VLAKHEID (n. f.)
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Aengesien dat den Liefhebber in ’t vervolgh van dese Verlichterie-Kunde, dickwils van het aenleggen, schaduwen, diepen en hoogen sal gewaeght vinden, als zijnde de voornaemste doeningen in ’t oeffenen der Water-Verwen; soo sal het noodigh zijn, kortelijk van elcks yets tot grondighe verstaningh daer van aen te mercken, wantmen sonder grondige kennis daer van te hebben, tot de volkomene oeffeninghe deser Konste niet en kan komen.
Wy beginnen dan eerstelijck het aenleggen te verklaren, zijnde het begin van alle wercken diemen in dese Konst wil aenvangen. Aenleggen dan is, soo wanneermen eenigh dingh, met eenerhande Coleur van Verwe diemen daer toe verkiest, na sijn believen vlack en eenparigh aenleyt en simpel overdeckt, sonder eenighe schaduwe of dagh waer te nemen. Aengeleyt zijnde, soo volght wanneer dat Coleur droogh is, datmen het uytschaduwe en verdiepe, ghelijckwe dat doorgaens in ’t vervolgh soo sullen noemen; en geschiet op die gront, welcke te vooren aengeleyt is; sulcks geschiet altijt door een Verwe welcke veel vetter, stercker ofte bruynder is, als die daer sy mede beleyt is: waer door dan de Parthyen van doncker en licht onderscheyden en afgepaelt werden; alsoo datmen de schaduwen, en de vlackheydt der dingen kan beseffen, en siet uytheffen, daer sy te vooren plat schenen; (…)
Nu de derde waernemingh die is verhoogen, welcke op de lichte plaets van alle dingen, als daer den dagh sonder eenige schaduwe het sterckst opvalt, moet geschieden; en komt dese verhoogingh meest te geschieden op hooge en uytsteeckende parthyen, gelijck aen de Menschen op de Kaecken, boven op de Neus, op het Voor-hooft, Kinne, Schouderen, Borst, Billen, Elleboogh, Knyen, &c. Van gelijcken in Kleedinghen op de ployen, en vlacke deelen der Ledematen die door deselve werden uyt-gedruckt; en voorts alles wat sich boven de vlackte verheft; dit doetmen met een lichter Verwe en blyer Coleur, als daer ’t mede aengheleyt is: en verhooght het alsoo als het na sijn Trap min of meer, na het sterckste licht aerdende, verlicht is, om dat te doen ronden en voorkomen, &c. (…)
de schaduwen nu diemen op het Gront-Papier doet, komen oock over een met de schaduwen diemen in ’t Schilderen met een stercker Verwe over ’t aengeleyde heen leght; de hooghsels komen van gelijcke over een; de diepsels accordeeren met de toetsen, diemen hier en daer inde Teyckeningh inset; invoegen geen onderscheyt tussen het Teyckenen en Verlichterie-Schilderen en is, als de handelingh vande Pinceel, en datmen sich telckens inbeelt dat yeder aangeleyt Coleur daermen op Schilderen moet, een soort van Gront-papier is daermen op Teyckent, en datmen voor die tijt de handelingh van Teyckenen oeffent, diemen wassen noemt. Staet oock noch aen te mercken, datmen de schaduwen, diepsels en hooghsels alle tijt moet schicken, na dat het Coleur vande gront-vlackte is, op welckmen die komt te leggen: want die niet evenredigh zijnde, soo sullense of te hart, indiense te sterck zijn, ofte flets en Kernemelkachtigh by aldiense niet behoorlijck krachtigh en zijn.
[suggested translation, Marije Osnabrugge:] As the Amateur will often find the building up , shadowing, deepening and heightening discussed in the continuation of this Verlichterie-Kunde, as they are the principal actions in the practice of Watercolouring; as such it is necessary, to briefly mention something for the profound understanding of them, because one cannot acquire a perfect practice of this Art, without profound knowledge of it. We start first by explaining the building up, being the start of all that one wants to do in this Art. Building up is, when one builds up a thing, with any Colour of Paint that one choses for it, flat and uniformly as is desired and simply covers, without paying attention to any shadow or light. Built up, once the paint is dry, one continues by shadowing and deepening, as we will call it from now on; and it is done on the ground, which was build up beforehand; it is always done by means of a colour that is greasier, stronger or darker than the one with which it was build up: because of which the Parts of dark and light are discerned and framed; that is, that one can recognize the shadows and flatness of things, and see them rise, while they appeared to be flat before; [...] The third observation now is heightening, which should happen at the light spot of all things, where the light falls strongest without any shadow; and this heightening mostly occurs on high and protruding parts, such as on Humans on the Jaws, on top of the Nose, on the Forehead, Chin, Shoulders, Breast, Buttocks, Elbow, Knees, etc. . Similarly in Clothing on the folds, and flat parts of Limbs that are expressed by it; and furthermore everything that raises itself above the surface; this is done with a lighter Paint and happier Colour, as the one with which it is build up: and heighten it in a way as it is lit up more or less according to its level, towards the strongest light, to round it and make come forward, etc. [...] now the shadows that are made on the grounded Paper, also coincide with the shadows that, in Painting, one places over the first layer with a stronger Paint; the highlights also coincide; the depths accord with the touches, that are placed here and there in the Drawing; and there is no difference between Drawing and Illumination-painting, as the handling of the Brush, and that one often imagines that every applied Colour on which one has to Paint, is a kind of grounded paper on which one Draws, and that one practices the manner of Drawing beforehand, which is called washing. It may also be remarked, that one should always place the shadows, depths, highlights, after the Colour of the ground-surface, on which it is placed: because if these are not corresponding , they will be too hard – if they are too strong – or too weak and Buttermilk-like – if they are not sufficiently strong.
Conceptual field(s)
Quotation
Wanneermen nu Verlichterie Schildert, die men selfs Inventeert en Teyckent, Copieert, ofte dat men eenige Print-Konst natuerlijck wil Coloreeren, soo salmen oock altijdt acht geven op de eenparigheydt en vlackigheydt, en oock bysonderlijck op de houdingh, of voor en achter uytwijcken, ’t welck hier door t’onderscheyt der stercke en flaeuwe Verwen moet voortgebracht werden, met die vlack en proportioneel verminderende aen te leggen, sonder dat die eenige hardigheyt of stijvigheyt veroorsaecken.
[suggested translation, Marije Osnabrugge:] When one is Painting Illumination, that one Invents and Draws oneself, Copies or that one wants to colour some Art of Printing in a natural way, one should always pay attention to the evenness and flatness and also especially to the harmony, or moving back and forth, which should be caused by the difference between strong and weak Colours, by adding them flatly and proportionally diminishing, without them causing any hardness or stiffness.
In the English translation, this section is part of the Introduction to the second part of the book. The structure of this introduction is therefore different from the Dutch chapter (in the second edition of 1670, which we are treating here). Many of the terms are described in the English introduction, but no specific terms are used (for eenparigheid, vlakheid, houding). [MO]
Conceptual field(s)
Quotation
{Leerlingen hebben een afkeer vande vlackigheydt.} Want dit leert ons de ondervindinge dat meest alle Leerlinghen in ’t begin van hare Oeffeninge, een schroom hebben vande vlackigheydt en kantigheydt, en schijnen meerder lust tot dommeligheyt en sachtigheydt te hebben, en doorgaens de vlacke parthyen door kleyne Lichten en Schaduwen te bederven: meenende door de kantigheyt in hardigheyt te sullen vervallen, en door de vlackigheyt te veroorsaecken dat hun dinghen naeckt en onvolmaeckt souden schijnen, niet tegenstaende sy het in hun Principael voor goet keuren, kruypende daerom uyt vreese van te vallen altijt liever op Handen en Voeten, een Kinderlijcken wegh.
[suggested translation, Marije Osnabrugge:] {Pupils resent flatness.} Because this teaches us the notion that almost all Pupils have hesitation about the flatness and angularity at the beginning of their practice, and appear to are more inclined towards dimness and softness, and frequently ruin the flat parts with small lights and shadows: believing they would lapse into hardness from angularity, and through flatness would cause their things to appear naked and imperfect, notwithstanding that they judge it right in the Original, therefore – out of fear to fall – rather crawling on Hands and Feet, in a childlike manner.
It appears that the translator who worked on the English translation, misunderstood Goeree. He mixed up what, according to Goeree, had the preference of pupils (i.e. dommeligheyt and sachtigheydt) and instead that they prefer vlackigheydt and kantigheydt. Goeree, on the other hand, stated that pupils were hesitant to produce vlackigheydt and kantigheydt and instead stick to dommeligheyt and sachtigheydt. For this reason, the corresponding translations are not provided here. [MO]
Conceptual field(s)
Quotation
{Hoemen de vlackheyt moet bekomen.} Daer-en-boven soo sal u dese manniere een seer goede wegh banen tot de vlackigheyt, en observatie van schoone dagen en eenparige groote schaduwen. Dese wort door de manniere van kantigheydt verkregen, soo wanneer datmen groote en generale donckerheden en lichten maeckt, sonder die door eenige andere dingen die daer in komen mochten, ofte door de snelligheyt te verbreecken, en te bederven; (…) en dit moetmen generaelijck soo in Naeckten, Kleedingen als andere Lichamen observeeren, die sonder daer op acht te geven lichtelijck konnen bedorven worden.
[suggested translation, Marije Osnabrugge:] {How to achieve flatness.} In addition this manner will lead you the way towards the flatness, and the observation of beautiful lights and evenly large shadows. These are obtained through the manner of angularity, when one makes large and general darkness and lights, without interrupting or spoiling it by any other things that may occur in it or by the quickness [ndr: problematic translation]; (…) and this should generally be observed both in the Nudes, Drapery and other bodies, which could easily be spoiled if one fails to pay attention to it.