Part 1 (1/2)
A History of Art for Beginners and Students: Painting, Sculpture, Architecture: Painting
by Clara Erskine Clement
PAINTING
CHAPTER I
ANCIENT PAINTING, FROM THE EARLIEST TIMES TO THE CHRISTIAN ERA
In speaking of art we often contrast the useful or mechanical arts with the Fine Arts; by these terms we denote the difference between the arts which are used in s as are necessary and useful in civilized life, and the arts by which ornas are made
The fine arts are Architecture, Sculpture, Painting, Poetry, and Music, and though we could live if none of these existed, yet life would be far froh the enjoy, just here I wish to include the eneral idea of pictures of various sorts, and it sees to the fine or beautiful arts, it is now made a very useful art in many ways For example, when a school-book is illustrated, howthrough the help we get from pictures of objects or places that we have not seen, and yet wish to know about Pictures of natural scenery bring all countries before our eyes in such a way that by looking at thereat deal more about lands we have never seen, and may never be able to visit
Who does not love pictures? and what a pleasure it is to open a ustine, rote in the fourth century after Christ, said that ”pictures are the books of the simple or unlearned;” this is just as true now as then, and we should regard pictures as one of the reeable means of education Thus one of the uses of pictures is that they give us a clear idea of e have not seen; a second use is that they excite our ireeable circus
The cultivation of the iination is very important, because in this e can add h this power, if we are in a dark, narrow street, in a house which is not to our liking, or in the s, we are able to fix our thoughts upon a photograph or picture that ine ourselves far, far away, in so pleasant and soothes us into forgetfulness of all that can disturb our happiness Many an invalid--many an unfortunate one is thushours that would otherwise be wretched
This is the result of cultivating the perceptive and iinative faculties, and when once this is done, we have a source of pleasure within ourselves and not dependent on others which can never be taken from us
[Illustration: FIG 1--HARP-PLAYER _Fro_]
It often happens that we see two persons who do the same work and are situated in the same way in the world who are very different in their ht-hearted and happy, the other heavy and sad If you can find out the truth, it will result that the sad one is ination--he can only think of his work and what concerns him personally; but the hts--if you could know the distances they have passed over, and what a vast difference there is between his thought and his work So while it is natural for almost every one to exclai at them simply, I wish my readers to think of their uses also, and understand the benefits that may be derived from them I have only hinted at a few of these uses, but many others will occur to you
When pictures are composed of beautiful colors, such as we usually think of e speak of the art of painting, the greatest charm of pictures is reached, and all civilized people have aded this art It is true that the re are principally those of architecture or sculpture, yet there are a sufficient nu is
EGYPT
Egyptian painting is principally found on the walls of temples and tombs, upon columns and cornices, and on small articles found in burial places
There is no doubt that it was used as a decoration; but it was also intended to be useful, and was so employed as to tell the history of the country;--its wars, with their conquests and trius, and many other stories, are just as distinctly told by pictures as by the hieroglyphics or Egyptian writings We can scarcely say that Egyptian painting is beautiful; but it certainly is very interesting
[Illustration: FIG 2--KING RAMESSES II AND HIS SONS STORMING A FORTRESS
_Froyptians had three kinds of painting: one on flat surfaces, a second on bas-reliefs, or designs a little raised and then colored, and a third on designs in _intaglio_, or hollowed out froures thus cut out They had no knowledge of e call perspective, that is, the art of representing a variety of objects on one flat surface, andthem appear to be at different distances froiven here that their drawing and theirof what they painted were very crude As far as the pictorial effect is concerned, there is very little difference between the three eneral appearance is very nearly the sa to the one consideration of telling his story clearly; the way in which he did this was so one nify that he was of high position, such as a king or an officer of high rank When figures are represented as following each other, those that are behind are frequently taller than those in front, and soed in roith the feet of one row entirely above the heads of the others This illustration of the stor and his sons will show you what Ithe father, and are in a row, one above the other (Fig 2)
For the representation of water, a strip of blue filled in with perpendicular zigzag black lines was used From these few facts you can understand how unforyptian pictures see idea of what is beautiful There appear to have been certain fixed rules for the use of colors, and certain objects were always painted in the colors prescribed for thele, solid color; Egyptian men were painted in a reddish brown, and horses were of the sahter brown than the roes were black, the Asiatic races yellow, and but one instance is known of a white skin, blue eyes, and yellow hair The draperies about the figures were painted in pleasing colors, and were soh thes was very mechanical One set of workmen prepared the plaster on the wall for the reception of the colors; another set drew all the outlines in red; then, if chiselling was to be done, another class performed this labor; and, finally, still others put on the colors Of course nothing could beas this, and under such rules an artist of the ination would find it impossible to express his conceptions in his work We know all this because some of these pictures exist in an unfinished condition, and are left in the various stages of execution; then, too, there are other pictures of the painters at their work, and all these different processes are shown in the, and this is frequently very cleverly done
As I have intiives us a clear record of the habits and custo since passed away, and of which we should have a coue and unsatisfactory notion but for this picture-history of it The religion, the political history, and the doyptians are all placed before us in these paintings Through a study of theathered their fruits, tilled the soil, and cooked the food, played gay--in short, how they lived under all circu is a very important example of the way in which pictures can teach us; you will also notice that it is not even necessary that they should be pretty in order that we yptian painting was the illustration of the papyrus rolls upon which historical and other documents ritten These rolls, found in the tombs, are now placed in s upon them may be called the oldest book illustrations in the world Sole color is used, such as red or black; but others are in a variety of colors which have been put on with a brush Indeed, some rolls exist which have pictures only, and are entirely without hieroglyphics or writing characters; one such isbut pictures of funeral cereyptians were so serious a people that it is a pleasant surprise to find that some of these pictures are intended for jokes and satires, somewhat like those of the comic papers of to-day; for exa cats and rats fighting, which is intended to ridicule the soldiers and heroes of the Egyptian ar sorry for the painters; for in all the enornized--no one is now reyptian architects which are written in the historical rolls; but no painter's naress wasinfluences that must have been around these artists, for it is not possible that none of theinality: there must have been some whose souls were filled with poetic visions, for sos show that poetry existed in ancient Egypt But of what use could ioverned by the laws of a narrow priesthood, and hedged about by a superstitious religion which even laid down rules for art?