The Press. — London, England, 1858-11-27 00:00:00

~~ 1158 K'. • THE PRESS, NOVEMBER 27, 1858. that all colours which are found in juxtaposition in nature may be placed together in art—a notion which would prove the most opposite combina tions to be necessary concords, and which has no more real foundation than if we were to consider the squeak of a pig as legitimate a melody as the song of a nightingale, because both are equally natural. On the history of stained and painted glass Sir J. G. Wilkinson has a very learned dissertation (§2O-26), in which he traces it, from the classical ages, to its prevalence in Byzantium, its intro duction into Western Europe, its use in Italy, and its perfection in France. The historical part of this disquisition, though interesting in an anti quarian point of view, is somewhat irrelevant to the main subject of the book, which would simply have required a statement of the different epochs of coloured glass, with a slight description of their respective characteristics. To the windows of the thirteenth century the preference is given, on the very just ground that they do not form independent compositions standing out from the rest of the building, but are arranged so as to harmonize with it in pattern and colour. It must be remembered that the whole of the interior of a church was then richly painted, and that the small-patterned, though bright and glowing, mosaic of glass would not have any glaring or obtrusive effect. On the treatment of such win dows, on their groundings, medallions, distribu tion of colour, avoidance of white glass, and the general proportion of the colours, our author's directions appear to us extremely sensible and in good taste. The broad principle laid down is that in which we believe all judicious persons have usually concurred—that the window is to be part of the general composition, and that any attempt to convert it into a painting. by enlarging the figures, enriching them with canopies, or giving large masses of colour to their draperies, is wholly to be depre cated. We must not "foolishly try to execute " oil painting with a material limited in its " nature and requiring conventional treatment." The frightful windows sometimes seen in London churches—there is a hideous example in the chapel of Charterhouse—with a subject extending over perhaps five lights at once, and shockingly divided by the mullions, lead lines, and other inevitable intersections, remind one of a remark once made on a schoolboy's map, where the lines of latitude and longitude (being the easiest part) bad been drawn with extraordinary blackness and vigour :—" Your map looks as if it was in Newgate."—We are glad to see, however, that while condemning so absurd a practice as painting a regular picture on a transparent material, and while insisting on the obligatory conventionalism of the medallion style, Sir J. G. Wilkinson does not require that the figures, however small, shall be in themselves conventional. " Wherever they " are introduced, they should be good, and bear " inspection on a near approach." I lis views on the whole subject are thus summed up : Among the many conditions of coloured glass windows, may notice the following :—That they should be subser vient to the general ornamentation, their object being decorative; they should assimilate to, and aid, the deco• ration and style of the building ; they should not be a contrast to a white wall, nor pretend to be a painting or large picture; the small figures in the medallions, though conventional, should be good, not imitations of a rude style, and should be part of the coloured effect of the win dow when seen at a distance ; broad opaque shadows should not be introduced, nor an attempt be made to convert the flat into a round style; figures larger than life should be avoided as injurious to the proportion of a building; no great expanse of one colour in one place should catch the eye; and a picture extending over two or more lights, cut by an opaque mullion, is inconsistent and offen sive. A quantity of white glass is bad and poor, and yellow is better than white for preventing red and blue from appearing purple at a distance. The border should be in proportion to the size of the light ; too small and even too large a quantity of ground between medallions should be avoided; the medallions should not be all of the same form, and the patterns should not he too small, nor have a spotted appearance as in a kaleidoscope ; the piintsry colours should predominate over the secondary and tertiary ; and the beat windows for imitation are those of the 1200. In rosette windows, the tracery lights or openings should radiate from the centre rather than be concentric. But coloured glass is not required iu buildings of the Renaissance style. Another theory which our author seems suc cessfully to combat is that which teaches that a harmonious contrast may always be found wher ever the three primary colours are together, even if two of them are mixed together ; e.g., that, because green is composed of blue and yellow, therefore red 4- green = in effect red + blue + yellow ; which, we imagine, is as fallacious in the chemistry of colour, as it would be in general chemistry, to assert, that because charcoal, nitre, and saltpetre are innocuou s separately, they are therefore equally so in combination. It is to the eye," continues the author,— • that the several colours must distinctly appear. It is not enough to know that theoretically they are all there ; and green is not only to the eye a new colour, quite distinct from blue and yellow, but has a very different effect in cum. bination with other colours from that produced by blue and yellow. Such a theory might obtain for the mono. chrome taste of chtrchwardens the credit of using all the primaries in the whitened walls for which our churches are so remarkable; but our sensations tell us the mono• tonous truth. Another common error is, to suppose that all the three primary colours are under similar con ditions in relation to each other, and that the same rules arc applicable to all the different ways in which they may be placed together. Thus it is a fact that red and blue, which, if mixed, would form purple, become at a distance somehow fused by the eye into that colour ; and, in like manner, yellow placed next to red pro duces upon the retina the effect of an orange hue. But blue and yellow in juxtaposition do not produce green, or, if at all, to a much less extent than the analogous secondary colours. Green has another peculiarity, that a certain► quantity of it appears to be greater than the same quantity of other colours ; and, conse quently, a very small quantity of it will brighten up a design. Practical hints abound in the volume before us. People who have red hair are advised, for instance, not to wear blue, but green, which softens the intensity of their colour. A red carpet and red furniture may advantageously be toned down by green curtains. For a wall against which pictures are to be hung "tea green " is well adapted. "In dresses it is diffi " cult to find any trimmings suited to pink, " unless they be black, or a dark purple." Sir J. G. Wilkinson chiefly confines himself to the primary and secondary colours, or we might be surprised at his omitting, while on this subject, to recommend what is certainly a very harmo nious combination—rose-colour, united with grey or pale lavender in larger proportion. Ladies whose complexions will bear pink would find the adoption of the hues of sunrise not at all a bad way of helping them to approximate to the charms of Aurora. On contrast in general the following paragraph is valuable, and gives a good notion of the author's more scientific treatment : Colours are opposed to each other in different degrees; let. The strongest opposition is by positive contrast, %lieu the colours are of different hues and natures: as blac k and white; blue and orange; scarlet and blue, &c. Of these Mr. Field says the only two contrasting c olours which are of equal powers are " black and white,' "orange and blue," and `. all other contrasts are perfect only whop one of the antagonistic colours predominates." 2nd. Op • position, or contrast, of warm and cold colours; among the former of which are reds, yellow, orange, brown, red purple, &c.; among the latter, blue, grey, green, blue, purple, white, blne-blaek, &c. 3rd. Opposition, or :en treat, of dark and light colours; or opposition of tones, ss when the colours are tunes of the same hue, one stronger than the other, as dark and light yellow. .4th. Oppostu?u , or contrast, of accidental colours, is when a colour and its accidental companion are opposed to each other, as re and green ; blue and orange; yellow and purple. The practical way in which this is followed out is by giving a list of all colours, and their tones, with their names in English, and also, where they can be ascertained, in Arabic, French, Gerinan, Greek, Latin, and Italian; and by another list of all the colours, with the best and worst con trasts appended to each ; this latter extends over thirty pages, and is very elaborately worked out. This first part of the book is concluded by some advice as to the proportion in which colours should be employed, and a description of some examples of good colour, with reference both to the author's own illustrations and to other works. The second part of the work treats of "the necessity of a diffusion of taste among all ‘ classes." From the variety and extent of the topics upon which the author touches it is not very easy to give an idea of its contens, especially as they too are arranged u very systematic plan. A great part of them which originally appeared in the Budder, thin, closed by brackets, which device rather worries a . reader by suggesting a separation between sub jects which are really homogeneous. With li wst pon no fit eraturt. On Colour, and on the Necessity for a General Diffusion of Taste among all Classes. Illus trated by Woodcuts and Coloured Plates. By Sir J. G. Wilkinson. London : Murray. Tins magnificent volume, with its cover of deep skyblue, lighted up by golden vases, and its dazzling illustrations of every variety and combi nation of colour, its fund of common sense, its easy agreeable conversational style, and complete freedom from the arrogance and ill-humour that so often deform works to which Beauty should have lent the quintessence of her own nectar, is fitted to provoke discussion and reconsideration of much received practice, though the principles are not, we think, other than would be found accordant with the best received opinions. The fault of the book is its extremely clumsy method of arrangement. The paragraphs are numbered in different ways, the divisions and subdivisions do not logically follow each other, there is no clear separation into chapters or subjects, and there is no table of contents. Readers to whom these defects do not form the drawback, which, we confess, they do to us, will find in the book much that is entertaining, pleasant, sensible, and useful, and much that will lead them to look round their own houses and gardens and, what is more amusing, their neighbours, with a new sense of the Splendid and the Becoming. Sir J. G. Wilkinson is not by any means a second Ruskin. Ile is not brilliant or rhapsodical, but he is always readable and never needlessly offensive. We will try to give some idea of his general ideas and particular suggestions. The true knowledge of colour is not to be acquired by theory. Some people have a false taste ; some a false perception, which is other wise called " colour-blindness." A true percep tion is a natural gift, like an car for music, and it may be cultivated, but cannot be acquired. To attempt to find the reasons why one colour har monizes with another is futile, until we have obtained a full empirical generalization. One theory, for instance, is, that the three primary colours, when used in the proportion necessary to form white light, neutralize each other, and should therefore be used in ornamentation. This is absurd, because we do not want to neutralize or fuse them together ; on the contrary, we desire them all to be shown. It is equally useless to deduce a theory of the proportions in which colours should be used, from the numerical pro portion in which they appear in the rainbow ; for the effect turns out something altogether different from what would have been expected. Besides, in the rainbow the colours are blended, while in ornamentation we wish them to be con trasted.—Another theory is that of following in ornament the vertical order in which colours occur in nature ; thus it is sometimes said that blue carpets are objectionable, because blue is the colour of the sky, and therefore ought to be appropriated to ceilings ; while brown or green, being the colours of the earth or grass, should be placed in the lower part of a room. This, how ever, would make the scale of ornament depend upon climate, since in some tropical countries the landscape only contains two colours—the blue of the sky and the parched yellow of the ground; in others the green is not below our feet, but, as in trees, level with or above the eye ; in Arctic regions, too, there would be only two colours, blue and white. The real reason for sometimes allowing ornamentation to coincide with such an arrangement is that certain optical laws are thereby obeyed ; " though blue demands a pro " minent place in a ceiling, it is not because the " sky is blue ; cold transparent colours are of use " iu that position, as they tend to give suitable " lightness to the upper parts of a room." One of the greatest mistakes which modern colourists have fallen into is the introduction of large quantities of green, a practice which the monuments of other nations show to have been only resorted to in the decline of their art. in nature much green is pleasant, because it affords repose to the eye, but in ornament we do not seek repose, but excitement. This may explain the dislike always felt (in spite of our nature-worship) to pictures in which a great deal of green is intro duced artists, as is well known, preferring autumnal tints. Another mistake is to imagine Ihi:.._ .y. A•e