This passage discusses how paintings can convey emotions and actions universally understood by observers, reflecting the painter's intention. It highlights how Jan van Eyck's artwork skillfully depicted musical scenes, allowing knowledgeable viewers to identify singers' roles through subtle physical cues. The text also emphasizes the challenges of interpreting speech through lip-reading due to language differences.
Human Limbs.
The images in painting art will necessarily appear to speak. This is because all humans are made from the same essence, and the actions arising from emotions are not dependent on civil manners (because these manners are very different). Therefore, we conclude from observing painted actions that they show exactly what we are used to thinking, doing, and wanting in a particular pose, action, or gesture. This also appears true to our eyes. It was said of the Dutch painter Jan van Eyck that he painted Cecilia playing an organ among singing angels. In this painting, the actions were understood so naturally that a knowledgeable singer could see from her mouth and cheek poses who was singing the bass, tenor, alto, or treble part. Regarding speech, one must know there could be some change due to the language's differences, tones, sounds, and words. When one assumes meaning only from lip movements without understanding the language spoken, they might mistake what is being communicated because the same idea can be expressed differently in Latin, French, German, or any other language, making it unclear if one does not understand the spoken language.
Translation Notes:
"Menschelijke Ledenmaten" translates to "Human Limbs," and "Konstenaär" refers to a singer or vocalist.