The Moment in Eighteenth-Century Art Criticism

The Moment in Eighteenth-Century Art Criticism FRANCIS H. DOWLEYbaZYXWVUTSRQPONMLKJIHGFEDCBA T h e d o c trin e o f ut pictura poesis, re e sta b lish e d a n d w id e ly a c c e p te d d u rin g th e R e n a issa n c e , c o n tin u e d to h av e a p rev ailin g in flu e n c e in th e se v e n te e n th c e n tu ry , a n d w e fin d p o e ts lik e G io v a n n i B a ttista M a rin o a sse rtin g th a t th e re is n o d iffe re n c e b e tw e e n p o e try a n d p a in tin g e x c e p t th a t o n e im ita te s w ith w o rd s a n d th e o th e r w ith c o lo rs.1 L ik ew ise, th e p a in te r a n d c o m m e n ­ ta to r C h a rle s A lp h o n se D u fre sn o y , in De Arte Graphica o f 1 6 7 3 , d e c la re d th e tw o siste r a rts to b e so clo se as to b e in te rc h a n g e ­ a b le .2 A c c e p ta n c e o f th is th e o ry w as n o t o f c o u rse u n iv ersal, sin ce C a ste lv e tro fo r o n e h a d g iv en m o re w e ig h t to th e d iffe re n c e s th a n to th e sim ila ritie s b e tw e e n th e a rts.3 In th e se v e n te e n th c e n tu ry , h o w e v e r, c o m m e n ta to rs e a rlie r th a n D u fre sn o y h a d sh ifte d a tte n ­ tio n to a k in d o f d issim ilia rity th a t h a d n o t b e e n p re v io u sly m u c h in fo c u s, n a m e ly , th e lim ita tio n s o f ut pictura poesis th a t b e c a m e e v id e n t w h e n te ste d in re la tio n to tim e a n d te m p o ra l su ccessio n . In 1 6 3 7 F ra n c isc u s Ju n iu s stre sse d in h is De pictura veterum a fu n d a m e n ta l d ic h o to m y b e tw e e n p o e try a n d p a in tin g , b y c o n tra st­ in g th e p o e t o r h isto ria n w h o c a n re a d ily fo llo w th e o rd e r o f tim e fro m th e o rig in s o f a n a rra tiv e c o n tin u o u sly to its c o n c lu sio n , w ith 3 1 7 318 / ihgfedcbaZYXWVUTSRQPONMLKJIHGFEDCBA FRANCIS H.DOWLEYbaZYXWVUTSRQPONMLKJIHGFEDCBA th e p a in te r w h o m u st seize its m o st c ru c ia l p o...