The Philosophy of Painting A Study of the Development of the Art from Prehistoric to Modern Times By Dr. Ralcy Husted Bell Author of The Worth of Words," "The Changing Values of English Speech," "Words of the Wood," "The Religion of Beauty," "Taormina," "Art-Talks with Ranger," etc. " / have multiplied visions, and used similitudes," G. P. Putnam's Sons New York and London Gbe "ffmicfeerbocfeet {press 1916 3> Copyright, 1916 BY RALCY HUSTED BELL MAR -4 1916 Ube ftntcfeerbocfeer press, "flew H?orh ©CU427136 A MONSIEUR McDOUGALL HAWKES, PRESIDENT DU Musee d'Art Franqais ET DE l'Institut Francais aux Etats-Unis, AVEC l'hommage de son collegue, l'auteur. PREFACE PAINTINGS have been catalogued to death. There are enough histories of painting, such as they are; and as for dissertation and criticism, there is no end. It might seem presumptuous, therefore, to write anything further on a subject that has received so much attention from authors and scribblers alike. Perhaps it is. At all events, it has been done, and here it is. A long-winded apology could make it no better; and explanations would not excuse its defects. If it has any merits, they will take care of themselves. With deference to a polite and tottering old custom, the author announces his purposes in writing the book: They were, first, to sketch the course and progress of the art in an easy perspec- tive; second, to assemble some scattered material which is interesting and convenient to have in small compass; third, to give some results of his own reasoning, and playfully, as it were, to fly the kite of speculation from more or less solid ground fourth, to hit some absurdities which have ; to correlate long been shameless bores ; fifth, some relationships which reveal a tendency strong enough to be called a spirit; and sixth, to suggest vi Preface some theories which may be proved or disproved by more competent students. A half-dozen rea- sons, it must be conceded, are sufficient for the perpetration of anything except a crime. The names of many worthy painters have been omitted ; and very little reference has been made to the particular works of any. The scope of the book is broad, but its method is brief; and its nature does not demand a bibliographic list. R. H. B. New York, January, 1916. —— — CONTENTS PAGE Preface V CHAPTER I. Art I II. Painting 6 III.—A Theory of Painting 21 IV. The Origin of Painting 33 V. Prehistoric Painting 38 — VI. Early Painting, i. Egyptian . 47 2. VII. Early Painting. Etruscan . 58 VIII. Early Painting. 3. Greek . 61 IX. The Roman Period . .108 X. Early Christian Painting . .111 XI.—The Gothic 116 XII. Italian Masters, Renaissance . 123 XIII. Painting in the North . 136 XIV. Cis-Rhinish Painting . 146 XV. Painting in France . .154 — viii Contents CHAPTER PACE XVI. Painting in Spain . .160 XVII. Landscape Painting . .164 XVIII.—TONALISM AND TONALISTS . 1 76 XIX. Modern Painting . .185 XX. The Secret of Stained Glass . 195 XXI. The Secret of the Old Masters 200 XXII. Ideals 213 Index 231 The Philosophy of Painting The Philosophy of Painting CHAPTER I ART ART and Nature are imperial terms; they divide the world into two parts. Like other imperial things they are not well defined,—the dividing-line between them is uncertain, unless we accept as true that Nature builds from within outward, principally by a process of division; and that Art assembles, or builds from without, largely by a process of addition, in which, however, there is often a synthetic element. Even so, this is the merest text of the matter. Man is conscious of a series of nicely adjusted phenomena which take place and interact, so far as he can determine, without any regard to himself. This series of phenomena, of which his being is part but of no special importance, he calls Nature. He is conscious of another series of phenomena which take place with peculiar reference to himself. In this he observes interaction at a minimum, and reaction upon himself at a maximum. This i 2 Painting series of phenomena he calls Art. He finds him- self in a new world where his importance has become demiurgic. He has achieved a tremendous social triumph. He has created something either directly or indirectly as an agent or means. The evolution of his soul has brought forth what seems to be organic relationships between him and his environment ; and these relationships work like an intelligent machine minting the precious currency of his emotions into a medium necessary not only to his spiritual well-being but for his further development. Man studies the phenomena called Nature. In various ways and by a multitude of means he makes his inquiries. The only answers which he has ever had to his questions have been his own interpretations of the phenomena that he has studied. For example, his symbolic interpreta- tions or equations of relationships, such as those which exist between numbers, masses, curves, series, densities, velocities, extensions or durations, and harmonies in space, he calls mathematics. This interpretation, having no emotive factor ordinarily apprehensible, is termed pure science. We interpret the relationships existing between sounds. We assemble sonorous affinities under the sway of harmony; we arrange opposing ele- ments of discord for purposes of contrast and balance according to a physiological requirement of being,—in a word, we marshal the relationships of sound and silence, as it were: of range, pitch, Art 3 pause, repetition, flow, and quality, so cleverly, and we interpret them so accurately with the mechan- ical assistance of our own organs and of instru- ments of our own make, that the result first startles the emotions, then quickly sublimates consciousness itself. This subtle and inscrutable miracle—this mystery of waves at play on un- known shores—relatively so young in creation and yet so intimately bound up in the very heart and core of primitive consciousness, is called music. In music there are powerful emotive factors; therefore we call it Art. Man studies the drama of light and air. He apprehends some of the relationships existing between tinted shadows called colours in the solar spectrum; he sounds the deeper pools of shadow into which these spectral shadows flow on either side like living streams; he studies form and dis- covers laws of proportion; he becomes aware of harmony dressed in gay robes or vaguely mellow, and mysterious as the spirit of peace brooding over a still sleeping world. He interprets the things he sees and the world he feels. He takes a handful of clay and models it into a dream or a hope. He chisels delight or despair from a block of stone. With a piece of coal he throws the il- lusion of three dimensions into the space of two. With coloured earths and stains he imitates, emphasizes, subtracts, and adds. He has idealized something. His emotions enter the process, and he creates. With the meanest of means he has 4 Painting performed another miracle. He has interpreted Nature, or another interpretation of Nature, in terms of his own soul. In this interpretation the emotive factor is dominant. We call his work Art. We are conscious of an element called beauty. Without pausing to consider how, we are aware that we have contributed something to this ele- ment,—and we rejoice in the shining fact. If we reflect, we perceive that things are beautiful by the relationship which they bear us. The most beauti- ful thing, in some delicate manner, is most closely related to human happiness, to content or satis- faction, to our dre^ams of love or to the aspira- tions of our hope. The next most beautiful thing, perhaps, is related closely to our intellectualized emotions which thrill with delight at the discovery of some new feeling associated with some age-old experience—some sleeping joy of the past awak- ened by suggestion—some dear ideal suspended like a twinkling star, prophetic in the heavens of our consciousness. And the next most beautiful thing, lowest in order, is related to the gratification of our senses made keen by longing or desire. Thus it would seem that Art is an emotive interpretation of environment, a social achieve- ment, a necessary link in the chain of spiritual evolution, a language of the emotions with organic suggestions which fulfil in a measure the functions of words and phrases in speech—a language as vague as sighs, as indefinite as a smile, as eloquent —; Art 5 as a look, as unmistakable as tears and laughter a language capable of various statement : incoher- ent, prosaic, poetic, and inspired or prophetic. Like a flowering vine it interweaves the conscious- ness of man with the surrounding phenomena; it beautifies his environment by chastening his vision ; it sweetens his hope by purifying his heart and it enlarges his spiritual world by stimulating the growth of his soul. In a word, Art sets fire to the imagination, and the flames are as wings. Thus the sense of being is transported from the meanest of surroundings to the most glorious of realms. Art creates stainless images, suggests harmony, and so inspires us with the melody of conduct that we call it morality. ; CHAPTER II PAINTING THE art of a people is the tangible expression of the spirit of a people; it bears witness of things hidden ; it palpitates with immortal longings, and, in some way, it seems to pass the flaming bounds of space and time. Art belongs to no clique, and it cannot be cor- nered. It is the living voice for ever clear above "the sounding jargon of the schools." It thrives wherever imagination rises above brute want.