The pictures were first classified by subjects. This may seem less logical than a division by types of arrangement. But it really, for a majority, amounted to the same thing, as the historical masterpieces of art mostly follow conventional arrangements; thus the altarpieces, portraits, genre pictures, etc., were mostly after two or three models, and this classification was of great convenience from every other point of view. The preliminary classification was as follows: (1) Religious, Allegorical and Mythical Pictures; (2) Portraits; (3) Genre; (4) Landscape. The historical pictures were so extremely few that they were included in the religious, as were also all the allegorical pictures containing Biblical persons. Some pictures, of which Watteau's are representative, which hovered between genre and landscape, were finally classified according as they seemed to owe their interest to the figures or to the scenery. A preliminary classification of space arrangements, still with reference to content, showed three large general types: (1) A single subject or group in the middle; (2) the same somewhat on one side, with subordinate elements occupying the rest of the space; (3) two objects or groups each occupying a well-defined center. These were designated as Single Center, Single and Subordinate Center, and Double Center pictures, or S.C., S. & S., and D.C. They are in proportions of S.C. 79 per cent., S. & S. 5 percent., D.C. 16 per cent. The D.C. type is evidently already explicitly balanced as regards shape and intrinsic interest, and is hence of comparative unimportance to our problem. The S.C. will show a balance, if at all, in more or less accessory factors; S. & S., broadly, between interest and other factors. As logically more important, this last group will be treated more fully. The full classification of the thousand pictures by subjects is as follows:
| S.C. | D.C. | S.S. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Altarpieces | 78 | 70 | 7 | 1 |
| Madonna & Child | 47 | 47 | 0 | 0 |
| Holy Family | 67 | 40 | 14 | 13 |
| Adorations | 19 | 19 | 0 | 0 |
| Crucifixions | 23 | 21 | 0 | 2 |
| Descents f. Cross | 27 | 26 | 0 | 1 |
| Annunciations | 21 | 0 | 21 | 0 |
| Misc. Religious | 162 | 93 | 55 | 14 |
| Allegorical | 46 | 36 | 6 | 4 |
| Genre | 93 | 63 | 19 | 11 |
| Landscape | 88 | 65 | 22 | 1 |
| Portrait Groups | 64 | 42 | 17 | 5 |
| Relig. Single Fig. | 28 | 28 | 0 | 0 |
| Alleg. Single Fig. | 12 | 12 | 0 | 0 |
| Portrait Single Fig. | 207 | 207 | 0 | 0 |
| Genre Single Fig. | 18 | 18 | 0 | 0 |
Altarpieces.
The pictures of the first group, consisting of the Madonna and Infant Christ surrounded by worshippers, and briefly designated as Altarpieces, are good for detailed study because they present a simple type, and it will be easy to show whether the variations from symmetry are in the direction of balance or not. A few examples will make this clear. The Madonna in the S.C. pictures is invariably seated holding the Christ.
In the following descriptions M. will denote Madonna, C. Child, Cn. central line. The elements, Size or Mass, Direction of Motion or Attention, Direction of Line, Vista, and Interest, will be set down as Ms., D., L., V., and I. A couple of examples will show the method of describing and of drawing a conclusion as to balance.
1. 969. Lorenzo Lotto, Madonna with St. Bernard and St. Onofrius. C. is on one side turning to the same; M. leans far to the other; hence interest in C., and direction of C.'s attention are over against Mass of M. and direction of M.'s attention; i.e., I. + D. = Ms. + D., and so far, balance. The surrounding saints are insignificant, and we may make the equation I. = Ms.
2. 368. Raffaelino di Francesco, Madonna Enthroned. The C. is on Right facing front, M. turns away Left, hence interest in C. is over against direction of M.'s attention. Moreover, all the saints but one turn Left, and of two small vistas behind the throne, the one on the Left is deeper. The superior interest we feel in C. is thus balanced by the tendency of attention to the opposite side, and we have I. = D. + V.
It is clear that the broad characteristics of the composition can be symmetrically expressed, so that a classification of the 70 S.C. altarpieces can be made on a basis of these constant elements, in the order of decreasing balance. Thus: Class 1, below, in which the C. is one side of the central line, turned away from the center, the M. turned to the other, balances in these broad lines, or I. + D. = D.; while in (9), I. + D. + D. = (x), the constant elements work all on one side.
CLASSIFICATION OF ALTARPIECES.
| 1 | C. | one side | turned to | same, | M. | to other | 11 |
| 2 | " | " | " | other, | " | " | 8 |
| 3 | " | " | " | front, | " | " | 2 |
| 4 | " | " | " | other, | M. | front. | 9 |
| 5 | " | " | " | facing | M. | 6 | |
| 6 | " | " | " | front, | M. | front. | 7 |
| 7 | " | " | " | " | M. | turned to same. | 6 |
| 8 | " | " | " | to same | M. | turned front. | 7 |
| 9 | " | " | " | " | M. | turned to same, | 14 |
| 10 | " | in middle, | turned | front. | 0 | ||