THE CHOICE OF AN ARTIST
I
In the great earnestness with which the difficulties that beset art and
the artist impressed him, Dürer intended to write a _Vade Mecum_ for
those who should come after him. He has left among his MS. papers many
plans, rough drafts, and notes for some such work, the form of which no
doubt changed from time to time. The one which gives us the most
comprehensive idea of his intentions is perhaps the following.
II
Ihs. Maria
By the grace and help of God I have here set down all that I have learnt
in practice, which is likely to be of use in painting, for the service
of all students who would gladly learn. That, perchance, by my help they
may advance still further in the higher understanding of such art, as he
who seeketh may well do, if he is inclined thereto; for my reason
sufficeth not to lay the foundations of this great, far-reaching,
infinite art of true painting.
Item.--In order that thou mayest thoroughly and rightly comprehend what
is, or is called, an "artistic painter," I will inform thee and recount
to thee. If the world often goeth without an "artistic painter," whilst
for two or three hundred years none such appeareth, it is because those
who might have become such devote not themselves to art. Observe then
the three essential qualities following, which belong to the true artist
in painting. These are the three main points in the whole book.
I. The First Division of the book is the Prologue, and it compriseth
three parts (A, B, and C).
A. The first part of the Prologue telleth us how the lad should be
taught, and how attention should be paid to the tendency of his
temperament. It falleth into six parts:
1. That note should be taken of the birth of the child, in what Sign it
occurreth; with some explanations. (Pray God for a lucky hour!)
2. That his form and stature should be considered; with some
explanations.
3. How he ought to be nurtured in learning from the first; with some
explanations.
4. That the child should be observed, whether he learneth best when
kindly praised or when chidden; with explanations.
5. That the child be kept eager to learn and be not vexed.
6. If the child worketh too hard, so that he might fall under the hand
of melancholy, that he be enticed therefrom by merry music to the
pleasuring of his blood.
B. The second part of the Preface showeth how the lad should be brought
up in the fear of God and in reverence, that so he may attain grace,
whereby he may be much strengthened in intelligent art. It falleth into
six parts:
1. That the lad be brought up in the fear of God and be taught to pray
to God for the grace of quick perception (_ubtilitet_) and to
honour God.
2. That he be kept moderate in eating and drinking, and also in
sleeping.
3. That he dwell in a pleasant house, so that he be distracted by no
manner of hindrance.
4. That he be kept from women and live not loosely with them; that he
not so much as see or touch one; and that he guard himself from all
impurity. Nothing weakens the understanding more than impurity.
5. That he know how to read and write well, and be also instructed in
Latin, so far as to understand certain writings.
6. That such an one have sufficient means to devote himself without
anxiety (to his art), and that his health be attended to with medicines
when needful.
C. The third part of the Prologue teacheth us of the great usefulness,
joy, and delight which spring from painting. It falleth into six parts:
1. It is a useful art when it is of godly sort, and is employed for holy
edification.
2. It is useful, and much evil is thereby avoided, if a man devote
himself thereto who else had wasted his time.
3. It is useful when no one thinks so, for a man will have great joy if
he occupy himself with that which is so rich in joys.
4. It is useful because a man gaineth great and lasting memory thereby
if he applieth it aright.
5. It is useful because God is thereby honoured when it is seen that He
hath bestowed such genius upon one of His creatures in whom is such
art. All men will be gracious unto thee by reason of thine art.
6. The sixth use is that if thou art poor thou mayest by such art come
unto great wealth and riches.
II. The Second Division of the book treateth of Painting itself; it also
is threefold.
A. The first part is of the freedom of painting; in six ways.
B. The second part is of the proportions of men and buildings, and what
is needful for painting; in six ways.[90]
1. Of the proportions of men.
2. Of the proportions of horses.
3. Of the proportions of buildings.
4. Of perspective.
5. Of light and shade.
6. Of colours, how they are to be made to resemble nature.
C. The third part is of all that a man conceives as subject for
painting.
III. The Third Division of the book is the Conclusion; it also hath
three parts.
A. The first part shows in what place such an artist should dwell to
practise his art; in six ways.
B. The second part shows how such a wonderful artist should charge
highly for his art, and that no money is too much for it, seeing that it
is divine and true; in six ways.
The third part speaks of praise and thanksgiving which he should render
unto God for His grace, and which others should render on his behalf;
in six ways.
III
It is in the variety and completeness of his intentions that we perceive
Dürer's kinship with the Renascence; he comprehends the whole of life in
his idea of art training.
In his persuasion of the fundamental necessity of morality he is akin to
the best of the Reformation. It is in the union of these two perceptions
that his resemblance to Michael Angelo lies. There is a rigour, an
austerity which emanates from their work, such as is not found in the
work of Titian or Rembrandt or Leonardo or Rubens or any other mighty
artist of ripe epochs. Yet we find both of them illustrating the
licentious legends of antiquity, turning from the Virgin to Amymone and
Leda, from Christ to Apollo and Hercules. By their action and example
neither joins either the Reformation or the Renascence in so far as
these movements may be considered antagonistic; nor did they find it
inconsistent to acknowledge their debt to Greece and Rome, even while
accepting the gift of Jesus' example as freely as it was offered.
Not only does Dürer insist on the necessity of a certain consonancy
between the surrounding influences and the artist's capacity, which
should be both called forth and relieved by the interchange of rivalry
with instruction, of seclusion with music or society, but the process
which Jesus made the central one of his religion is put forward as
essential; he must form himself on a precedent example. I have already
quoted from Reynolds at length on this point.
I will merely add here some notes from another MS. fragment of Dürer's
bearing on the same points.
He that would be a painter must have a natural turn thereto.
Love and delight therein are better teachers of the Art of Painting than
compulsion is.
If a man is to become a really great painter he must be educated thereto
from his very earliest years. He must copy much of the work of good
artists until he attain a free hand.
To paint is to be able to portray upon a flat surface any visible thing
whatsoever that may be chosen.
It is well for any one first to learn how to divide and reduce, to
measure the human figure, before learning anything else.
FOOTNOTES:
[Footnote 90: The following list comes from another sheet of the MS.
(in. 70), but was dearly intended for this place. It is jotted down on a
thick piece of paper, on which there are also geometrical designs.]