|
On Raphael
I have seen a criticism on some paintings, of which I am reminded when I see the shiftless and unhappy men who are not true to their senses.
The last Grand Duke of Weimar, a man of superior understanding, said: -- "I have sometimes remarked in the presence of great works of art, and just now especially, in Dresden, how much a certain property contributes to the effect which gives life to the figures, and to the life an irresistible truth.
This property is the hitting, in all the figures we draw, the right cemtre of gravity. I mean, the placing the figures firm upon their feet, making the hands grasp, and fastening the eyes on the spot where they should look.
Even lifeless figures, as vessels and stools, -- let them be drawn ever so correctly, -- lose all effect so soon as they lack the resting upon their centre of gravity, and have a certain swimming and oscillating appearance.
The Raphael, in the Dresden gallery, (the only greatly affecting picture which I have seen,) is the quietest and most passionless piece you can imagine; a couple of saints who worship the Virgin and Child.
Nevertheless, it awakens a deeper impression than the contortions of ten crucified martyrs. For, beside all the resistless beauty of form, it possesses in the highest degree the property of the perpendicularity of all the figures."
This perpendicularity we demand of all the figures in this picture of life. Let them stand on their feet, and not float and swing. Let us know where to find them. Let them discriminate between what they remember and what they dreamed, call a spade a spade, give us facts, and honor their own senses with trust.
From "Prudence", Essays: First Series (1841)
|
|
|
|
