Page 26 - Studio International - October 1970

mixtures which are easy to memorize; it in- En-tout-cas —see 'Ambiguous statements'. Characteristic. A last resort in all cases
spires great respect in the minds of the where the connoisseur is at a loss for words.
listeners. Fantasy. Is completely lacking in modern Speaking about a head, a figure, or a whole
art; therefore the connoisseur does not need scene, one can interweave nice psychological
Studio and artists' terminology is best to know anything about it. dissertations. This method of making charac-
studied in a studio; some examples are in- terizations should be acquired by practice.
cluded in this dictionary. Form, sense of. The capacity to create
beautiful and true forms. Carnation. Flesh colour. If it is specially
Banality—see Triviality! distinct and strong one can talk about Rubens;
Colour perspective—see Perspective. if it is in a green and purple hue, about Carlo
Peasant genre. Representations from peas- Dolci. A whitish carnation is called chalk
ant life. A comparison with related literature Colour harmony. An especially good ex- colour.
gives the connoisseur a reputation for exten- pression. Generally terms from musicology
sive learning. are very useful, for instance, 'colour com- Caricature. An exaggeration of the aspects
position', 'colour dissonance', 'he does not which are characteristics of a figure or an
Brilliant, Admirable, Very fascinating. even know the general basis of the colour image.
Valuable exclamations during pauses in the tones'. This phrase is very effective.
critic's conversation. Clair-obscure. A useful word which never
Colour print. To be treated with contempt fails to make an impression. It refers to such
Strange, Extraordinary. To be pronounced by the connoisseur. 'Just like a colour print' shades in which the different colours can be
very slowly with the arms crossed and the is a very poor opinion indeed. distinguished, therefore one can also talk
eyebrows contracted, with a facial expression about 'transparent' shadows.
of deep thought. The connoisseur gains there- Abbreviation. A very difficult term, to be
by the necessary time to formulate hi avoided by the connoisseur. Colour treatment. The following epithets
opinion. are useful: clear, loud, fine, dry, weak, strong,
Ancients, the. i.e., the Masters. An irre- warm. These words can be endlessly streng-
Correggio. Presented as an example of placeable word for the connoisseur. Should be thened by comparisons and superlatives.
masterly treatment of chiaroscuro and warm pronounced with a condescending reference
flesh-colour. to present day art. About modern paintings Contour. The outline—see 'Drawing'.
with religious motifs the following phrase is
Demonic—see Brilliant. very suitable: 'We are lacking just that which Correct. Useful for expressing faint praise.
inspired the ancients—inner faith in the
Dilettante, dilettantish. Must be used with religious content.' About genre paintings, Cremnitz white, Madder. Two colours.
caution, preferably with some expression one can refer to the old Dutch masters, or to The first is useful in talking about clouds; for
which softens its sharpness, like sugar or, Murillo, 'who, of course, was quite different.' instance, 'In the clouds the cremnitz white is
lemon juice; for example, 'The landscape About portraits a comparison between Hol- clotted'. We can guarantee the effectiveness
betrays the dilettante in certain parts, but in bein, Van Dyck and Velasquez has a great of this phrase.
others a genuine artistic understanding is effect; about landscapes a reference to Claude
noticeable.' By using ambiguous statements (see Lorrain. The term can never be used too Kaulbach. To be used as a model of philo-
this phrase) the connoisseur can always pro. often, because the assertion that modern art sophical painting—or as a terrible warning,
tect himself against attacks. always has much to learn from 'the ancients' depending upon one's position with regard to
always holds true. this painter.
Ambiguous statements. The summit of the
art of the connoisseur. There are many, many Masterly, Grand, Gigantic, Grotesque. Feeling. Warmly recommended in criticism
paintings and sculptures which are quite The first word is very useful, especially if the of works which are 'hors contours', or which
difficult to criticize. In all such cases the first artist is within earshot. The other expressions have already gained prizes at some larger
duty of the connoisseur is to use fine diplo- are suitable for paintings of storms, gloomy exhibition. Then enthusiasm is called for.
macy. He must have a line of retreat open. Ar mountain lakes, and gorges, and generally for Suitable exclamations are 'superb', 'magnifi-
ambiguous statement, also called 'en-tout. all painting larger than 10 feet by 6 feet. cent', 'wonderful', and 'grand'.
cas', contains at the same time both praise
and criticism and must therefore refer to one Hm! This expression of deep contemplation Glazing. Use of a colour which permits the
aspect only—for instance, 'The colouring i should be avoided by the connoisseur. undercoat to be seen through. The ancients
excellent, but nevertheless somewhat weak in used this technique very much, the younger
certain parts', or 'the drawing reveals 1 . Impasto. The method of applying the paint. painters less so. Non-transparent colours are
serious study of nature, in certain (see this If this is too thick, the painting is called clotted. called opaque.
word) parts; however, one can discern much
that derives from precedent'. Or, `The Incorrect. This word should be avoided, be- Leonardo da Vinci. To compare with other
characterization of certain individuals is very cause otherwise the connoisseur might be paintings of The Last Supper. That the
distinct, but into others the artist has failed to required to point out the incorrectness. But a original masterpiece actually doesn't exist is
pour enough soul.' This form of criticism ha connoisseur must on principle never prove a fact which the connoisseur doesn't need to
a specially great value, as a painting is rarely anything. know.
completely perfect, and the opinion is there
fore given an impressive air of objectivity Sfumato. If on the dull surface of a painting Laocoön by Lessing may be quoted if a
there are certain greyish parts which veil the painting represents a poetical subject. One
Ivory technique. A method of painting it colours, one can say that the paint is `sfumato'. can say, for instance, 'Oh, if our modern
which a certain flatness in colour is blended Why this is so is unnecessary for the connois- artists would only read Lessing! Laocoön con-
with a considerable gloss. seur to know. tains indeed eternal truths about the arts'.