108 METHOD FOR LEARNING

It is certain that these reflections are not without foundation, and that in order to adapt to the weakness of humans, who almost always act out of habit, one might allow handling the brush and color to students during drawing courses and at intervals, so that being accustomed to it early, they find it to be no more than pleasure.

But if one examines the source of these inconveniences closely, one will find it does not arise from not coloring early enough, but from starting poorly, that is, by initially copying poor examples, or being under the guidance of a Teacher who had no principles in coloring.

People usually move away from poor drawing methods; this is evident every day in those who draw: practice and changes in objects and models lead them to follow a more correct and approved path. However, changing a bad habit in coloring for a good one is very rare: it is possible to correct this by painting after nature.

This change, though not impossible, is very rare. Raphael followed the schools and practices of his place of upbringing, just like Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Jules Romain, and other great painters of those times. They spent their whole lives without reaching a complete and genuine understanding of good coloring. The disciples of Vouet, who were numerous, and a person born for coloring would lack the part for which he was born and wouldn’t acquire what is not proper to him. It is observed that great colorists are formed only in schools where young people are introduced to the brush early; such are the schools of Venice and Flanders.

Translation Notes

"Dessein" in older French often refers to drawing rather than design. "Coloris" can be seen as a specialized understanding of color application in art, beyond basic coloring. "Peignant d'après nature" suggests painting from life or nature.