LINE. A term used in the Fine Arts, by ex tension of its original meaning. as with drawing. The use of line in representation of visual nhjects in general is discussed under DRAWING and PERSPECTIVE; this article will con fine itself to its use in painting. Line is of equal importance with color in a picture. the greatest colorists eei the past. like Titian and Tintoretto, having also been good draughtsmen. In fact. the character of a picture is often determined by the prevailing character of its lines. which is gen•r ally indicative of a particular sentiment. of which it forms the expression. (See ComPost rtox.) it is impossible to discuss here the studio maxims and rules of drawing. There is, of course. Snell a thing as an abstract beauty of line. Curves strike us as being more beautiful than unvarying straight lines. and compound and reversed curves than simple ones. In like man ner we feel that lines could continue each other smoothly, as in the human fignre. But the fol lowing of east-iron maxims would restrict the artist in practice, and destroy for the :ma tour the enjoyment of many of the most beautiful works of art.
As regards line in a picture there are two distinct points of view: the classical, or academic, and the picturesque, or naturalistic. The former sees in line the chief, almost the only merit of a picture, relegating color to a position entirely subordinate. Its chief subject is the human figure. and it attempts by eliciting many individ ual perceptions to reach the ideal. The pictur esque, on the other hand, endeavors to give the soft outlines of nature, and is concerned rather with the general effect than with details. Its
chief purpose is to give the character of objects, the appearance of life, and to do this it empha sizes salient points to the neglect of details. The character of drawing used in the portrayal of an obje•t—whether classical or picturesque—is de termined by the nature of the object, the purpose of the artist, and, above all. by his individuality.
Among ancient peoples the Greeks were very accurate draughtsmen, this being the only re spect in which their painting equaled that of modern times. Among the Italians the Floren tines, from Giotto to Michelangelo, were pre eminent in line. though it was also the forte of the Paduan school (Mantegna). and the Um brians produced, under Florentine influence, mas ters like Signorelli and Raphael. The Flemings of the fifteenth century (Van Eych. Memling), and the Germans of the sixteenth (Diirer.
Hnltwin) also excelled in line. The Venetians were colorists rather than draughtsmen, as were also the Spaniards (Vet:is/Inez) and the Netherland ers (Ruliens, Rembrandt). Classical drawing was carried to the most logical extreme by David and his followers in France. the picturesque view being represented by Delacroix and the Roman ticists, whose successors in this respect. the Im pressionists, almost deny the existenee of line. Most artists of the present day, however, com bine both points of view in their practice. Con sult the authorities referred to under COMPOSI TION.