File:A treatise on painting - In four parts The whole illustrated by examples from the Italian, Venetian, Flemish, and Dutch schools (1837) (14782045064).jpg

Identifier: treatiseonpainti00burn (find matches)
Title: A treatise on painting : In four parts ... The whole illustrated by examples from the Italian, Venetian, Flemish, and Dutch schools
Year: 1837 (1830s)
Authors: Burnet, John, 1784-1868
Subjects: Painting
Publisher: London : James Carpenter
Contributing Library: Getty Research Institute
Digitizing Sponsor: Getty Research Institute

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on the contrary, toliteral truth, and a minute exactness in the detail, as I may say of naturemodified by accident. The attention to these petty peculiarities is thevery cause of this naturalness, so much admired in the Dutch pictures,which, if we suppose it to be a beauty, is certainly of a lower order, thatought to give place to a beauty of a superior kind, since one cannot beobtained but by departing from the other. These remarks show that itis always necessary for the student to bear in mind the nature of any ofthe works of art which he investigates ; what is to be learned from them,and how far such principles as they exhibit are founded upon truth, eitherwhen viewing nature upon broad general ideas, or when investigatingthe little intricacies of the detail in painting. PLATE III. Fig. 1 represents the Bacchus and Ariadne of Titian. Reynolds says,u The conduct of Titian in this picture has been much celebrated, andjustly, for the harmony of colouring. To Ariadne is given (say the
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ON COLOUR IN PAINTING. 25 critics) a red scarf, to relieve the figure from the sea, which is behindher. It is not for that reason alone, but for another of much greaterconsequence; for the sake of the general harmony and effect of thepicture. The figure of Ariadne is separated from the great group, andis dressed in blue, which, added to the colour of the sea, makes thatquantity of cold colour which Titian thought necessary for the support andbrilliancy of the great group ; which group is composed, with very littleexception, entirely of mellow colours. But as the picture in this casewould be divided into two distinct parts, one half cold, and the otherwarm, it was necessary to carry some of the mellow colours of the greatgroup into the cold part of the picture, and a part of the cold into thegreat group ; accordingly Titian gave Ariadne a red scarf, and to oneof the Bacchante a little blue drapery. If a diagonal line be drawnacross the picture, we find the picture composed of a mass of

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