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LDE ENGL1721


A Treatise on Painting, by Leonardo da Vinci
1721
Senex and Taylor, London


Chapter

LDE T0047   CID1  The first Thing to be learned by a Novice in Painting

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Whoever would apply himself to Painting, must, in the first Place, learn Perspective: This will enable him to dispose Things in their proper Places, and to give the ue Dimensions to each: Having done this he must learn to* Design; choosing for that Purpose some able Master, who, at the same time, may give him an Insight into the†Contours of Figures: He ought then to consult Nature, to confirm himself in what he has already learnt; and, Lastly, Let him apply himself to the Study and Imitation of the Greatest Masters, in order to get a habit of reducing what he has learnt into Practice.

To Draw.

† The Out-lines describing any Body: The French say, contourner une Figure.