justest expreffions to the finest forms. The Belvedere Apollo, and the daughter of Niobe, are the standards of beauty; what energy, what a divine expreffion is there in the one? what diftrefs, what an affecting fenfibility in the other? There are few expreffions (if we except thofe, which excite in the beholders either hatred or contempt) which may not be more happily marked in a fine countenance, than in fuch as are ill-favoured; where the features are charg ed, the flightest movements throw them into forcible expreffions; the confequences of which are, that the finer fymptoms of paffion are in a great measure loft; and the stronger ones lofe much of their force, by the facility with which they are expreffed: But, in a face naturally beautiful and compofed, not only the degrees of passion are traced with delicacy; but, the violent agitations of the foul, affect us more fenfibly, by the total disturbance and alteration which they they produce in the countenance. This idea will always have a great effect on the intelligent obferver; and, in proportion as the execution is more difficult, it will do more honour to the artift. I must add to these remarks, that, exclufive of the force which beauty gives to expreffions in general, there are fome, which cannot well exist without it: Thus, if dignity, courage, love, or joy be thrown into a charged or ill-favoured countenance, they grow into an extremity, by which they lofe their very effence; and are transformed into pride, fierceness, luft and grimace. You are not to suppose, that in the cases above-mentiontioned, I always fpeak of either abfolute beauty, or abfolute deformity; there are degrees in both; and the judgment of the artift confifts, in proportioning those degrees to the feveral occafions. B. THIS, B. THIS is, to turn a pleafing art into an useful science; and to make every picture a school of virtue. But yet, I cannnot forgive you, the having reduced the defign of Raphael, fo much below the standard, at which it is generally placed. A. THE judicious Pouffin has gone much. farther than I have done, or even than he had a right to go; when he affirmed, that Raphael among the moderns was an angel, but, that compared with the ancients, he was an afs. This is too much; however, it ferves to fhow how fenfibly this painter felt the difference that was between them. But, fetting afide these comparisons our purpose is to come at a fettled idea of the most perfect defign: What is it to us, whether the examples were produced two thousand, or two hundred years ago? A man of taste, like the philofopher, should be a citizen of the world, acknowledge merit wherever he meets it, indifferent whether it shines forth in a Raphael or Apelles, in a Michael Angelo or Glycon. B. You have advanced, that the greatest excellence of defign was grace; whence is it then, that Correggio, who, in this is inimitable, is, by many, placed fo low in the clafs of Defigners? A. THIS arifes from a want of attention to the character and purfuits of this amiable painter. His conftant aim was grace: And a happy effect of clear obfcure: A waving and varied Contour was neceffary to this end; Hence, he gave wholly into the ferpentine, ftudioufly avoiding right lines, and acute angles, as too fimple in their effects. [r] Thus the habit, and even ne : [r] Nullum fine venia placuit ingenium: Da mihi quemcumque vis magni nominis virum, dicam illi quid ceffity 2 ceffity of continually varying his out line, threw him into little errors in drawing, which spring not, as fome think, from an ignorance of this branch of his art, but from a predilection for another; and, there are few, I believe, who would wish those inadvertencies away, accompanied with the charms which gave occafion to them. B. It is a difpute among the critics, whether he ever faw or imitated the antique. A. THIS difpute is his greateft praise; for, they who fuppofe he did, cannot otherwife account for the general beauty, æætas fua ignoverit, quid in illo fciens diffimulaverit: Multos dabo, quibus vitia non nocuerint; quofdam, quibus profuerint; quos, fi quis corrigit, delet: Sic enim vitia virtutibus immifta funt, ut illas fecum tractura fint. Sen. Ep. cxiv.. |