DRAWING.
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part which is opposite to that which bends correspond to it in bend-ing with it. For instance: if one side of the body bend in, theother must stand out answerably to it: if the back bend in, thebelly must stick out; if the knee bend out, the ham must fall in ;and'so of any other joint of the body. In a word, the learnermust endeavour to form all the parts of the figure with truth, andin just proportion : not one arm or one leg bigger or less than theother: not broad Herculean shoulders, with a thin and slenderwaist; nor raw and bonv arms, with thick and gouty legs ; but letthere be a kind of harmonious agreement amongst the members,and a beautiful symmetry throughout the whole figure. The pro-portions of children are generally thus: three heads in length fromthe crown of the head to the groin, and thence to the sole of thefoot two, one head and a half between the shoulders, one, of thebody between the hips and armpits; the breadth of the limbsshould be ascertained from a healthy child. It is a leading prin-ciple, in which every person conversant in designing has agreed,that without a perfect knowledge of the proportions, nothing canbe produced but monstrous and extravagant figures; and it is alsouniversally admitted, that the ancient Greek and Roman sculptorsattained the highest success in producing the most perfect models.Jt is perhaps impossible to draw a perfectly beautiful figure fromany one person: the most skilful statuaries and painters, sensibleof this fact, have composed their finest works from different sub-jects. Hence artists who have examined the subject with atten-tion, have never found any man so perfect in all his parts as aresome of the figures produced by' the ancient sculptors.
VI. Of the Effects of the Exertion of the Muscles.
The most obvious effects of the exertion of those muscles, whichchiefly demand the attention of a painter, are the following: Ifeither of the mastoid muscles act, the head is turned to the con-trary side, and the muscle which performs that action appears veryplain under the skin. If the arms are lifted up, the deltoid mus-cles placed on the shoulders, which perform that action, swell,and make the extremities of the spines of the shoulder-blades, call-ed the tops of the shoulders, appear indented or hollow. Theshoulder-blades following the elevation of the arms, their bases in-cline at that time obliquely downward. If the arms are drawndown, put forwards, or pulled backwards, the shoulder-blades ne-cessarily vary their positions accordingly. When the cubitus orfore-arm is bended, the biceps has its belly very much raised, asappears in the left arm. The like may be observed of the triceps,when the arm is extended, as observed in the right arm. Thestraight muscles of the abdomen appear very strong when risingfrom a decumbent posture. Those parts of the great serralusmuscle, which are received in the beginnings of the oblique de-scending muscle immediately below, are very much swelled whenthe shoulder on the same side is brought forwards; the serratusmuscle then being in action in drawing the scapula forwards. Thelong extending muscles of the trunk act alternately in walking: ifthe right leg bears the weight of the body, and the left is in trans-lation as on tiptoe, the last mentioned muscles of the back on theleft side may be observed to be minified on the other side aboutthe region of the loins, and so on the other side. The trochan-ters, or outward and uppermost heads of the thigh-bones, vary intheir positions in such a manner as no precise observations can’ex-plain their several appearances; but the study after the life oughtto be carefully attended to. If the thigh is extended, as when thewhole weight of the body rests on that side, the gluteus or buttockmuscle makes a very different appearance from what it oilers atanother time; but if the thigh is drawn backwards, that muscle ap-pears still more and more tumified. When the whole leg is drawnupwards forwards, and at the same time the foot is inclined in-wards, the upper part of the sai torius muscle appears rising vervstrong; in other positions ot the ,thigh, that muscle makes a fur-rowing appearance in its whole progress. If a man is upon tiptoe,the extending muscles of the leg placed on the fore-part of thethigh, and those of the foot that compose the calf of the leg, ap-pear very strong, and the long pernnxus makes a considerable in-dentation or furrowing at that tune in its progress on the outside ofthe leg. Many other remarks might be made on this subject;but for a know ledge of these, and the foregoing, the painter oughtto study anatomy, and consult with care different anatomicalplates, in which the muscles are represented; to this must be add-
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ed a due attention to nature which will supersede any further in-struction on this head.
VII. Of the Effects of the Passions in General.
When the student of drawing has made himself acquainted v iththe various attitudes and muscular exertions of the human body, itwill be proper for him next to study the effects of the passionsupon the limbs and features. The passions, says M. He Brun,are motions of the soul, either upon her pursuing what she judgesto be for her good, or shunning what she thinks hurtful to her;and commonly, whatever causes emotion of passion in the soul,creates also some action in the body. It is therefore necessary fora painter to know which are the different actions in the body (hatexpress the several passions of the soul, and how to delineate them.
M. Le Brim has been extremely happy in expressing many ofthe passions, and the learner cannot study any thing better thanthe examples which he has left us of them ; and of which we havegiven a copy in Plate LXII. However, as M. De Piles justlyobserves, it is absurd as well as impossible, to pretend to give sue hparticular demonstrations of them, as to fix their expression to cer-tain stokes, which the painter should be obliged to make use of,as essential and invariable rules. This, says he, would be depriv-ing the art of that excellent variety of expression, which has noother principle than diversity of imagination, the number of whichis infinite. The same passion may be finely expressed severalways, each yielding more or less pleasure in proportion to the.painter’s understanding, and the spectators discernment. Thoughevery part of the face contributes towards expressing the senti-ments of the heart, yet the eye-brow, according to M. l.e Bran,is the principal seat of expression, and where the passions bestmake themselves known, it is certain, says he, that the pupil ofthe eye, bv its fire and motion, very well shews the agitation of thesoul, but tlien it does not express the kind or nature of such an agi-tation ; whereas the motion of the eye-brow differs according asthe passions change their nature. To express a simple passion,the motion is simple; to express a mixed passion, the motion iscompound: if the passion be gentle, the motion is gentle; and ifit he violent, the motion is so too. We may observe farther, sa\she, that there are two kinds of elevation in the eye-brows: one, mwhich the eye-brows rise up in the middle; this elevation ex-presses agreeable sensations, and it is to be observed that then themouth rises at the corners: the other, in which the eve-brows riseup at the ends, and fall in the middle; this motion denotes bodilypain, and then the mouth falls at the corners. In laughter, all theparts agree; for the eve-brows, which fall toward the middle ofthe forehead, make the nose, the mouth, and the eyes, follow thesame motion. In weeping, the motions are compound and con-trary ; for the eye-brows fall toward the nose and over the eyes,and the mouth rises that way. It is to be observed also, that themouth is the part of the face which more particularly expressesthe emotions of the heart: for when the heart complains, themonth falls at the corners; when it is at ease, the corners of themouth are elevated, and when it has an aversion, the mouth shootsforward, and rises in the middle. “ 'Hie head (says M. De Piles)contributes more to the expression of the passions, than all theother parts of the body put together. Those separately can onlyshew some few passions, but the bead expresses them all. Some,however, are more peculiarly expressed by it than others; humi-lity, by banging it down; arrogance, by fitting it up; langursb-ment, by inclining it on one side; and obstinacy, when with astiff and resolute air it stands upright, fixed, and stiff between thetwo shoulders. The head also best shews our supplications,threats, mildness, pride, love, hatred, joy, and grief. The wholeface, and every feature, contributes something: especially the.eyes; which, as Cicero says, are the windows of the soul. Thepassions they more particularly discover are, pleasure, languish-ing, scorn, severity, mildness, admiration, and anger; to whichone might add joy and grief, if they did not proceed more particu-larly from the eve-brows and mouth; but when those two passionsfall in also with the language of the eyes, the hannonv will bewonderful. “ But though the passions of the soul are most visi-ble in the lines and features of the face, they often require the as-sistance also of the other parts of the body. Without the hands,for instance, all action is weak and imperfect; their motion?,which are almost infinite, create numberless expressions: it is by3 C them