Encyclopaedia Britannica > Volume 15, NIC-PAR

PAIN
colour more proper for another 5 but they endeavoured
still farther, by the agreement and opposition ol the
coloured objects, and by the contrast ot light and
shade, to produce a vigorous effect, to demand and hx
the attention. Dominic, who was said to have pe¬
rished at Florence by the jealousy of Andre Castagna,
and who was the second Italian artist who painted in
oil, bad educated, before he quitted Venice, his native
country, Jacques Beilin, who was remarkable lor no¬
thing but the picturesque education which he gave to
Gentel and John his two sons.
Gentel, who was the eldest, painted chiefly in water
colours. John contributed much to the progress of his
art in pauiting constantly in oil, and after nature. Al¬
though he always retained great stillness in his manner,
he had le>s than his father or brother. Great neatness
of colouring, and an approach to harmony, aie evi¬
dent in his works. His taste in design is Gothic, the
air of his heads is sufficiently noble, his attitudes are
without judgment, and his figures without expression.
He had for scholars Giorgion and Titian, who de¬
serve to be considered as the lounders ot the \ enetian
school.
Giorgion distinguished himself by a design of a bet¬
ter taste than that of his master ; but he chiefly sur¬
passed him in colouring. He died in his 3 2d year j
and excited the emulation ol Iitian, who soon greatly
excelled him.
Tiziano Yecelli, known best by the name of the Titi¬
an, was instructed to copy nature in the most servile
manner in the school ot John Bellm ■, but when he had
seen the works of Giorgion, he began to study the ideal
in colouring. . .
The truth of history is not to be expected in his hi¬
storical paintings, or in those of the artists of the same
school. He seems to have paid little attention to the
consistence of scene, to the costume, to expression
adapted to the subject, or finally, to the accommoda¬
tion of parts which characterise the works of those who
have studied the ancients. He was in short a great
painter and nothing more.
But although he deserves not to be placed among the
most distinguished artists in point ot judgment, yet he
is by no means destitute of great and noble conceptions.
There is often to be found among his male figures a
considerable degree of grandeur : but il he has some¬
times, like Michael Angelo, overcharged his design, it
was more discovered in the swelling of the soil and
fleshy parts than in vigour and muscular strength.
Almost entirely devoted to simple imitation, he had
scarcely greater choice in the claro-obscuro than in de¬
sign. He cannot be justly reproached at the same
time for weakness in this particular; because in en¬
deavouring to imitate the colours of nature, he was ob¬
liged to observe the degrees of light. And in propor¬
tion as he succeeded in the imitation of natural colours
he must be less defective in the claro obscuro; but it is
not in the knowledge of this part of the art that we are
to seek for the beauties of his works. These are to be
found in the happy dispositions of colours both proper
and local, and he carries this to the highest point of
perfection.
The artists in the Florentine and Roman schools
painted most commonly in water colours or in fresco \
TING. History,
and in the exercise of their profession, instead of na- Schools,
ture, thev finished their works from their first sketches.'
Titian painted in oil, and finished from the objects in
nature 5 and this practice, joined to his exquisite ta¬
lents, gave the greatest truth to his colours. His be¬
ing a portrait painter was also ot advantage to him as
a colourist. In this department he was accustomed to
the colours of nature in carnations and draperies. He
was a landscape-painter, and here also he took the
colours from nature.
“ As Titian perceived (says Mengs) that the ob¬
jects which are beautiful in nature have often a bad ef¬
fect in painting, he found it necessary to make a choice
in the objects of imitation ; and he observed, that
these were objects of which the local colours were ex¬
tremely beautiful, which nevertheless were in a great
measure destroyed by the reflection of light, by the
porosity of the body, and by different luminous tints,
&c. He perceived also, that in every object there
was an infinite number ot half tints, which conducted
to the knowledge of harmony. In short, he observed
in the objects of nature, a particular agreement of
transparency, of opacity, ol rudeness, and ot polish, and
that all objects differed in the degrees of their tints
and their shades. It was in this diversity he sought
the perfection of his art*, and in the execution he mo¬
derated the effect of natural colours. For example, in
a carnation which had many demi-tints, he confined
himself to one j and he employed even less than a demi-
tint, where there were few in the natural object. By
this means he obtained a colouring exquisitely fine ;
and in this part he was a great master, and deserves to
be carefully studied.”
Titian has in general little expression in his pictures,
and he sometimes introduces figures which augment the
coldness of the piece 5 for it it be true that the heads,,
even in historical painting, ought to be studied alter
nature, it is true also that an individual nature ought
not to be presented, but one general and ideal. It is
necessary that they should be men, while they resemble
not men we are accustomed to see. The painter fails
in the effect which he ought to produce, if, when he
represents Achilles, Hector, and Caesar, his personages
are familiar to our observation.
The colours of his paintings are so mingled toge¬
ther, as to give no idea of the colours on his pallet j
which distinguishes him from Rubens, who placed his.
colours one at the side of another. It is impossible to
say, on the narrowest inspection, with what colours
he produced his tints. This practice, which enabled
him to imitate so exactly the colours of nature, gives
a marked distinction to his manner of painting. In
the examination of his works, the critics lose an ordi¬
nary source of pleasure, which arises iiom marking
the freedom of hand; but they may console them¬
selves with the natural and exquisite touches of this
artist.
He is of historical painters one of those who have
succeeded in landscape. His situations are well chosen;
his trees are varied in their forms, and their foliage
well conceived. He had a custom of representing some
remarkable appearance in his landscapes to render
them more striking. 16
The distinguishing characteristics of this school are, Lombard
grace, school