Google, i libri, la pittura e il disegno: un tuffo nel passato

Recentemente mi è venuta la curiosità di guardare cosa custodisse Google Libri in materia di manuali di disegno, illustrazione, pittura. Voglio condividere con voi il frutto delle mie ricerche; qui sotto trovate un elenco dei libri più interessanti che ho trovato (tutti a visualizzazione completa). Insieme al titolo, all’autore e al link in Google Libri, ho riportato un brano estratto da ognuno di questi volumi.

Forse qualcuno obietterà che è inutile perdere tempo dietro queste anticaglie, quando al giorno d’oggi possiamo disporre di tanti manuali moderni, completi, aggiornati. Non ha tutti i torti, in effetti.

Tuttavia trovo che queste pagine, che Google ci permette di vedere nella loro veste tipografica originale, abbiano un fascino ed un’attrativa molto forte anche per il lettore moderno. Questi bei libri antichi, spesso corredati da splendide stampe e tavole illustrate, affascinano ed emozionano sia per l’aspetto estetico, sia per l’eterogeneità di riflessioni e considerazioni che vi si possono trovare in materia di arte, gusto, esecuzione, pedagogia e, a volte, anche politica.

Si va da opere di grande pregio, come i trattati di Leonardo da Vinci e Leon Battista Alberti, ai libri di disegno pensati per i giovani e le signorine di buona famiglia. Dietro ai precetti che gli autori si sforzano di trasmettere, si intravede il legame con il loro tempo, il gusto di un’epoca. Ma certi insegnamenti sono, e saranno sempre, di valore universale.

1. Trattato della pittura
   Autore: Leonardo da Vinci
   —> Vedi in  Google Libri
   “Ci basterà solo qui notare che il gran dipintore Annibale Caracci dir solea che, se in sua gioventù letti avesse que precetti che l’aureo libro di Lionardo contiene, risparmiati avrebbesi venti anni di lavoro; e ‘lgiudizioso ed elegante Algarotti non proponeva allo studioso di pittura altro libro elementare che quello del Vinci”.
2. Della pittura e della statua
   Autore: Leonbatista Alberti
   —> Vedi in  Google Libri
   “Bisogna adunque quanto alla grandezza tenere una certa regola nel misurare, la quale giova molto nel dipignere gli animali; andar la prima cosa esaminando con l’ingegno quali sieno l’ossa che essi hanno, imperocchè queste, perchè elle non si piegano, occupano sempre una sede e luogo certo; dipoi bisogna porre a luoghi proprj i nervi, ed i muscoli loro, ed ultimamente vestire di carne e di pelle le ossa ed i muscoli”.
3. La teorica della pittura: ovvero, trattato delle materie più necessarie, per apprendere con fondamento quest’ arte.
   Autore: Antonio Franchi Lucchese
   —> Vedi in  Google Libri
   “Ho veduto un altro quadro in cui, essendovi fatture di due Pittori, le fatture di uno erano col lume preso totalmente in faccia, e quelle dell’altro erano col lume preso assai per fianco. Ora il bello accordo che facevano insieme gli oggetti di questo quadro, illuminati parte in faccia e parte per fianco, può imaginarselo anche ogni mediocre intendente”.
4. De’ veri precetti della pittura, con note di S. Ticozzi
   Autore: Giovanni Battista Armenini
   —> Vedi in  Google Libri
   “E perciò messisi i giovani appena alle onorate fatiche di queste arti, si sentono in breve essere molestati intorno da mille sproni, col gridarli, che essi dovrebbero far guadagni al minuto, e proporli innanzi che far dovessero ogni vil cosa, purchè di quelle si pigliassero i danari, arguendoli ancora, che il far disegni, piante e modelli non siano se non cose da fanciulli e di niun prezzo”.
5. L’arte della pittura
   Autori: Charles-Alphonse Dufresnoy, Giuseppe Monti Roisecco
   —> Vedi in  Google Libri
   “Le cose che fono molto lontane benché in gran numero, come farebbono le foglie degl’ alberi e le onde del mare, devono fare una sola massa”.
6. Precetti elementari sulla pittura de’ paesi
   Autore: Marianna Dionigi
   —> Vedi in  Google Libri
   “Le ombre della mattina sono nette e leggere, quando però l’atmosfera non sia ingombrata da molti vapori; nell’avanzare del giorno divengono più oscure, ma vi si distinguono meglio le parti. Verso il tramontar del Sole, tornando a calare i vapori medesimi, esse si veggono più alterate e più gravi. Essendo l’aria serena le suddette ombre non possono rappresentarsi molto oscure perchè prive di contrapposto”.
7. The Art of Drawing in Perspective
   —> Vedi in  Google Libri
   “All the flowers should be tenderly touched in the light parts; just to give a little glare to the light parts of the colour you would give to the flower leaves and if you paint from a natural flower you will presently see that you must lay on the most hady part such a colour as will force the left to appear forward however you are not to daub over the shades with too heavy a colour; let it rather be such if possible as may be transparent and mix that into the lightcolour that was laid on before. The pencil upon this occafion mull be used lightly with very little gum water in it, and before the colours are quite dry”.
8. The Young Ladies’ Assistant in Drawing and Painting
   Autore: Maria Turner
   —> Vedi in  Google Libri
   “When you paint a portrait choose an apartment with a northern aspect and darken the windows, except one which should give light only from the upper squares about five or six feet from the floor. The canvass which previously has been strained over a frame should then be put on an easel opposite to you and the person whose likeness is to be painted should be so placed that the light falls unobstructed on one side of the face”.
9. An introduction to perspective, dialogues between the author’s children. To which is added, a compendium of genuine instruction in the art of drawing and painting [entitled Letters on drawing and painting]
   Autore: Charles Hayter
   —> Vedi in  Google Libri
   “Decide on what is proper to be the subjects of your study from the most beautiful and interesting productions of Nature and Art, and acquire a certainty of hand by deliberate attention to the natural properties of each individual object; this will prevent that sort of conclusion which is the parent of manner. Let every thing have its own peculiarity that there may be no room for your’s and endeavour to make it appear that Nature made the picture. This will require all your powers fully disciplined, and be assured any hasty advance without them presents no better a figure to my imagination than a blind man running a race”.
10. Elements of Drawing: Exemplified in a Variety of Figures and Sketches of Parts of the Human Form
    Autore: Henry Williams
    —> Vedi in  Google Libri
    “The ancients bave commonly allowed eight heads to their figures, though some of them have but seven; but we ordinarily divide the figures into ten faces: that is to say from the crown of the head to the sole of the foot, in the following manner. From the crown of the head to the forehead is the third part of a face. The face begins at the root of the lowest hairs, which are upon the forehead and ends at the bottom of the chin.”
11. A Cource of Lectures on Drawing, Painting, and Engraving: Considered as Branches of Elegant Education. Delivered in the Saloon of the Royal Institution, in Successive Seasons, and Read Subsequently at the Russell Institution
    Autore: William Marshall
    —> Vedi in  Google Libri
    “The terrific which comes first in our order of division is perhaps the highest species of subject in our art, requiring the greatest degree of talent to insure success in attempting it. It must be drawn from the mind and in such instances the manual skill of the artist, though indispensable, is a matter of inferior consideration”.
12. A Familiar Treatise on Drawing, for Youth: Being an Elementary Introduction to the Fine Arts, Designed for the Instruction of Young Persons Whose Genius Leads Them to Study this Elegant and Useful Branch of Education
    Autori: Charles Taylor, R A Bartolozzi
    —> Vedi in  Google Libri
    “The subject to be copied should be placed at an easy distance from the eye, so that the whole may be taken in at a glance. Before it is commenced, accurately study it: if large and multifarious, notice the different proportions of the divisions into which you can arrange it; mark in your own mind the centre of the whole; from this trace imaginary lines to the corners the sides and from one object to another on which to calculate the relative dimensions and distances of prominent parts or objects”.
13. A Series of Easy Lessons in Landscape-drawing, Contained in Forty Plates, Arranged Progressively from the First Principles in the Chalk Manner to the Finished Landscape Colours
    Autore: Samuel Prout
    —> Vedi in  Google Libri
    “The following work begins with simple objects as best adapted to beginners, and it is required that each should be copied with exactness before they advance with the after Progressive Lessons.  It is an alphabet followed by words and from words to sentences,  it being precisely the same in its elements with language”.
14. An Essay on the Study of Nature in Drawing Landscape: With Illustrative Prints, Engraved by the Author.
    Autori: William Marshall Craig, William Bulmer
    —> Vedi in  Google Libri
    In drawing distant objects care must be taken that the hand be not guided by the mind rather than the eye, for the memory is ever too ready to supply what the eye cannot discern. The best general rule that can be given on this subject is that the same character of line which would be used to express the individual parts of an object when near will be proper in describing its masses when seen at a distance”.
15. The Camera; Or, Art of Drawing in Water Colours: With Instructions for Sketching Form Nature : Comprising the Whole Process of Water-coloured Drawing, Familiarly Exmplified in Drawing, Shadowing, and Tinting a Complete Landscape … and Directions for Compounding and Using Colours, Sepia, Indian …
    Autore: John Hassel
    —> Vedi in  Google Libri
    “Youth frequently doubt their abilities and it is often asserted by beginners “I cannot do such a thing I do not know how to set about it”. This diffidence may as easily be answered by begging the question “Have you ever made the attempt?” Then to convince you how possible it is to err and that unconsciously I will prove this a negative”.
16. The Artist’s Assistant: Or School of Science; Forming a Practical Introduction to the Polite Arts: in Painting, Drawing, Designing, Perspective, Engraving, Colouring, &c., with Ample Directions for Japanning, Enamelling, Gilding, Silvering, Lacquering, &c. and a Valuable Selection of …
    —> Vedi in  Google Libri
    “The properest method is to lightly sketch the whole shape of the hand or foot with its position or action and examine carefully that it is correct, rubbing out and altering it till it is so; when the bending of the muskles, the veins, joints and tendons may be drawn with much ease after the fhape and proportion is made perfect in size and attitude”.
17. A course of lectures on drawing, painting, and engraving
    Autore: William Marshall Craig
    —> Vedi in  Google Libri
    “Taste is a prompt and delicate susceptibility originally organic or acquired by continual experience to those appearances and demonstrations in nature and in art which may be calculated to afford gratification to the senses”.
18. Drawing for young children, by the author of ‘Arithmetic for young children’.
    Autore: Horace Grant
    —> Vedi in  Google Libri
    We have only to notice the delight shown by children looking over a book of pictures compared with that which they show in reading a book to be convinced how powerful an instrument of instruction drawing might be made.