Essays on the Nature and Principles of Taste Volume 1 (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1811 Excerpt: ...a birch, an acacia, and a larch, all "pendant, though in different degrees, form "a beautiful mass, in which unity is pre served without sameness." How far the same principle extends to landscape-painting, they who are acquainted with the art will be at no loss to determine. In all the different kinds of Ornamental Forms, in the same manner, instead of there being any one determinate proportion of Uniformity and Variety beautiful, there are, i in fact, as many varieties of beautiful Composition, as there are varieties of Character; and the rule by which we judge of this Beauty, in every particular case, is by the correspondence of the Composition to the character which the Form is intgjjded to ex-/ press. To give the same proportion of uni form or of varied parts to every species of ornamental Form, to Forms of Splendour, of Magnificence, of Gaiety, of Delicacy, or of Melancholy, would be to sin against the very first principle of Composition, and would immediately be detected, even by those who never heard of the principles of Composition. The beautiful Form of the Vase, for instance, is employed in many different kinds of ornament, and may either be Magnificent, Elegant, Simple, Gay, or Melancholy. In all these cases, however, the Composition is different. A greater proportion of Uniformity distinguishes it when destined to the Expression of Simplicity, Magnificence, or Melancholy, and a greater proportion of Varietr, when destined to the Expression of Elegance or Gaiety. We immediately perceive also that there is propriety and Beauty in this difference of Composition; and if we are asked, why. it is so, we readily answer, because it. accords with the peculiar character which the.Form is there intended to have. If, on the other hand, this p...