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Show 530 THE CODE OF TERPSICHORE. groupe-who imparts a greater charm to an attitude-who renders a motion more graceful-who diminishes the horror of an act, and avoids representing what is merely low and trivial-such an artist, it appears to me, ought to be regarded as one who embellishes all that he touches, and endows all his subjects with nobility, rather than such a one as the illustrious Montesquieu describes. He will compose and excute philosophically, and with a perfect knowledge of facts, and the characters of the persons he is about to represent ; he will not begin his work until he has learnt the causes and effects, the history of the time, and all else that is relative to, or in any way beai« upon, the subject of the picture he is about to paint. He will not give Caesar the body of a Goliath, but rather paint him with the look and deportment which, in an instant, will show him to be a man of extraordinary mind, whose occupation is universal command. He will not simply draw a mere old man for a Regulus, but endeavour to adorn him with an appearance of that gravity and heroic grandeur of soul for which, in life, he was so remarkable. He will neither give Scipio the air and attitude of a poltroon, nor exhibit Socrates despairing at the approach of the poisoned cup, nor make a young Vestal look like a Bacchante. Objects may be represented with the greatest possible nobility, and, at the same time, they may be placed out of their centre, and be altogether contrary to truth and history. It is also possible to be true and natural, and still to want nobility in a painting: as the greatest example of this, Rubens may be instanced ; numberless other proofs of the assertion may be found in the works of the Flemish, Dutch, and German schools. In painting and in sculpture, we are inclined to understand, that an artist, who is said to work with nobility, is one who embellishes nature, |
