The text discusses the diligence required in painting to enhance artworks with artistic lines and proportions. It emphasizes categorizing images based on limbs' proportions and their movements, aligning them with the mover's will and the law of proportion. It also describes seven types of human movements that can be differentiated in artistic representations.
Actual Activities
Artists are aware that post-birth creations, the true and Living vividness deriving from their own nature, are not hard to judge, indicating that in painting, special diligence must be applied. This involves not only the good and solid Artistic Lines and beautiful Proportion but also the Actions and Impulses (that is, the power of endeavors) demonstrated through practice in images, thus enhancing what they miss from Nature. For this is the Soul of Painting: And those Masters who excelled in this have always held the highest Rank.
Images can be conveniently categorized into two states: the Proportion of the Limbs and their moving Actions. These Actions or Performances must not only obediently adapt to the will of the mover but also with the state and Law of Proportion, selected with certain precision, very well agreeing. The main point to consider here is to provide the Images with good Lines, giving such attention and operation as is demanded by the magnitude of the matter, which is ultimately fitting.
Regarding the movements of Human images, they can generally be distinguished in seven types or Classes, namely from top to bottom; from bottom to top; backward; forward; to the left; to the right side; and then turned around; the latter are executed either by the whole Body or only with a part, specifically with the Head, Chest, Arms, or Legs; or also with smaller Members like Hands, etc.
Translation Notes
- "Teykenkundige" is explained as "Artistic Lines," and "Actien en Herts-togten" refers to "Actions and Impulses" as the power of endeavors in art.