Old Cumbria Gazetteer |
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 hills, Cumbria |
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| hills, Cumbria: Gilpin 1786 | ||
| evidence:- | old text:- Gilpin 1786 |
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| source data:- | Print, engraving, shapes of mountains, by William Gilpin,
1772-74, published by T Cadell and W Davies, Strand, London,
1808. goto source vol.1 p.81 "..." "With regard to mountains, it may be first premised, that, in a picturesque view, we consider them only as distant objects; their enor-" goto sourcevol.1 p.82 "[enor]mous size disqualifying them for objects at hand. In the removed part of a picture therefore, the mountain properly appears; where it's immensity, reduced by distance, can be taken in by the eye; and it's monstrous features, losing their deformity, assume a softness which naturally belongs not to them." "I would not however be understood to mean, that a mountain is proper only to close an extended view. It may take it's station in a second, or third distance with equal propriety. And even on a fore-ground, a rugged corner of it's base may be introduced; tho it's upper regions aspire far beyond the limits of any picture." "Having thus premised the station, which a mountain properly occupies in landscape, we shall now examine the mountain itself; in which, four things particularly strike us - it's line - the objects, which adorn it's surface - it's tints - and it's light and shade." "The beauty of a distant mountain in a great measure, depends on the line it traces along" goto sourcevol.1 opposite p.83  click to enlargeGLP303.jpg caption from the list of plates "PAGE 83." "An explanation of the shapes and lines of mountains. They are left unshadowed, that their forms may be more conspicuous." goto sourcevol.1 p.83 "the sky; which is generally of a lighter hue. The pyramidal shape, and easy flow of an irregular line, will be found in the mountain, as in other delineations, the truest source of beauty." "Mountains therefore rising in regular, mathematical lines, or in whimsical grotesque shapes, are displeasing. Thus Burnswark, a mountain on the southern border of Scotland; Thorp-Cloud, near Dovedale in Derbyshire, especially when seen from the garden at Ilam; and a mountain in Cumberland, which from it's peculiar appearance in some situations, takes the name of Saddle-back, all form disagreeable lines. And thus many of the pointed summits of the Alps are objects rather of singularity, than of beauty. Such forms also as suggest the idea of lumpish heaviness are disgusting - round, swelling forms, without any break to disincumber them of their weight." "Indeed a continuity of line without a break, whether it be concave, straight, or convex, will always displease, because it wants variety; unless indeed it be well contrasted with other forms. The effect also of a broken line is bad, if the breaks are regular." goto sourcevol.1 p.84 "The sources of deformity in the mountain-line will easily suggest those of beauty. If the line swells easily to an apex, and yet by irregular breaks, which may be varied in a thousand modes, it must be pleasing." "And yet abruptness itself is sometimes a source of beauty, either when it is in contrast with other parts of the line; or when rocks, or other objects, account naturally for it." "The same principles, on which we seek for beauty in single mountains, will help us to find it in a combination of them. Mountains in composition are considered as single objects, and follow the same rules. If they break into mathematical, or fantastic forms, - if they join heavily together in lumpish shapes - if they fall into each other at right-angles - or of their lines run parallel - in all these cases, the combination will be more or less disgusting: and a converse of these will of course be agreeable." "Having drawn the lines, which the mountains should form, let us next fill them up, and vary them with tints." goto sourcevol.1 p.85 "The objects. which cover the surface of mountains, are wood, rocks, broken ground, heath, and mosses of various hues." "Ovid has very ingeniously given us the furniture of a mountain in the transformation of Atlas." "----- Jam barba, comaeque In sylvas abeunt; juga sunt humerique, manusque: Quod caput ante fuit, summo est in monte cacumen: Ossa lapis sunt. -----" "His hair and beard become trees, and other vegetable substance; his bones, rocks; and his head, and shoulders, summits, and promontories.- But to describe minutely the parts of a distant object (for we are considering a mountain in this light) would be to invert the rules of perspective, by making that distinct, which should be obscure. I shall consider therefore all that variety, which covers the surface of distant mountains, as blended together in one mass; and made the stratum of those tints, which we often find playing upon them." "These tints, which are the most beautiful ornaments of the mountains, are of all colours; but the most prevalent are yellow, and purple. We can hardly consider blue as a mountain-tint. It is the mere colour of the intervening" goto sourcevol.1 p.86 "air - the hue, which naturally invests all distant objects, as well as mountains. The late Dr. Brown, author of the Estimate, in a description, which he printed, of the lake of Keswick, very justly calls these tints the yellow streams of light, the purple hues, and misty azure of the mountains. They are rarely permanent; but seem to be a sort of floating, silky colours - always in motion - always in harmony - and playing with a thousand changeable varieties into each other. They are literally colours dipped in heaven." "The variety of these tints depends on may circumstances - the season of the year - the hour of the day - a dry, or a moist atmosphere. The lines and shapes of mountains (features strongly marked) are easily caught and retained: but these meteor-forms, this rich fluctuation of airy hues, offer such a profusion of variegated splendour, that they are continually illuding the eye with breaking into each other; and are lost, as it endeavours to retain them. This airy colouring, tho in sunshine it appears most brilliant; yet in some degree it is generally found in those mountains, where it prevails." "In the late voyages round the world, published by Dr. Hawksworth, we have an account" goto sourcevol.1 p.87 "of the great beauty of the colouring observed on the peak of Teneriffe. "It's appearance at sun-set, says the author, was very striking. When the sun was below the horizon, and the rest of the island appeared of a deep black; the mountain still reflected his rays, and glowed with a warmth of colouring, which no painting can express."" "The rays of the sun, which are the cause of all colour, no doubt, produce these tints to the eye; yet we must believe there is something peculiar in the surfaces of some mountains, which dispose them to reflect the rays with such variety of tints. On many mountains these appearances are not observable; and where the surface is uniform, the tint will be so likewise. "The effect in question, says Mr. Lock, remarking on this passage, is very familiar to me. I saw it almost every evening in Savoy, when the sun shone. It is only on the tops of the highest mountains, that the effect is perfect. Mount Blanc being covered with the purest snow, and having no tint of it's own, was often of the brightest rose-colour."" "Having thus given the mountain a line; filled it with objects; and spread over it a beau-" goto sourcevol.1 p.88 "[beau]tiful assemblage of tints; it remains lastly to throw the whole into light and shade.- He who would study light and shade, must repair to the mountains. There he will see their most magnificent effects." "In every object we observe a double effect of illumination, that of the parts, and that of the whole. In a building the cornices, the pilasters, and other ornaments, are set of, in the language of art, with light and shade. Over this partial effect are spread general masses. It is thus in mountains." "Homer, who had a genius as picturesque as Virgil, (tho he seems to have known little of the art of painting) was struck with two things in his views of mountains - with those cavities and projections, which abound upon their surfaces - and with what he calls their shadowing forms. Of the former, he takes notice, when he speaks of a single mountain; of the latter, when he speaks of mountains in combination *. Now it is plain, that in both these" "[1.87.*] Under the first idea he speaks of Mount Olympus, which he calls goto sourcevol.1 p.89 "cases he was pleased with the effect of light and shade. In one the partial effect is marked: in the other, the general." "The cavities which he observed, and which are seen only from their being deep recesses of shade, together with the rocks, and little projections, which are visible only from catching a stronger ray of light, contribute to produce the partial effect - that richness, and variety on the sides of distant mountains, which would otherwise be a display of flat, fatiguing surface. The objects themselves are formless, and indistinct; yet, by presenting different surfaces for the light to rest on, the rich and variegated effect,here mentioned, is produced." "The grand masses are formed by one mountain's over-shadowing another - by the sun's turning round some promontory - or by the transverse position of mountains; in all which cases the shadow falls broad and deep - sweeps over all the smaller shades, to which it still" goto sourcevol.1 p.90 "gives a deeper tinge; and unites the whole in one great effect." "It is an agreeable amusement to attend these vast shadows in their slow, and solemn march over the mountains - to observe, how the morning sun sheds only a faint catching light upon the summits of the hills, through one general mass of hazy shade - in a few hours how all this confusion is dissipated - how the lights and shades begin to break, and separate, and take their form and breadth - how deep and determined the shadows are at noon - how fugitive and uncertain, as the sun declines; till it's fires, glowing in the west, light up a new radiance through the landscape; and spread over it, instead of sober light and shade, all the colours of nature, in one bright, momentary gleam." "It is equally amusing to observe the various shapes, which mountains assume through all this variety of illumination; rocks, knolls, and promontories, taking new forms; appearing, and disappearing, as the sun veers round;" goto sourcevol.1 p.91 "whose radiance. like varnish on a picture, (if I may use a degrading comparison,) brings out a thousand objects unobserved before." "To these more permanent effects of illumination may be added another species, which arises from accident - I mean those partial, flitting shades, which are occasioned by floating clouds. These may sometimes produce a good effect; but they contribute as often to disturb the repose of a landscape. To painters however they are of great use, who are frequently obliged, but an untoward subject, to take advantage of every probability to produce an effect." item:- Armitt Library : A918.3 Image © see bottom of page |
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