SECTION IV.

OF TRUTH OF EARTH.

Chapter I.—Of General Structure.

[§ 1.]First laws of the organization of the earth, and their importance in art.[270]
[§ 2.]The slight attention ordinarily paid to them. Their careful study by modern artists.[271]
[§ 3.]General structure of the earth. The hills are its action, the plains its rest.[271]
[§ 4.]Mountains come out from underneath the plains, and are their support.[272]
[§ 5.]Structure of the plains themselves. Their perfect level, when deposited by quiet water.[273]
[§ 6.]Illustrated by Turner's Marengo.[273]
[§ 7.]General divisions of formation resulting from this arrangement. Plan of investigation.[274]

Chapter II.—Of the Central Mountains.

[§ 1.]Similar character of the central peaks in all parts of the world.[275]
[§ 2.]Their arrangements in pyramids or wedges, divided by vertical fissures.[275]
[§ 3.]Causing groups of rock resembling an artichoke or rose.[276]
[§ 4.]The faithful statement of these facts by Turner in his Alps at Daybreak.[276]
[§ 5.]Vignette of the Andes and others.[277]
[§ 6.]Necessary distance, and consequent aerial effect on all such mountains.[277]
[§ 7.]Total want of any rendering of their phenomena in ancient art.[278]
[§ 8.]Character of the representations of Alps in the distances of Claude.[278]
[§ 9.]Their total want of magnitude and aerial distance.[279]
[§ 10.]And violation of specific form.[280]
[§ 11.]Even in his best works.[280]
[§ 12.]Farther illustration of the distant character of mountain chains.[281]
[§ 13.]Their excessive appearance of transparency.[281]
[§ 14.]Illustrated from the works of Turner and Stanfield. The Borromean Islands of the latter.[282]
[§ 15.]Turner's Arona.[283]
[§ 16.]Extreme distance of large objects always characterized by very sharp outline.[283]
[§ 17.]Want of this decision in Claude.[284]
[§ 18.]The perpetual rendering of it by Turner.[285]
[§ 19.]Effects of snow, how imperfectly studied.[285]
[§ 20.]General principles of its forms on the Alps.[287]
[§ 21.]Average paintings of Switzerland. Its real spirit has scarcely yet been caught.[289]

Chapter III.—Of the Inferior Mountains.

[§ 1.]The inferior mountains are distinguished from the central, by being divided into beds.[290]
[§ 2.]Farther division of these beds by joints.[290]
[§ 3.]And by lines of lamination.[291]
[§ 4.]Variety and seeming uncertainty under which these laws are manifested.[291]
[§ 5.]The perfect expression of them in Turner's Loch Coriskin.[292]
[§ 6.]Glencoe and other works.[293]
[§ 7.]Especially the Mount Lebanon.[293]
[§ 8.]Compared with the work of Salvator.[294]
[§ 9.]And of Poussin.[295]
[§ 10.]Effects of external influence on mountain form.[296]
[§ 11.]The gentle convexity caused by aqueous erosion.[297]
[§ 12.]And the effect of the action of torrents.[297]
[§ 13.]The exceeding simplicity of contour caused by these influences.[298]
[§ 14.]And multiplicity of feature.[299]
[§ 15.]Both utterly neglected in ancient art.[299]
[§ 16.]The fidelity of treatment in Turner's Daphne and Leucippus.[300]
[§ 17.]And in the Avalanche and Inundation.[300]
[§ 18.]The rarity among secondary hills of steep slopes or high precipices.[301]
[§ 19.]And consequent expression of horizontal distance in their ascent.[302]
[§ 20.]Full statement of all these facts in various works of Turner.—Caudebec, etc.[302]
[§ 21.]The use of considering geological truths.[303]
[§ 22.]Expression of retiring surface by Turner contrasted with the work of Claude.[304]
[§ 23.]The same moderation of slope in the contours of his higher hills.[304]
[§ 24.]The peculiar difficulty of investigating the more essential truths of hill outline.[305]
[§ 25.]Works of other modern artists.—Clarkson Stanfield.[305]
[§ 26.]Importance of particular and individual truth in hill drawing.[306]
[§ 27.]Works of Copley Fielding. His high feeling.[307]
[§ 28.]Works of J. D. Harding and others.[308]

Chapter IV.—Of the Foreground.

[§ 1.]What rocks were the chief components of ancient landscape foreground.[309]
[§ 2.]Salvator's limestones. The real characters of the rock. Its fractures, and obtuseness of angles.[309]
[§ 3.]Salvator's acute angles caused by the meeting of concave curves.[310]
[§ 4.]Peculiar distinctness of light and shade in the rocks of nature.[311]
[§ 5.]Peculiar confusion of both in the rocks of Salvator.[311]
[§ 6.]And total want of any expression of hardness or brittleness.[311]
[§ 7.]Instances in particular pictures.[312]
[§ 8.]Compared with the works of Stanfield.[312]
[§ 9.]Their absolute opposition in every particular.[313]
[§ 10.]The rocks of J. D. Harding.[313]
[§ 11.]Characters of loose earth and soil.[314]
[§ 12.]Its exceeding grace and fulness of feature.[315]
[§ 13.]The ground of Teniers.[315]
[§ 14.]Importance of these minor parts and points.[316]
[§ 15.]The observance of them is the real distinction between the master and the novice.[316]
[§ 16.]Ground of Cuyp.[317]
[§ 17.]And of Claude.[317]
[§ 18.]The entire weakness and childishness of the latter.[318]
[§ 19.]Compared with the work of Turner.[318]
[§ 20.]General features of Turner's foreground.[319]
[§ 21.]Geological structure of his rocks in the Fall of the Tees.[319]
[§ 22.]Their convex surfaces and fractured edges.[319]
[§ 23.]And perfect unity.[320]
[§ 24.]Various parts whose history is told us by the details of the drawing.[321]
[§ 25.]Beautiful instance of an exception to general rules in the Llanthony.[321]
[§ 26.]Turner's drawing of detached blocks of weathered stone.[322]
[§ 27.]And of complicated foreground.[323]
[§ 28.]And of loose soil.[323]
[§ 29.]The unison of all in the ideal foregrounds of the Academy pictures.[324]
[§ 30.]And the great lesson to be received from all.[324]