fame ideas, affociations, and feelings, with which the artift is affected. This capacity arifes chiefly from fuch force of imagination as at once renders the conception of things precife and definite, and leads a person to forefee readily what effect every touch in the expreffion will produce, or to conceive quickly the proper means of producing any desired effect. This is obviously resolveable into association, and therefore will, in every art, be found to fpring from the ame principles of the mind, which form the fource of invention in that art. It is quickness and readiness in thus foreseeing and conceiving, that in a great meafure renders the execution spirited; it alone can prevent the neceffity of frequently altering and retouching, which never fails to produce deadnefs and languor.

IT fometimes happens that particular circumftances render it impoffible to employ the moft obvious and direct means of producing a certain effect. It shows great power of expreffion to contrive readily, in fuch a cafe, fome other means less obvious. The most natural means of marking the principal figure in a picture, is by the ftrength of the lights; a peculiarity in the difpofition may fometimes

prevent

prevent the painter from using this means, and he may notwithstanding render his prin-. cipal figure confpicuous, by a peculiarity in the colouring. The contrivance of Timanthes, an ancient painter, is well known, and 'has been often applauded: in the facrifice of Iphigenia, being unable to give to the father a greater degree of forrow than he had given to the other spectators, he produced the fame effect by concealing his face (d).

Ir always shows real genius to execute one's beautiful inventions by the instruments and in the manners which are well known, and have been long in use. But a much greater degree of genius was displayed by those artists who firft brought these instruments into use, or who confiderably improved the manner of using them. If it be true that

(¿) Ejus enim est Iphigenia, oratorum laudibus celebrata : qua flante ad aras peritura, cum mæftos pinxiffet omnes, præcipue patrem; cum triftitiæ omnem imaginem confumpfiffet, patris ipfius vultum velavit, quem digne non poterat oftendere. PLIN. Nat. Hift. lib. xxxv. cap. 10. Ut fecit Timantes, ut opinor, Cithnius, in ea tabula qua Colotem Teium vicit. Nam cum in Iphigenia immolatione pinxiffet tristem Calchantem, triftiorem Ulyffem, addidiffet Menelao quem fummum poterat ars efficere mororem, confumptis affectibus, non reperiens quo digne modo patris vultum poffet exprimere, velavit ejus caput, et fuo cuique animo dedit æstimandum. QUINT. Inft. Orat. lib. ii. cap. 15. See also VALER. MAX. lib. viii. cap. 11.

Apollodorus was the first who had the art of' expreffing the lights and shades in painting, he by this showed a higher genius in expreffion, than they who have, even with the greateft fuccefs, practifed that art, fince he discovered it. Correggio fhowed great originality by introducing a new and peculiar manner of distributing lights, fo as to give uncommon force and roundness to his pictures (e). The poet who first introduced at measure adapted to a particular fort of subjects, and used it properly, has a claim to genius in expreffion, fuperior to their's who have afterwards written poems in that fuitable measure. Spenfer's ftanza may be regarded as one indication of his genius, though the imitation of it by others has been fometimes cenfured as injudicious.

IT generally happens, that the expreffion of an artist, bears the same character with his invention. It is natural that it should; the imagination influences both, by many of the fame principles, Pindar's fancy was wild, his verfification alfo is irregular. Pope's imagination was correct, fo is his verse. But fometimes, the invention and the expression

(4) Fazsnor's Judgment of Painters.

are

are of different complexions. In invention Pietro Tefta was enthufiaftic and incoherent, but his drawing was elegantly correct. Such diffonance between the two operations of genius in the arts, may arise from a diffimilarity in the turn of his imagination and his taste. It may arife likewise from a defect, or from an excellence, in the mechanical part of expreffion. A defect in this will render the organs unable to do juftice to the conceptions, The best poet may express his ideas to great disadvantage by writing in a dead or foreign language. Freedom and eafinefs of invention is ascribed to Simon Memmi, but the art of painting was in his time fo much in its infanfy, that his execution could not throw off the contrary character of stiffness. The earliest works even of Raphael and Titian, show some drinefs in the execution, incongruous to their other excellences, owing either to the want of practice, or to the imperfect manner of their masters. On the other hand, a great dexterity in the mechanical part, may raife the execution to a degree or kind of excellence, far beyond the artist's power of invention. Many painters have very happily ✔) Hid. and Observations en bis Art of Painting.

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copied a manner of execution very unlike to

their own turn of genius.

SECT. VIII.

Of the Union of different Kinds of Genius.

HE fum of what has been faid, is

TH

this: scientific genius arises from fuch vigour of imagination as disposes a person to be affected chiefly by the ftrongest and most important relations of things, particularly by caufation and co-existence, operating powerfully, giving a propensity to fet every object in that attitude in which it lays a foundation for these relations; and making all the other principles of affociation to act in fubordination to thefe; and it requires the affiftance both of an exact and solid judgment, and of an accurate and diftin& memory. Genius for the ✔ arts springs from such liveliness of imagination as disposes a person to attend chiefly to those qualities of things, which lay a foundation for relations between them and many others, to be affected by the flighter degrees of relation, or by the more trivial relations, especially to be actuated by resemblance, as his predominant and leading principle of asso

ciation;