to which particular notice is drawn, have been seen by the author, especially those in the schools of Venice, Holland, Belgium, Bavaria, France, and England, he has availed himself of the opinions and observations of recognised judges whenever an opportunity has presented itself, rather than trust to his own judgment or discrimination; and being assured that the reader will feel an interest in ascertaining the views which the great masters in the art have entertained of the works of their predecessors. RISE AND PROGRESS OF PAINTING. Ir does not appear quite certain at what period the art of painting was first invented; ancient authors having entertained various opinions on this point. A.M. 1218. Aristotle ascribes the honour to Eucher, who flourished A.M. 1218; Theophrastus awards it to Polygnotus, of Athens; Athenogoras to Saurias of Samos; other writers give the invention to Philocles the Egyptian, and to Cleanthus of Corinth. Its first introduction into Greece was merely a line, which circumscribed the figure the artist wished to express; these outlines were denominated “skiagrams," without any additional character than what the profile of the object delineated could afford. Fuseli* imforms us that the next step of the art was the "monagram," outlines of figures without light or shade, but with some addition of the parts, within the outline, and from that to the "monochrom," or paintings of a single colour on a plane or tablet * Fuseli, vol. ii, p. 16. B primed with white, and then covered with what they called punic wax, first amalgamated with a tough resinous pigment, generally of a red dark brown, or black colour; in, or rather through, this thin inky ground the outlines were traced with a firm but pliant style, which they called "cestrum;" if the traced line happened to be incorrect or wrong, it was gently effaced with the finger, or with a sponge, and easily replaced with a fresh one. When the whole design was settled and no further alteration intended, it was suffered to dry, was covered to make it permanent with a brown encaustic varnish; the lights were worked over again and rendered more brilliant with a paint still more delicate; according to the gradual advance from mere outlines to some indications, and at last, to masses of light and shade, and from those to the superinduction of different colours, or the invention of the "polychrom," which, by the addition of the pencil to the style raised the mezzotinto or stained drawing to a legitimate picture, and at length produced that vaunted harmony, the magic scale of Grecian colour. The first step was made by Ardicis of Sycion, and Crato of the same city, but the effect they produced by adding the lines to represent light and shade was so very unsatisfactory that they were compelled to write under the name of the object delineated, lest it should remain undiscovered.* Cleophantus of Corinth was the first who filled up his outlines, but with one single colour laid on alike over all parts of the figure; and Eumarus of Athens, who first painted men and women, and * Richard Graham's Lives of Painters. |