The Principles of Painting, Under the Heads of Anatomy, Attitude, Accident, In which is Contained An Account of the Athenian, Roman, Venetian and Flemish Schools. To which is Added, The Balance of Painters. Being the Names of the most noted Painters Writ

DE PILES, Roger (1635-1709)

Verlag: J. Osborn, London, 1743

Beschreibung

8vo (193 x 116mm). [xii], 300pp., [8], the Table, plus 2 plates: [1] A Demonstration of the Unity of the Object and [2] The Clair Obscure on Object(s), in 4 figs. Modern half calf over marbled paper covered boards, (title browned and with later ownership inscription "Henry Goldschmidt," occasional spots; otherwise excellent). First English translation of Roger de Piles Cours de peinture par principes avec un balance de peintres published in 1708. Roger de Piles was a French diplomat, art theorist, amateur and art critic. This book, his last published work, contains the essence of his theory: his assertion that color, light, and shade had an equal value with drawing and his ideas on the uniqueness of the visual qualities of painting. In it, de Piles appended a list of fifty-six major painters in his own time, with whose work he had acquainted himself as a connoisseur during his travels. To each painter in the list he gave marks from 0 to 18 for composition, drawing, color and expression. This gave an overview of aesthetic appreciation hingeing on the balance between color and design. The highest marks went to Raffaello Sanzio and Rubens, with a slight bias on color for Rubens, a slight bias on drawing for Raphael. Painters who scored very badly in anything but color were Giovanni Bellini, Giorgione and remarkably Michelangelo Caravaggio with 16 on color and 0 (zero) on expression. It is the work of de Piles that the "je ne sais quoi" quality of the visual arts and its effect on the viewer finally receive mature consideration. De Piles's insistence on the separation of visual and literary criticism made him a pioneer in modern art criticism. Bestandsnummer des Verkäufers 6562

Bibliografische Details

Titel: The Principles of Painting, Under the Heads ...

Verlag: J. Osborn, London

Erscheinungsdatum: 1743

Einband: Hardcover

Zustand: Very Good

Auflage: First English language edition.