Robert Rosenblum

The Origin of Painting: A Problem in the Iconography of Romantic Classicism

IN both Occidental and Oriental cultures, one of the oldest and most pervasive legends of the origin of painting involves the observation of a shadow and the tracing of its outline.1 Pliny the Elder, in his Natural History, mentions just such a legend, claiming that while authorities are not in exact accord about the beginnings of the art of painting, they all at least agree that it began with the outlining of a mans shadow;2 and Quintilian, too, tells us how painting in its most primitive phase was restricted to tracing a line round a shadow thrown in the sunlight.3 Thanks to the study of such classical writers, this legend was persistently referred to throughout the Renaissance. Thus, Albertis Delia pittura cites Quintilians remarks;4 Leonardos Trattato alludes to the same legendary origin;5 and Vasaris Proemio delle Vite refers to Plinys account of the outlined shadow.6

Transformations in Late Eighteenth Century Art

The importance of the late 18th century in the genesis of modern art emerges in these four essays on various aspects of the art and architecture of a neglected period.