Principles

relating to the subject. But how can one depict the various movements of the soul according to nature? How can one capture, from a scene composed of several people, all the sensations that affect each separately, according to the personal interest they take in the spectacle in front of them, whether of hate, anger, despair, astonishment, or horror? If one were to attempt to capture just one of these expressions, the effort would become almost impossible, because they are all produced only by the circumstances of a moment, which the next instant decomposes and destroys: that is to say, a person may switch from hatred to pity, from astonishment to admiration, from joy to sorrow, or that even with the same sustained passion, it will either strengthen or weaken, and the same character may take on an infinite variety of facial expressions for an attentive observer. These difficulties are almost insurmountable for the artist who would attempt to capture such fleeting phenomena with the tip of their pencil.

It is, therefore, very important for the young artist to pay close attention to the facial expressions of characters in the various scenes of life that he will witness: the images strike him, they are etched into his mind, and the phantoms of his imagination come to life as needed, presenting themselves before him, and becoming models according to which he composes his subject. But to make a sure and easy use of the riches of his imagination, it is necessary to have previously studied the designs of the Masters who have done it best.

Translation Notes: "Movements of the soul" refers to emotional expressions as facial expressions or body language. "Phantoms of his imagination" suggests mental images or ideas that come to mind and are useful for art composition.