Character Sketches of Romance, Fiction and the Drama, Vol. 3: A Revised American Edition of the Reader's HandbookBrewer, Ebenezer Cobham
General
Character Sketches of Romance, Fiction and the Drama, Vol. 3: A Revised American Edition of the Reader's Handbook
Brewer, Ebenezer Cobham
Allusions; Fiction -- Dictionaries; Literature -- Dictionaries
_Grapes._ Zeuxis (2 _syl._) a Grecian painter, painted some grapes so
well that birds came and pecked at them, thinking them real grapes (B.C.
400).
_A Horse._ Apellês painted Alexander’s horse Bucephalos so true to life
that some mares came up to the canvas neighing, under the supposition
that it was a real animal (about B.C. 334).
_A Man._ Velasquez painted a Spanish admiral so true to life that when
King Felipe IV. entered the studio he mistook the painting for the man,
and began reproving the supposed officer for neglecting his duty in
wasting his time in the studio, when he ought to have been with his
fleet (1590-1660).
_Accidental effects in painting._
Apellês, being at a loss to paint the foam of Alexander’s horse, dashed
his brush at the picture in a fit of annoyance, and did by accident what
his skill had failed to do (about B.C. 334).
The same tale is told of Protog´enês, who dashed his brush at a picture,
and thus produced “the foam of a dog’s mouth,” which he had long been
trying in vain to represent (about B.C. 332).
_Painters_ (_Prince of_). Parrhasios and Apellês are both so called
(fourth century B.C.).
=Painters’ Characteristics.=
ANGELO (_Michael_): an iron frame, strongly developed muscles, and an
anatomical display of the human figure. The Æschylos of painters
(1474-1564).
CARRACCI: eclectic artists, who picked out and pieced together parts
taken from Correggio, Raphael, Titian and other great artists. If
Michael Angelo is the Æschylos of artists, and Raphael the Sophoclês,
the Carracci may be called the Euripidês of painters. I know not why in
England the name is spelt with only one _r_.
CORREGGIO: known by his wonderful foreshortenings, his magnificent light
and shade. He is, however, very monotonous (1494-1534).
CROME (_John_): an old woman in a red cloak walking up an avenue of
trees (1769-1821).
DAVID: noted for his stiff, dry, pedantic, “highly classic” style,
according to the interpretation of the phrase by the French in the first
Revolution (1748-1825).
DOLCE (_Cario_): famous for his Madonnas, which were all finished with
most extraordinary delicacy (1616-1686).
DOMENICHI´NO: famed for his frescoes, correct in design and fresh in
coloring (1581-1614).
GUIDO: his specialty is a pallid or bluish-complexioned saint, with
saucer or uplifted eyes (1574-1642).
HOLBEIN: characterized by bold relief, exquisite finish, force of
conception, delicacy of tone, and dark background (1498-1554).
LORRAINE (_Claude_): a Greek temple on a hill, with sunny and highly
finished classic scenery. Aerial perspective (1600-1682).
MURILLO: a brown-faced Madonna (1618-1682).
OMMEGANCK: sheep (1775-1826).
PERUGINO (_Pietro_): known by his narrow, contracted figures and scrimpy
drapery (1446-1524).
POUSSIN: famous for his classic style. Reynolds says: “No works of any
modern have so much the air of antique painting as those of Poussin”
(1593-1665).
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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