The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1869-04-24
ONES IDEAL FACE.
From Once a Week. !

a1llSlS WQO udN6 udu eAAN
trait painting. They will tell you that neali
every man land every woman, also; tno9sE
perhaps in q lesser degree,) has IN ms ln!nS
an imaginary picture of his own face; Wn.on
differs in most striking degree from nus tea
face. It is not that every man CONSIDERS nlln'
self hapdsomer than he Is; Tor 10 cases I'll I'll
stantly occurring man ls dlsaPPointeu;
his portrait because ne ianceS ~ h;S GOf fr;enGs
flatters Lin, and because he fancles his iliehus
viii be amused by his having pald ZOE tne nut
terv On the contrary, the ideal face may nave ia,
'raoi,,aSe where the real face has strength,
anJ coorseness where the real face has rehne-
ment The preference which people VINO nave
no artistic training. and consequently no knowi'
edge of the respective methoos OF treatnien.,
es5ibit for portraits in oil over photographs
NAV he partly traced to this cause. The cru
eliy true lines caught by the camera never in
anv cas-. give the ideal portrait. This they
know. and many are the complaints directed
against the vulgar error OF supposng that
photography is OF any value IN portrait Hmn-
ing. But in the case OF portrait IN Oil, there
come III innumerable chances. Instead OF tie
blind working OF machine, We have human
agency, with its receptive and reproductive
faculties; and who knows but that the Ideal
face-which is to the gentleman in question
bis real face-rpay be bit upon? He has tried
photography in vain. He is familiar with the
face which photography persists in giving hlm.
tt is not his face He cannot account tor the
consistency Of various cameras, but 1t Is not
his face. Therefore he says to hlmself tnat ne 3
will abandon these mechanical appliances, ana !
trust to the magic power OF the human manu-
TO catch his real features, his real expression.
The genius OF the portrait painter VIII seize
the true points of appearance, and properly
transfer them to canvas,
Here is q pretty outlook for :he portrait
painter, to whom he comes with his impossi.
Bile request. For It is the purpose OF portrait
in oil 10 be truer than any photograph can be-
to catch up the lights OF u face that are re-
pressed by the harsh process OF photography
TO translate and render apparent and perma-
nent the feeting changes OF characteristic ex-
pression-a far too difficult task for the ca
mera. If the photograph was truth, tnls
torira,t IN oil is truth vivifed; but tue genie.
man ma in search of his iaeesil Ace ; s :.et o''
better pleased. He accepts the portrait as a
iiknes.. He hangs it on his walls, and is halt
dissatisfed when his friends tell him 1t is re-
marIably GOOD. After dinner be sits anu LOOKS
at II as If the immovable figure IN the framo
were an impertinent stranger who was .pos'od
there 10 annoy him with his perpetual smile
and his stiff and glossy hair. We are suppos-
ing just now, be it observed, that the portrait
in Ell is really good one. When II IS pau,
hotb the subject OF the experiment and his
rardinp it. There is always something more
6ideously absurd in bad oil painting than IN
n bad photograph. The camera often nlsrep'
resents, but she seldom burlesques; while lt Is
the nature OF bad portrait painter to INTRO
dnce. against his will, comic clement into Ills
painful efforts. A man who is anxious to tame
his carnal pride should have his Portray
painted by dozen fifth rate artists, snoula ou1o
by themselves, and visit the collection Tor Q
few minutes every forenoon. A hair shirt and
oruel for dinner would be feeble penance
Compared with this daily humbling OF the proud
spirit. Il, ,;s..,,a
about their personal appearance under Wnlcn
most people labor-a mistake which survives
the daily argument of the looking glass, the
Insertions of friends, the verdicts Of the PEN
ell and the camera ? We believe the hallucl-
nation to arise from combination OF causes
that are in themselves almost pathetic Every
man is possessed OF an ideal sell. There Is
either something he believes himself to be, or
something which he would like to be, and
which he is not. He plucks the herolsms OUT
Of this or that character in history, or in tic
tion, or in his own acquaintance, and clothes
himself wit, these borrowed plumes. lie
would fain bsvc the splendid melancholy OF
Dante, or tht severe purity OF King Arthur, OF
the gallant besring OF Ivanhoe, or the bit er
wit and tenderness of the suffering. Helne
Dwelling upon tho characteristics IN other peo-
pic which they most love, mon begin uncon-
sciously 10 initiate them. The waak s"hool-
how. Who sinks away from the rough gambols
OF his playmates, reads in O corner some mover
of the GUY Livingstone school, and tances
himself muscular miracle, with the hnc po-
tence of Fix feet eight The tat and elderly
farmer, doing over Tristram Shandy, fancies
himselfth keeuest and cleverest DOG aliVe'
in that he is able to see the sly humor, ana luh
of the successive quips, jokes and mslnua'
tions. From hundred different sources we
drink in impressions Of characters unlike our
own. and unconsciously assume so much OF
that, or so much OF this, until we nave
built up very pretty monster, whom We re-
GARD as our own image. II a man were hon
eestlv to sit down and describe his character
minutely-if he were to accurately SIT down
what he considers it's potentlalltles anu nmlts,
it's good active qualities, and !s iatene VIRTUES N
he would produce composition sunclen' 70
make a universe split with laughter.
Now this imaginary hero whom every man
constructs must have his corresponding face.
He must have features to express these noble
Qualities, and give token to his neighbor that
he is no common man. Whereupon the Ideal
face is constructed, and accepted as fact.
ALI these processes, be it remarked, 90
on unconsciously, 30 that the acting tnau-
maturgist believes IN his own tricks. he
jmac;nes that, possessing the strongest sym,
natbies with this or that virtue, this or that
form of character, his face must reveal the
presence Of these postulated qualities. II ne
feels himself hero, he must appear hero.
Take the case " young man who, OF smooth
yisage and open disposition, has been struck
by some Byronic portrait OF gloom and des,
pair. He chooses one out OF shat gallery OF
demon heroes as his particular nero, anu ne
feels that he, too, is such man. BENG sucn
q man, shall he not show it in his faceP SO ne
hecins TO fancy that his smooth countenance is
in reality full OF burning scorn, and MOODY
melancholy, and impatient selishness. He
feels himself en- rapport with these phases OF
mental coloring, and his face must BE- an ln-
der to his thoughts. he has no longer the
polished features Of q raw Adonis, but the
marked and sulky physiogonomy OF Conrad
tho Corsalr.
Many peoples faces are grossly at fault IN IN.
dicating the qualities which they, the SAID peo-
Ole. actually do possess. George Ellots cpl
cram about the want of connection between
long eyelashes and the moral sense has become
proyerbial; and while goodly number OF en-
tbusi (chiefy womep) try to persuade them
selves that they can easily tell man by his
face. We have, generally, arrived at the conclu'
sion that any sush system of Interpretation IS
hazardous and provocative OF ludlcrous dun
ders. Indeed, one of the fine arts OF society is
that YOU shall not be able to tell the difference
between Tom, Dick aud Harry, when they SIT
down to dinner, with the same shirt front, tho
same parting of the hair, the same smooth chin
and appropriate mOustache, the same air OF
yapue laneuor. Apart from this wllltul rub
hing of Of angles, IN which the tuition OF
has come to be regarded as IN I'M