Page:The painters of Florence from the thirteenth to the sixteenth century (1915).djvu/80

58 of the landscape and arrangement of trees and rocks, as well as the rudiments of perspective to be observed in drawing buildings. Fresco-painting he calls delightful and charming work, but on the whole he himself prefers tempera, which is, after all, "the proper employment of a gentleman, who, with velvet on his back, may spend what he pleases." The student is advised always to choose the best and most famous master, and remain with him, remembering that Taddeo was the great Giotto's disciple during twenty-four years, and that this is a far better way of attaining to excellence than to be constantly wandering from one teacher to another. Another piece of solid advice which Cennino gives the beginner, is the importance of using fine gold and the best colours, especially in painting figures of Our Lady. "If you say that you are poor and cannot afford the expense, remember that the fame you will gain by good work will bring you two ducats where others will only receive one, according to the old proverb: 'Good work, good pay;' and whenever you are not well paid, God and Our Lady will reward you, both in soul and body.' The writer is never tired of dwelling on the high seriousness of Art, on the solitude, abstinence, and absolute devotion which this calling demands. The young painter must regulate his way of living as carefully as the student of theology or philosophy; he must take little wine, eat and drink temperately, and avoid the company of women, which is apt to render the hand unsteady. Above all, he must bear in mind the distinctly religious side of his work, and begin by invoking the most Holy Trinity and glorious Virgin Mary before he prepares