. Leonardo da Vinci, artist, thinker and man of science. Drapery; v., OnLight and Shadow; vi.,On Trees and Verdure ;vii., On Clouds ; the Horizon. The major part ofBook i is devoted to acomparison of paintingwith poetry ... Sicutpictura poesis . . Painting is poetrywhich one can see, butcannot hear ; poetry ispainting which one canhear, but cannot see. A picture is a mutepoem, and a poem a blindpicture (c. 20, 2i).2 But Leonardo pushes his comparison too far 1 There is, unhappily, no French translation in which artists and amateurs might notethe numerous and important additions to the
. Leonardo da Vinci, artist, thinker and man of science. Drapery; v., OnLight and Shadow; vi.,On Trees and Verdure ;vii., On Clouds ; the Horizon. The major part ofBook i is devoted to acomparison of paintingwith poetry ... Sicutpictura poesis . . Painting is poetrywhich one can see, butcannot hear ; poetry ispainting which one canhear, but cannot see. A picture is a mutepoem, and a poem a blindpicture (c. 20, 2i).2 But Leonardo pushes his comparison too far 1 There is, unhappily, no French translation in which artists and amateurs might notethe numerous and important additions to the Trattato contained in the autographs andin the Vatican codex. In France we have still perforce to content ourselves with Gaultde Saint-Germains very incomplete version. This reproach, is, I am glad to hear, m theway of being shortly removed by M. Rouveyre, who has done so much for students ofLeonardo. - In Lodovico Dolces Aretino, Pietro Aretino reminds us that certain men of talenthave called the painter a mute poet, and the poet a talking ENGRAVING OF INTERLACED ORNAMENT, INSCRIBED ACADEMIALETNAKDl VINCI. (The Arabrosiana, Milan.) THE TREATISE ON PAINTING 233 when he declares that poetry is supremely suitable for the deaf!(cap. 28). The arguments used by Leonardo in favour of painting offer acertain analogy with those set forth about the same time by BaldassareCastiglione, in the Cortegiano. I mean that occasionally they have asomewhat prosaic quality, rather than one of high philosophical specu-lation. Hear what hesays on the question ofvisual illusion. I haveseen a portrait so likethat the favourite dogof the original tookit for his master anddisplayed every signof delight ; I havealso seen dogs barkat painted dogs and tryto bite them ; and amonkey make all sortsof faces at portraits ofhis own kind ; I haveseen swallows on thewing attempt to settleon iron bars paintedacross the painted win-dows of painted houses (cap. 14). In another section(13) Leonardo brings o
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