The photographic news

• Bandzählung: 35.1891
• Erscheinungsdatum: 1891
• Sprache: Englisch
• Signatur: F 135
• Vorlage: Hochschule für Grafik und Buchkunst Leipzig
• Digitalisat: Hochschule für Grafik und Buchkunst Leipzig
• Digitalisat: SLUB Dresden
• Rechtehinweis: Public Domain Mark 1.0
• URN: urn:nbn:de:bsz:14-db-id1780948042-189100009
• PURL: http://digital.slub-dresden.de/id1780948042-18910000
• OAI: oai:de:slub-dresden:db:id-1780948042-18910000
• Sammlungen: LDP: Historische Bestände der Hochschule für Grafik und Buchkunst Leipzig
• Sammlungen: Fotografie
• Strukturtyp: Band

• Digitalisat: SLUB Dresden
• Strukturtyp: Ausgabe

February 20, 1891.] THE PHOTOGRAPHIC NEWS. 141 number of superimposed thin plates; about 200, for in stance, if the couch has the thickness of one-twentieth of a millimetre. For the same reasons, the reflected colour is more pure as the number of reflecting films augments. These layers form, in effect, a sort of grating in depth, and for the same reason as in the theory of the action of gratings by reflection, the purity of the colours increases with the increase in the number of elementary mirrors. NOTES ON PORTRAITURE. BY II. P. ROBINSON. No. V. There still remains something more to be said on the sub ject of “ motive ” in portraiture. The question to be solved is whether the sitter should be represented as sitting for his portrait or doing some thing else. The former would be the absolute truth, and is often stiff; the latter must be the result of more or less make-believe, and may look natural. The one would be truth absolute, the other a slight falling away from that— in art—mysterious virtue. Now, here is a problem forthe impressionists who insist on the whole, entire, rigorous truth. Which will they have : the truth, or something artificial so well done as to look more truthful than the truth itself ? Without attempting to decide the question, I will endeavour to point out the practice of some of the great masters of portraiture. As it fortunately happens, there have just been added to the national collection, at enormous cost (£55,000), three pictures containing por traits by three painters who are recognised, by all shades of artistic opinion, as among the very greatest. The only subject on which all are unanimous is that Holbein, Velas quez, and Moroni are among the first half-dozen of the great portrait painters of all ages. These portraits have also the advantage of showing the contrasting styles of three separate phases of the art. An admirable and ex haustive article by Professor Colvin, accompanied by excellent engravings of the pictures, in the January num ber of the Art Journal, should be seen by all photographers. To this article I am indebted for a few extracts. In the Holbein we have an example of “ the early maturity of northern art, when the grotesque strenuousness of the primitive Teutonic manner has been mellowed by the in fluences of the Renaissance, and a complete power of draughtsmanship has been attained, with a masterly preci sion in rendering both the characters and forms of humanity, and the appearances of natural objects in detail; but when the painter has not yet thought of attempting fully to express the relief of objects in space, nor their relations to each other as affected by the environing atmosphere. Of this phase of northern art Holbein is the chief master. It is he who best combined the accomplish ments of the Italian Renaissance with the inherited energy and unsparing precision of his own school. ” Looking at this picture for our present purpose— “ motive’’—what do we find? Two figures standing stiffly at each side of a high table, or, as it would now be termed, a “what-not.” Both figures have their arms resting on the table, and both are set up to be painted, and both are “ staring at the camera.” Professor Colvin says that Holbein, who, in decorative and ornamental design, was one of the most inventive, adroit, and power ful composers that ever lived, has, in this instance, seemed to let his composition take care of itself. The figures are placed at either end of the desk with a certain naif stiff ness, almost recalling the pose of a photographic group. This is not flattering to the photographic group, but the attitudes are characteristic of the artist’s portraits. The second picture is Italian, and belongs to the Venetian school. Moroni is already well represented in the gallery by several portraits. Especially distinguished are the full-length “Portrait of an Italian Nobleman,” and the famous “ Portrait of a Tailor.” Keeping to our pur pose again, we shall find that, in. the new Moroni, the figure is posing for his portrait, and 1 ‘ staring at the camera,” while he has evidently had one of those marble columns, which we have banished from photography, broken to afford him a place on which to rest his helmet. It must be admitted that Moroni varied his practice, and sometimes represented his figures in action or suspended motion. Of this, “ The Tailor ” is a good example. In this portrait the man, who has been cutting cloth with a shears, is represented looking up from his occupation at the spectator. The third picture, by Velasquez, is, perhaps, the most interesting of the three to the painter. Professor Colvin shows us how much can be said of a simple portrait. I quote a part only of his eulogy:—“ In the last picture of the three we have no case of piling up of details ; of the patient and strenuous imitation, part by part, of nature’s multiplicity, with subordination and harmony imposed, as it were, from the outside by an effort of the artist’s will and craft. We have the result, triumphant and in seem ing more spontaneous, of what is really a far more com plicated artistic process. . . . And this is an example of Velasquez at his best. Something of the rugged, flash ing power and fierce eagerness of the sitter seems to have passed into the painter’s hand, and the method of execu tion he has chosen emphasises and harmonises with the character of the subject. The rude soldier-sailor in his handsome suit stands in bodily and spiritual presence before us, and seems snorting with impatience to be off to the fight once more.” For technical qualities and assured mastery of the brush this picture is amazing, but with this we have nothing to do. Our enquiry is, how did the painter allow his sitter to stand for his portrait? He stood upright against a blank grey wall, nothing more nor less. The painter probably advised him not to stand too stiffly, just as a photographer may do, and painted him. Let it be noticed that in this case, also, the sitter “ stares at the camera this time it is a scowl, and some photographers would have the presumption to say that the head was badly lighted, that there was too much top light, and that the head was under-exposed. I, of course, have not brought forward these examples for the purpose of inducing the photographer to pose his figures stiffly because great masters of painting did so. These masters were great for other qualities, the attain ment of some of which is not open to the photographer ; such as colour, and the power (which some call a vice) to idealise their sitters; and some qualities which are within his reach—if his arm is long enough—such as expression, and the bringing out of character. The good name of photography is always suffering for the faults of its followers. It is not always the fault of the art, but of the artist, when the leading characteristics and sometimes the character of the sitter is not brought out; but it must be confessed that few have the ability to exercise this power. Rejlander had it in perfection, although we are told by a