The Theory and Practice of Perspective | Page 4

well I should here
transcribe; he says: 'Many are desirous of learning to draw, and are
very fond of it, who are notwithstanding void of a proper disposition
for it. This may be known by their want of perseverance; like boys who
draw everything in a hurry, never finishing or shadowing.' This shows
they do not care for their work, and all instruction is thrown away upon
them. At the present time there is too much of this 'everything in a
hurry', and beginning in this way leads only to failure and
disappointment. These observations apply equally to perspective as to
drawing and painting.

Unfortunately, this study is too often neglected by our painters, some of
them even complacently confessing their ignorance of it; while the
ordinary student either turns from it with distaste, or only endures
going through it with a view to passing an examination, little thinking
of what value it will be to him in working out his pictures. Whether the
manner of teaching perspective is the cause of this dislike for it, I
cannot say; but certainly most of our English books on the subject are
anything but attractive.
All the great masters of painting have also been masters of perspective,
for they knew that without it, it would be impossible to carry out their
grand compositions. In many cases they were even inspired by it in
choosing their subjects. When one looks at those sunny interiors, those
corridors and courtyards by De Hooghe, with their figures far off and
near, one feels that their charm consists greatly in their perspective, as
well as in their light and tone and colour. Or if we study those Venetian
masterpieces by Paul Veronese, Titian, Tintoretto, and others, we
become convinced that it was through their knowledge of perspective
that they gave such space and grandeur to their canvases.
I need not name all the great artists who have shown their interest and
delight in this study, both by writing about it and practising it, such as
Albert Dürer and others, but I cannot leave out our own Turner, who
was one of the greatest masters in this respect that ever lived; though in
his case we can only judge of the results of his knowledge as shown in
his pictures, for although he was Professor of Perspective at the Royal
Academy in 1807--over a hundred years ago--and took great pains with
the diagrams he prepared to illustrate his lectures, they seemed to the
students to be full of confusion and obscurity; nor am I aware that any
record of them remains, although they must have contained some
valuable teaching, had their author possessed the art of conveying it.
However, we are here chiefly concerned with the necessity of this study,
and of the necessity of starting our work with it.
Before undertaking a large composition of figures, such as the
'Wedding-feast at Cana', by Paul Veronese, or 'The School of Athens',
by Raphael, the artist should set out his floors, his walls, his colonnades,

his balconies, his steps, &c., so that he may know where to place his
personages, and to measure their different sizes according to their
distances; indeed, he must make his stage and his scenery before he
introduces his actors. He can then proceed with his composition,
arrange his groups and the accessories with ease, and above all with
correctness. But I have noticed that some of our cleverest painters will
arrange their figures to please the eye, and when fairly advanced with
their work will call in an expert, to (as they call it) put in their
perspective for them, but as it does not form part of their original
composition, it involves all sorts of difficulties and vexatious alterings
and rubbings out, and even then is not always satisfactory. For the
expert may not be an artist, nor in sympathy with the picture, hence
there will be a want of unity in it; whereas the whole thing, to be in
harmony, should be the conception of one mind, and the perspective as
much a part of the composition as the figures.
If a ceiling has to be painted with figures floating or flying in the air, or
sitting high above us, then our perspective must take a different form,
and the point of sight will be above our heads instead of on the horizon;
nor can these difficulties be overcome without an adequate knowledge
of the science, which will enable us to work out for ourselves any new
problems of this kind that we may have to solve.
Then again, with a view to giving different effects or impressions in
this decorative work, we must know where to place the horizon and the
points of sight, for several of the latter are sometimes required when