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:[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.