she spreads,
Relieving shades with light, and light with shades.
And as the centre of some convex glass
Draws to a point the congregated mass
Of dazzling rays, that, more than nature bright,
Reflect each image in an orb of light,
While from that point the scatter'd beams retire,
Sink to the verge, and there in shade expire;
So strongly near, so softly distant throw
On all thy rounded groups the circling glow.
As is the Sculptor's, such the Painter's aim,
Their labour different, but their end the same;
What from the marble the rude chissel breaks,
The softer pencil from the canvass takes:
And, skill'd remoter distances to keep,
Surrounds the outline pale in shadows deep;
While on the front the sparkling lustre plays,
And meets the eye in full meridian blaze.
True Colouring thus, in plastic power excels,
Fair to the visual point her forms she swells,
And lifts them from their flat aërial ground
Warm as the life, and as the statue round.
Their labour different, but their end the same;
50
The softer pencil from the canvass takes:
And, skill'd remoter distances to keep,
Surrounds the outline pale in shadows deep;
While on the front the sparkling lustre plays,
And meets the eye in full meridian blaze.
True Colouring thus, in plastic power excels,
Fair to the visual point her forms she swells,
And lifts them from their flat aërial ground
Warm as the life, and as the statue round.
In silver clouds, in ether's blue domain,
Or the clear mirror of the wat'ry plain,
If chance some solid substance claim a place,
Firm and opaque amid the lucid space,
Rough let it swell and boldly meet the sight,
Mark'd with peculiar strength of shade and light;
There blend each earthly tint of heaviest sort,
At once to give consistence and support,
While the bright wave, soft cloud, or azure sky,
Light and pellucid from that substance fly.
Or the clear mirror of the wat'ry plain,
If chance some solid substance claim a place,
Firm and opaque amid the lucid space,
51
Mark'd with peculiar strength of shade and light;
There blend each earthly tint of heaviest sort,
At once to give consistence and support,
While the bright wave, soft cloud, or azure sky,
Light and pellucid from that substance fly.
Permit not two conspicuous lights to shine
With rival radiance in the same design;
But yield to one alone the power to blaze,
And spread the extensive vigour of its rays,
There where the noblest figures are display'd;
Thence gild the distant parts, and lessening fade:
As fade the beams which Phœbus from the east
Flings vivid forth to light the distant west,
Gradual those vivid beams forget to shine,
So gradual let thy pictur'd lights decline.
With rival radiance in the same design;
But yield to one alone the power to blaze,
And spread the extensive vigour of its rays,
There where the noblest figures are display'd;
Thence gild the distant parts, and lessening fade:
52
Flings vivid forth to light the distant west,
Gradual those vivid beams forget to shine,
So gradual let thy pictur'd lights decline.
The sculptor'd forms which some proud Circus grace,
In Parian marble or Corinthian brass,
Illumin'd thus, give to the gazing eye
Th' expressive head in radiant majesty,
While to each lower limb the fainter ray
Lends only light to mark, but not display:
So let thy pencil fling its beams around,
Nor e'er with darker shades their force confound.
For shades too dark, dissever'd shapes will give,
And sink the parts their softness would relieve:
Then only well reliev'd, when like a veil
Round the full lights the wand'ring shadows steal;
Then only justly spread, when to the sight
A breadth of shade pursues a breadth of light.
This charm to give, great Titian wisely made
The cluster'd grapes his rule of light and shade.
In Parian marble or Corinthian brass,
Illumin'd thus, give to the gazing eye
Th' expressive head in radiant majesty,
While to each lower limb the fainter ray
Lends only light to mark, but not display:
So let thy pencil fling its beams around,
Nor e'er with darker shades their force confound.
For shades too dark, dissever'd shapes will give,
And sink the parts their softness would relieve:
Then only well reliev'd, when like a veil
Round the full lights the wand'ring shadows steal;
53
A breadth of shade pursues a breadth of light.
This charm to give, great Titian wisely made
The cluster'd grapes his rule of light and shade.
White, when it shines with unstain'd lustre clear,
May bear an object back, or bring it near;
Aided by black, it to the front aspires,
That aid withdrawn, it distantly retires;
But black unmix'd, of darkest midnight hue,
Still calls each object nearer to the view.
May bear an object back, or bring it near;
Aided by black, it to the front aspires,
That aid withdrawn, it distantly retires;
But black unmix'd, of darkest midnight hue,
Still calls each object nearer to the view.
Whate'er we spy thro' colour'd light or air,
A stain congenial on their surface bear,
While neighb'ring forms by joint reflection give
And mutual take the dyes that they receive.
But where on both alike one equal light
Diffusive spreads, the blending tints unite.
For breaking colours thus (the ancient phrase
By Artists used) fair Venice claims our praise:
She, cautious to transgress so sage a rule,
Confin'd to soberest tints her learned school;
For tho' she lov'd by varied mode to join
Tumultuous crowds in one immense design,
Yet there we ne'er condemn such hostile hues
As cut the parts or glaringly confuse;
In tinsel trim no foppish form is drest,
Still flows in graceful unity the vest;
And o'er that vest a kindred mantle spreads,
Unvaried but by power of lights and shades,
Which mildly mixing every social dye,
Unites the whole in loveliest harmony.
A stain congenial on their surface bear,
While neighb'ring forms by joint reflection give
And mutual take the dyes that they receive.
54
Diffusive spreads, the blending tints unite.
For breaking colours thus (the ancient phrase
By Artists used) fair Venice claims our praise:
She, cautious to transgress so sage a rule,
Confin'd to soberest tints her learned school;
For tho' she lov'd by varied mode to join
Tumultuous crowds in one immense design,
Yet there we ne'er condemn such hostile hues
As cut the parts or glaringly confuse;
In tinsel trim no foppish form is drest,
Still flows in graceful unity the vest;
And o'er that vest a kindred mantle spreads,
Unvaried but by power of lights and shades,
55
Unites the whole in loveliest harmony.
When small the space, or pure the ambient air,
Each form is seen in bright precision clear;
But if thick clouds that purity deface,
If far extend that intervening space,
There all confus'd the objects faintly rise,
As if prepar'd to vanish from our eyes.
Each form is seen in bright precision clear;
But if thick clouds that purity deface,
If far extend that intervening space,
There all confus'd the objects faintly rise,
As if prepar'd to vanish from our eyes.
Give then each foremost part a touch so bright,
That, o'er the rest, its domineering light
May much prevail; yet, relative in all,
Let greater parts advance before the small.
That, o'er the rest, its domineering light
May much prevail; yet, relative in all,
Let greater parts advance before the small.
56
Minuter forms, when distantly we trace,
Are mingled all in one compacted mass;
Such the light leaves that clothe remoter woods,
And such the waves on wide-extended floods.
Are mingled all in one compacted mass;
Such the light leaves that clothe remoter woods,
And such the waves on wide-extended floods.
Let each contiguous part be firm allied,
Nor labour less the separate to divide;
Yet so divide that to th' approving eye
They both at small and pleasing distance lie.
Nor labour less the separate to divide;
Yet so divide that to th' approving eye
They both at small and pleasing distance lie.
Forbid two hostile colours close to meet,
And win with middle tints their union sweet;
Yet varying all thy tones, let some aspire
Fiercely in front, some tenderly retire.
And win with middle tints their union sweet;
Yet varying all thy tones, let some aspire
Fiercely in front, some tenderly retire.
57
Vain is the hope by colouring to display
The bright effulgence of the noon-tide ray,
Or paint the full-orb'd Ruler of the skies
With pencils dipp'd in dull terrestrial dyes:
But when mild Evening sheds her golden light;
When Morn appears array'd in modest white;
When soft suffusion of the vernal shower
Dims the pale Sun; or, at the thund'ring hour,
When, wrapt in crimson clouds, he hides his head,
Then catch the glow, and on the canvass spread.
The bright effulgence of the noon-tide ray,
Or paint the full-orb'd Ruler of the skies
With pencils dipp'd in dull terrestrial dyes:
But when mild Evening sheds her golden light;
When Morn appears array'd in modest white;
When soft suffusion of the vernal shower
Dims the pale Sun; or, at the thund'ring hour,
When, wrapt in crimson clouds, he hides his head,
Then catch the glow, and on the canvass spread.
Bodies of polish'd or transparent tone,
Of metal, crystal, iv'ry, wood, or stone:
And all whose rough unequal parts are rear'd,
The shaggy fleece, thick fur, or bristly beard;
The liquid too; the sadly melting eye,
The well-comb'd locks that wave with glossy dye;
Plumage and silks; a floating form that take,
Fair Nature's mirrour, the extended lake;
With what immers'd thro' its calm medium shines
By reflex light, or to its surface joins;
These first with thin and even shades portray,
Then, on their flatness strike th' enlivening ray,
Bright and distinct,—and last, with strict review,
Restore to every form its outline true.
Of metal, crystal, iv'ry, wood, or stone:
And all whose rough unequal parts are rear'd,
The shaggy fleece, thick fur, or bristly beard;
The liquid too; the sadly melting eye,
The well-comb'd locks that wave with glossy dye;
58
Fair Nature's mirrour, the extended lake;
With what immers'd thro' its calm medium shines
By reflex light, or to its surface joins;
These first with thin and even shades portray,
Then, on their flatness strike th' enlivening ray,
Bright and distinct,—and last, with strict review,
Restore to every form its outline true.
By mellowing skill thy ground at distance cast,
Free as the air, and transient as its blast;
There all thy liquid colours sweetly blend,
There all the treasures of thy palette spend,
And every form retiring to that ground
Of hue congenial to itself compound.
Free as the air, and transient as its blast;
There all thy liquid colours sweetly blend,
There all the treasures of thy palette spend,
And every form retiring to that ground
Of hue congenial to itself compound.
The hand that colours well, must colour bright;
Hope not that praise to gain by sickly white;
But amply heap in front each splendid dye,
Then thin and light withdraw them from the eye,
Mix'd with that simple unity of shade,
As all were from one single palette spread.
Much will the mirrour teach, or evening grey,
When o'er some ample space her twilight ray
Obscurely gleams; hence Art shall best perceive
On distant parts what fainter hues to give.
Hope not that praise to gain by sickly white;
59
Then thin and light withdraw them from the eye,
Mix'd with that simple unity of shade,
As all were from one single palette spread.
Much will the mirrour teach, or evening grey,
When o'er some ample space her twilight ray
Obscurely gleams; hence Art shall best perceive
On distant parts what fainter hues to give.
Whate'er the form which our first glance commands,
Whether in front or in profile he stands,
Whether he rule the group, or singly reign,
Or shine at distance on some ample plain,
On that high-finish'd form let Paint bestow
Her midnight shadow, her meridian glow.
Whether in front or in profile he stands,
Whether he rule the group, or singly reign,
Or shine at distance on some ample plain,
On that high-finish'd form let Paint bestow
Her midnight shadow, her meridian glow.
60
The portrait claims from imitative art
Resemblance close in each minuter part,
And this to give, the ready hand and eye
With playful skill the kindred features ply;
From part to part alternately convey
The harmonizing gloom, the darting ray,
With tones so just, in such gradation thrown,
Adopting Nature owns the work her own.
Resemblance close in each minuter part,
And this to give, the ready hand and eye
With playful skill the kindred features ply;
From part to part alternately convey
The harmonizing gloom, the darting ray,
With tones so just, in such gradation thrown,
Adopting Nature owns the work her own.
Say, is the piece thy hand prepares to trace
Ordain'd for nearer sight, or narrow space?
Paint it of soft and amicable hue:
But if predestin'd to remoter view,
Thy strong unequal varied colours blend;
And ample space to ample figures lend,
Where to broad lights the circumambient shade
In liquid play by labour just is laid;
Alike with liveliest touch the forms portray,
Where the dim window half excludes the day;
But, when expos'd in fuller light or air,
A brown and sober cast the group may bear.
Ordain'd for nearer sight, or narrow space?
Paint it of soft and amicable hue:
But if predestin'd to remoter view,
Thy strong unequal varied colours blend;
And ample space to ample figures lend,
Where to broad lights the circumambient shade
In liquid play by labour just is laid;
61
Where the dim window half excludes the day;
But, when expos'd in fuller light or air,
A brown and sober cast the group may bear.
Fly every foe to elegance and grace,
Each yawning hollow, each divided space;
Whate'er is trite, minute, abrupt, or dry,
Where light meets shade in flat equality;
Each theme fantastic, filthy, vile, or vain,
That gives the soul disgust or senses pain;
Monsters of barbarous birth, Chimeras drear,
That pall with ugliness, or awe with fear.
And all that chaos of sharp broken parts,
Where reigns confusion, or whence discord starts.
Each yawning hollow, each divided space;
Whate'er is trite, minute, abrupt, or dry,
Where light meets shade in flat equality;
Each theme fantastic, filthy, vile, or vain,
That gives the soul disgust or senses pain;
Monsters of barbarous birth, Chimeras drear,
That pall with ugliness, or awe with fear.
62
Where reigns confusion, or whence discord starts.
Yet hear me, Youths! while zealous ye forsake
Detected faults, this friendly caution take,—
Shun all excess; and with true wisdom deem,
That vice alike resides in each extreme.
Detected faults, this friendly caution take,—
Shun all excess; and with true wisdom deem,
That vice alike resides in each extreme.
Know, if supreme perfection be your aim,
If classic praise your pencil hope to claim,
Your noble outlines must be chaste, yet free,
Connected all with studied harmony:
Few in their parts, yet those distinct and great;
Your Colouring boldly strong, yet softly sweet.
If classic praise your pencil hope to claim,
Your noble outlines must be chaste, yet free,
Connected all with studied harmony:
Few in their parts, yet those distinct and great;
Your Colouring boldly strong, yet softly sweet.
Know, he that well begins has half achiev'd
His destin'd work. Yet late shall be retriev'd
That time mis-spent, that labour worse than lost,
The young disciple, to his dearest cost,
Gives to a dull preceptor's tame designs;
His tawdry colours, his erroneous lines,
Will to the soul that poison rank convey,
Which life's best length shall fail to purge away.
His destin'd work. Yet late shall be retriev'd
63
The young disciple, to his dearest cost,
Gives to a dull preceptor's tame designs;
His tawdry colours, his erroneous lines,
Will to the soul that poison rank convey,
Which life's best length shall fail to purge away.
Yet let not your untutor'd childhood strive
Of Nature's living charms the sketch to give,
Till, skill'd her separate features to design,
You know each muscle's site, and how they join.
These while beneath some master's eye you trace,
Vers'd in the lore of symmetry and grace,
Boldly proceed: his precepts shall impart
Each sweet deception of the pleasing art:
Still more than precept shall his practice teach,
And add what self-reflection ne'er can reach.
Of Nature's living charms the sketch to give,
Till, skill'd her separate features to design,
You know each muscle's site, and how they join.
These while beneath some master's eye you trace,
Vers'd in the lore of symmetry and grace,
Boldly proceed: his precepts shall impart
Each sweet deception of the pleasing art:
Still more than precept shall his practice teach,
And add what self-reflection ne'er can reach.
64
Oft, when alone, the studious hour employ
On what may aid your art, and what destroy;
Diversity of parts is sure to please,
If all the various parts unite with ease;
As surely charms that voluntary style,
Which careless plays, and seems to mock at toil;
For labour'd lines with cold exactness tire,
'Tis freedom only gives the force and fire
Etherial; she, with alchymy divine,
Brightens each touch, ennobles every line;
Yet pains and practice only can bestow
This facile power of hand, whose liberal flow
With grateful fraud its own exertions veils;
He best employs his art who best conceals.
On what may aid your art, and what destroy;
Diversity of parts is sure to please,
If all the various parts unite with ease;
As surely charms that voluntary style,
Which careless plays, and seems to mock at toil;
For labour'd lines with cold exactness tire,
'Tis freedom only gives the force and fire
Etherial; she, with alchymy divine,
Brightens each touch, ennobles every line;
Yet pains and practice only can bestow
This facile power of hand, whose liberal flow
With grateful fraud its own exertions veils;
He best employs his art who best conceals.
65
This to obtain, let taste with judgment join'd
The future whole infix upon thy mind;
Be there each line in truth ideal drawn,
Or ere a colour on the canvass dawn;
Then as the work proceeds, that work submit
To sight instinctive, not to doubting wit;
The eye each obvious error swift descries,
Hold then the compass only in the eyes.
The future whole infix upon thy mind;
Be there each line in truth ideal drawn,
Or ere a colour on the canvass dawn;
Then as the work proceeds, that work submit
To sight instinctive, not to doubting wit;
The eye each obvious error swift descries,
Hold then the compass only in the eyes.
Give to the dictates of the learn'd respect,
Nor proudly untaught sentiments reject,
Severe to self alone: for self is blind,
And deems each merit in its offspring join'd:
Such fond delusion time can best remove,
Concealing for a while the child we love:
By absence then the eye impartial grown,
Will, tho' no friend assist, each error own;
But these subdued, let thy determin'd mind
Veer not with every critic's veering wind,
Or e'er submit thy genius to the rules
Of prating fops, or self-important fools;
Enough if from the learn'd applause be won;
Who doat on random praises, merit none.
Nor proudly untaught sentiments reject,
Severe to self alone: for self is blind,
And deems each merit in its offspring join'd:
Such fond delusion time can best remove,
Concealing for a while the child we love:
66
Will, tho' no friend assist, each error own;
But these subdued, let thy determin'd mind
Veer not with every critic's veering wind,
Or e'er submit thy genius to the rules
Of prating fops, or self-important fools;
Enough if from the learn'd applause be won;
Who doat on random praises, merit none.
By Nature's sympathetic power, we see,
As is the parent, such the progeny:
Ev'n Artists, bound by their instinctive law,
In all their works their own resemblance draw:
Learn then “to know thyself;” that precept sage
Shall best allay luxuriant Fancy's rage;
Shall point how far indulgent Genius deigns
To aid her flight, and to what point restrains.
But as the blushing fruits, the breathing flowers,
Adorning Flora's and Pomona's bowers,
When forcing fires command their buds to swell,
Refuse their dulcet taste, their balmy smell;
So Labour's vain extortion ne'er achieves
That grace supreme which willing Genius gives.
As is the parent, such the progeny:
Ev'n Artists, bound by their instinctive law,
In all their works their own resemblance draw:
Learn then “to know thyself;” that precept sage
Shall best allay luxuriant Fancy's rage;
Shall point how far indulgent Genius deigns
To aid her flight, and to what point restrains.
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Adorning Flora's and Pomona's bowers,
When forcing fires command their buds to swell,
Refuse their dulcet taste, their balmy smell;
So Labour's vain extortion ne'er achieves
That grace supreme which willing Genius gives.
Thus tho' to pains and practice much we owe,
Tho' thence each line obtains its easy flow,
Yet let those pains, that practice, ne'er be join'd,
To blunt the native vigour of the mind.
Tho' thence each line obtains its easy flow,
Yet let those pains, that practice, ne'er be join'd,
To blunt the native vigour of the mind.
When shines the morn, when in recruited course
The spirits flow, devote their active force
To every nicer part of thy design,
But pass no idle day without a line:
And wand'ring oft the crowded streets along,
The native gestures of the passing throng
Attentive mark; for many a casual grace,
Th' expressive lines of each impassion'd face
That bears its joys or sorrows undisguis'd,
May by observant Taste be there surpriz'd.
Thus, true to art, and zealous to excel,
Ponder on Nature's powers, and weigh them well!
Explore thro' earth and heaven, thro' sea and skies,
The accidental graces as they rise;
And while each present form the Fancy warms,
Swift on thy tablets fix its fleeting charms.
The spirits flow, devote their active force
To every nicer part of thy design,
But pass no idle day without a line:
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The native gestures of the passing throng
Attentive mark; for many a casual grace,
Th' expressive lines of each impassion'd face
That bears its joys or sorrows undisguis'd,
May by observant Taste be there surpriz'd.
Thus, true to art, and zealous to excel,
Ponder on Nature's powers, and weigh them well!
Explore thro' earth and heaven, thro' sea and skies,
The accidental graces as they rise;
And while each present form the Fancy warms,
Swift on thy tablets fix its fleeting charms.
To Temperance all our liveliest powers we owe,
She bids the Judgment wake, the Fancy flow;
For her the Artist shuns the fuming feast,
The midnight roar, the Bacchanalian guest,
And seeks those softer opiates of the soul,
The social circle, the diluted bowl:
Crown'd with the freedom of a single life,
He flies domestic din, litigious strife;
Abhors the noisy haunts of bustling trade,
And steals serene to solitude and shade;
There calmly seated in his village bower,
He gives to noblest themes the studious hour,
While Genius, Practice, Contemplation join
To warm his soul with energy divine;
For paltry gold let pining misers sigh,
His soul invokes a nobler deity;
Smit with the glorious avarice of fame,
He claims no less than an immortal name;
Hence on his fancy just conception shines,
True judgment guides his hand, true taste refines;
Hence ceaseless toil, devotion to his art,
A docile temper, and a generous heart;
Docile, his sage preceptor to obey,
Generous, his aid with gratitude to pay;
Blest with the bloom of youth, the nerves of health,
And competence, a better boon than wealth.
She bids the Judgment wake, the Fancy flow;
For her the Artist shuns the fuming feast,
The midnight roar, the Bacchanalian guest,
69
The social circle, the diluted bowl:
Crown'd with the freedom of a single life,
He flies domestic din, litigious strife;
Abhors the noisy haunts of bustling trade,
And steals serene to solitude and shade;
There calmly seated in his village bower,
He gives to noblest themes the studious hour,
While Genius, Practice, Contemplation join
To warm his soul with energy divine;
For paltry gold let pining misers sigh,
His soul invokes a nobler deity;
Smit with the glorious avarice of fame,
He claims no less than an immortal name;
Hence on his fancy just conception shines,
True judgment guides his hand, true taste refines;
Hence ceaseless toil, devotion to his art,
A docile temper, and a generous heart;
70
Generous, his aid with gratitude to pay;
Blest with the bloom of youth, the nerves of health,
And competence, a better boon than wealth.
Great blessings these! yet will not these empower
His tints to charm at every labouring hour:
All have their brilliant moments, when alone
They paint as if some star propitious shone.
Yet then, e'en then, the hand but ill conveys
The bolder grace that in the fancy plays:
Hence, candid critics, this sad truth confest,
Accept what least is bad, and deem it best;
Lament the soul in error's thraldom held,
Compare life's span with art's extensive field;
Know that ere perfect taste matures the mind,
Or perfect practice to that taste be join'd,
Comes age, comes sickness, comes contracting pain,
And chills the warmth of youth in every vein.
His tints to charm at every labouring hour:
All have their brilliant moments, when alone
They paint as if some star propitious shone.
Yet then, e'en then, the hand but ill conveys
The bolder grace that in the fancy plays:
Hence, candid critics, this sad truth confest,
Accept what least is bad, and deem it best;
Lament the soul in error's thraldom held,
Compare life's span with art's extensive field;
Know that ere perfect taste matures the mind,
Or perfect practice to that taste be join'd,
Comes age, comes sickness, comes contracting pain,
And chills the warmth of youth in every vein.
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Rise then, ye Youths, while yet that warmth inspires,
While yet nor years impair, nor labour tires,
While health, while strength are yours, while that mild ray
Which shone auspicious on your natal day,
Conducts you to Minerva's peaceful quire,—
Sons of her choice, and sharers of her fire,
Rise at the call of Art: expand your breast,
Capacious to receive the mighty guest,
While, free from prejudice, your active eye
Preserves its first unsullied purity;
While new to beauty's charms, your eager soul
Drinks copious draughts of the delicious whole,
And Memory on her soft, yet lasting page,
Stamps the fresh image which shall charm thro' age.
While yet nor years impair, nor labour tires,
While health, while strength are yours, while that mild ray
Which shone auspicious on your natal day,
Conducts you to Minerva's peaceful quire,—
Sons of her choice, and sharers of her fire,
Rise at the call of Art: expand your breast,
Capacious to receive the mighty guest,
While, free from prejudice, your active eye
Preserves its first unsullied purity;
While new to beauty's charms, your eager soul
Drinks copious draughts of the delicious whole,
And Memory on her soft, yet lasting page,
Stamps the fresh image which shall charm thro' age.
When duly taught each geometric rule,
Approach with awful step the Grecian school,
The sculptur'd reliques of her skill survey,
Muse on by night, and imitate by day;
No rest, no pause, till, all her graces known,
A happy habit makes each grace your own.
Approach with awful step the Grecian school,
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Muse on by night, and imitate by day;
No rest, no pause, till, all her graces known,
A happy habit makes each grace your own.
As years advance, to modern masters come,
Gaze on their glories in majestic Rome;
Admire the proud productions of their skill,
Which Venice, Parma, and Bologna fill:
And, rightly led by our preceptive lore,
Their style, their colouring, part by part, explore:
See Raffaelle there his forms celestial trace,
Unrivall'd Sovereign of the realms of Grace:
See Angelo, with energy divine,
Seize on the summit of correct design:
Learn how at Julio's birth the Muses smil'd,
And in their mystic caverns nurs'd the child;
How, by th' Aonian powers their smile bestow'd,
His pencil with poetic fervour glow'd;
When faintly verse Apollo's charms convey'd,
He op'd the shrine, and all the god display'd:
His triumphs more than mortal pomp adorns,
With more than mortal rage his battle burns;
His heroes, happy heirs of fav'ring fame,
More from his art than from their actions claim.
Gaze on their glories in majestic Rome;
Admire the proud productions of their skill,
Which Venice, Parma, and Bologna fill:
And, rightly led by our preceptive lore,
Their style, their colouring, part by part, explore:
See Raffaelle there his forms celestial trace,
Unrivall'd Sovereign of the realms of Grace:
See Angelo, with energy divine,
Seize on the summit of correct design:
Learn how at Julio's birth the Muses smil'd,
And in their mystic caverns nurs'd the child;
73
His pencil with poetic fervour glow'd;
When faintly verse Apollo's charms convey'd,
He op'd the shrine, and all the god display'd:
His triumphs more than mortal pomp adorns,
With more than mortal rage his battle burns;
His heroes, happy heirs of fav'ring fame,
More from his art than from their actions claim.
Bright, beyond all the rest, Correggio flings
His ample lights, and round them gently brings
The mingling shade. In all his works we view
Grandeur of style, and chastity of hue.
His ample lights, and round them gently brings
The mingling shade. In all his works we view
Grandeur of style, and chastity of hue.
Yet higher still great Titian dar'd to soar,
He reach'd the loftiest heights of colouring's power;
His friendly tints in happiest mixture flow,
His shades and lights their just gradations know;
His were those dear delusions of the art,
That round, relieve, inspirit every part;
Hence deem'd divine, the world his merit own'd,
With riches loaded, and with honours crown'd.
He reach'd the loftiest heights of colouring's power;
His friendly tints in happiest mixture flow,
His shades and lights their just gradations know;
His were those dear delusions of the art,
That round, relieve, inspirit every part;
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With riches loaded, and with honours crown'd.
From all their charms combin'd, with happy toil,
Did Annibal compose his wond'rous style:
O'er the fair fraud so close a veil is thrown,
That every borrow'd grace becomes his own.
Did Annibal compose his wond'rous style:
O'er the fair fraud so close a veil is thrown,
That every borrow'd grace becomes his own.
If then to praise like their's your souls aspire,
Catch from their works a portion of their fire;
Revolve their labours all, for all will teach,—
Their finish'd picture, and their slightest sketch,
Yet more than these to Meditation's eyes
Great Nature's self redundantly supplies:
Her presence, best of models! is the source
Whence Genius draws augmented power and force;
Her precepts, best of teachers! give the powers,
Whence art by practice to perfection soars.
Catch from their works a portion of their fire;
Revolve their labours all, for all will teach,—
Their finish'd picture, and their slightest sketch,
Yet more than these to Meditation's eyes
Great Nature's self redundantly supplies:
Her presence, best of models! is the source
Whence Genius draws augmented power and force;
Her precepts, best of teachers! give the powers,
Whence art by practice to perfection soars.
75
These useful rules from time and chance to save,
In Latian strains, the studious Fresnoy gave:
On Tiber's peaceful banks the Poet lay,
What time the pride of Bourbon urg'd his way,
Thro' hostile camps, and crimson fields of slain,
To vindicate his race and vanquish Spain;
High on the Alps he took his warrior stand,
And thence in ardent volley from his hand
His thunder darted; (so the Flatterer sings
In strains best suited to the ear of kings,)
And like Alcides, with vindictive tread,
Crush'd the Hispanian lion's gasping head.
In Latian strains, the studious Fresnoy gave:
On Tiber's peaceful banks the Poet lay,
What time the pride of Bourbon urg'd his way,
Thro' hostile camps, and crimson fields of slain,
To vindicate his race and vanquish Spain;
High on the Alps he took his warrior stand,
And thence in ardent volley from his hand
His thunder darted; (so the Flatterer sings
In strains best suited to the ear of kings,)
And like Alcides, with vindictive tread,
Crush'd the Hispanian lion's gasping head.
But mark the Proteus-policy of state:
Now, while his courtly numbers I translate,
The foes are friends, in social league they dare
On Britain to “let slip the dogs of war.”
Vain efforts all, which in disgrace shall end,
If Britain, truly to herself a friend,
Thro' all her realms bids civil discord cease,
And heals her empire's wounds by arts of peace.
Rouse then, fair Freedom! Fan that holy flame,
From whence thy sons their dearest blessings claim:
Still bid them feel that scorn of lawless sway,
Which Interest cannot blind, nor Power dismay:
So shall the Throne, thou gav'st the Brunswick line,
Long by that race adorn'd, thy dread Palladium shine.
Now, while his courtly numbers I translate,
The foes are friends, in social league they dare
On Britain to “let slip the dogs of war.”
Vain efforts all, which in disgrace shall end,
If Britain, truly to herself a friend,
Thro' all her realms bids civil discord cease,
And heals her empire's wounds by arts of peace.
76
From whence thy sons their dearest blessings claim:
Still bid them feel that scorn of lawless sway,
Which Interest cannot blind, nor Power dismay:
So shall the Throne, thou gav'st the Brunswick line,
Long by that race adorn'd, thy dread Palladium shine.
| The Works of William Mason | |