, 1886-10-16

Some of tho Mistakes which Artists
Mnke-Law of KelativIty.

som. of tho Mistakes which Artist.
Mnke-Law of KoiativIty.
To illustrate how a little exact knowl-
edge of principles will prevent errors in
painting, observe the veins on the back
of YOU hand and arm. AS your hands
rests below the level of the shoulder
ordinarily these veins will be prominent.
at least in man. Now raise your hand
slightly above a right angle with the
body and note how rapidly these blue
lines disappear. You could not nave
foretold such an occurrence. nor world
you have been likely to have known of
its possibility if uniformed of the phys
iology of blood circulation. The
arteries which lie deeply and out OF
sight carry blood from the heart to the
extremities; the veins, nearer the sur
face, and hence often visible through
the skin. conduct the flow pack to the
heart. In limbs below the level of the
chest the current is against gravitation
inc the veins become prominent through
d%istension. When. as by lifting the
arm, gravitation assists the flow back to
the heart the blue channels are seen no
longer because rapidly emptied.
An otherwise excellent picture was
marred by prominent veins being repre-
sented upon an uplifted arm, and this
error was carried to an extreme in a
picture of Mercury with arms extended
in a downward flight. the feet being
uprermoet. The artist had faithfully
copied from an upright nude, and in in
verting his canvas thought he had salts
fed all the conditions. whereas the leg
veins were visible when they should not
have been, and the arm veins were not
to be seen when the pictured position
should have made them prominent.
Without anatomical knowledge no one
could count for the sinking in OF the
knee-cap when the leg is bent. Nor
would one be aware of such matters as
the knee-cap. or patella. of the female
pointing forward. while that OF the
male turns outward. the arm pit proper
existing only in the male, and that in
adults. and not in children, of the oppo-
site sexes, do differences in widths OF
hips occur.
Many mysterious effects are brought.
about in very simple ways as may be
realized when reasons are apparent. For
example, when the arm is bent the ole
cranon or crazy bone" presents a bony
prominence in view, but owing to the at
tachment of the cuticle to this point a
dimple is produced at the elbow when
the arm is Strengthened. especially when
there is freshness" of the member.
l have known otherwise fair artists to
be unaware mat the palm of the hand
was concave and the pack thereof con-
vex. Few observe hat the webbing be-
tween the fingers lies closer to the palmar
thar to the back or dorsal surface, and
that the tendons of the wrist are invaria-
BILE and after an orderly plan.
A picture maker with the same want
of astronomical knowledge of Charles
Dickens would have made the same
error of describing a star as shining be-
tween the horns of u new moo
As an optical or psychological princi-
pie the law of relatively should nave due
consideration. A marsh scene on exh.-
bition in our gallery was rendered pain
fully incomplete through the absence Of
any object by which comparative meas
urements might be obtained. The grass
might be ten feet or ten inches high, so
far as the observer would be able to
determine. Bierstadt's Yosemite Val
ley" suffers similarly. The tress in that
picture do not impress one as having
more than ordinary size, because nj ami
NAL. house. or other object which would
enable comparison. was introduced. For
the same reason the cliffs and stream
seem diminutive. Both might have af-
fected the observer as including miles
HH ~