PASSIONS, in painting, are the external expressions
of the different dispositions and affections of the mind;
but particularly their different effects upon the several
features of the face: for though the arms, and indeed
every part of the body*, serve likewise, by their quick,
languid, and variously diversified motions, to express
the passions of the soul; yet, in paintings, this difference 37.
Passions. is most conspicuous in the face. See PAINTING, p. 620. and DRAWING, § 8.
As we have given engravings of Le Brun's drawings of the passions, we shall here subjoin the account which he has given of each of these heads. See Plates CCCLXXVIII and CCCLXXIX.
1. The effects of attention are, to make the eye-brows sink and approach the sides of the nose; to turn the eye-balls toward the object that causes it; to open the mouth, and especially the upper part; to decline the head a little, and fix it without any other remarkable alteration.
2. Admiration causes but little agitation in the mind, and therefore alters but very little the parts of the face; nevertheless the eye-brow rises; the eye opens a little more than ordinary; the eye-ball placed equally between the eye-lids appears fixed on the object; the mouth half opens, and makes no sensible alteration in the cheeks.
3. The motions that accompany admiration with astonishment are hardly different from those of simple admiration, only they are more lively and stronger marked; the eye-brows more elevated; the eyes more open; the eye-ball further from the lower eye-lid, and more steadily fixed: The mouth is more open, and all the parts in a much stronger emotion.
4. Admiration begets esteem, and this produces veneration, which, when it has for its object something divine or beyond our comprehension, makes the face decline, and the eye-brows bend down; the eyes are almost shut and fixed; the mouth is shut. These motions are gentle, and produce but little alterations in the other parts.
5. Although rapture has the same object as veneration, only considered in a different manner, its motions are not the same; the head inclines to the left side; the eye-balls and eye-brows rise directly up; the mouth half opens, and the two corners are also a little turned up: the other parts remain in their natural state.
6. The passion of desire brings the eye-brows close together and forwards toward the eyes, which are more open than ordinary; the eye-ball is inflamed, and places itself in the middle of the eye; the nostrils rise up, and are contracted towards the eyes; the mouth half opens, and the spirits being in motion give a lively glowing colour.
7. Very little alteration is remarked in the face of those that feel within themselves the sweetness of joy, or joy with tranquillity. The forehead is serene; the eye-brow without motion, elevated in the middle; the eye pretty open and with a laughing air; the eye-ball lively and shining; the corners of the mouth turn up a little; the complexion is lively; the cheeks and lips are red.
8. Laughter, which is produced by joy mixed with surprise, makes the eye-brows rise towards the middle of the eye, and bend towards the sides of the nose; the eyes are almost shut, and sometimes appear wet, or shed tears, which make no alteration in the face; the mouth half open, shows the teeth; the corners of the mouth drawn back, cause a wrinkle in the cheeks, which appear so swelled as to hide the eyes in some
measure; the nostrils are open, and all the face is of a red colour. Passions.
9. Acute pain makes the eye-brows approach one another, and rise towards the middle; the eye-ball is hid under the eye-brows; the nostrils rise and make a wrinkle in the cheeks; the mouth half opens and draws back: all the parts of the face are agitated in proportion to the violence of the pain.
10. Simple bodily pain produces proportionally the same motions as the last, but not so strong: The eye-brows do not approach and rise so much; the eye-ball appears fixed on some object; the nostrils rise, but the wrinkles in the cheeks are less perceptible; the lips are further asunder towards the middle, and the mouth is half open.
11. The dejection that is produced by sadness makes the eye-brows rise towards the middle of the forehead more than towards the cheeks; the eye-ball appears full of perturbation; the white of the eye is yellow; the eye-lids are drawn down, and a little swelled; all about the eyes is livid; the nostrils are drawn downward; the mouth is half open, and the corners are drawn down; the head carelessly leaning on one of the shoulders: the face is of a lead colour; the lips pale.
12. The alterations that weeping occasions are strongly marked: The eye-brows sink down towards the middle of the forehead; the eyes are almost closed, wet, and drawn down towards the cheeks; the nostrils swelled; the muscles and veins of the forehead appear; the mouth is shut, and the sides of it are drawn down, making wrinkles on the cheeks; the under lip pushed out, presses the upper one: all the face is wrinkled and contracted; its colour is red, especially about the eye-brows, the eyes, the nose, and the cheeks.
13. The lively attention to the misfortunes of another, which is called compassion, causes the eye-brows, to sink towards the middle of the forehead; the eye-ball to be fixed upon the object; the sides of the nostrils next the nose to be a little elevated, making wrinkles in the cheeks; the mouth to be open; the upper lip to be lifted up and thrust forwards; the muscles and all the parts of the face sinking down and turning towards the object which excites the passion.
14. The motions of scorn are lively and strong: The forehead is wrinkled; the eye-brow is knit; the side of it next the nose sinks down, and the other side rises very much; the eye is very open, and the eye-ball is in the middle; the nostrils rise, and draw towards the eyes, and make wrinkles in the cheeks; the mouth shuts, its sides sinking down, and the under-lip is pushed out beyond the upper one.
15. An object despised sometimes causes horror, and then the eye-brow knits, and sinks a great deal more. The eye-ball, placed at the bottom of the eye, is half covered by the lower eye-lid; the mouth is half open, but closer in the middle than the sides, which being drawn back, makes wrinkles in the cheeks; the face grows pale, and the eyes become livid; the muscles and the veins are marked.
16. The violence of terror or fright alters all the parts of the face; the eye-brow rises in the middle;
its muscles are marked, swelled, pressed one against the other, and sunk towards the nose, which draws up as well as the nostrils; the eyes are very open; the upper eye-lid is hid under the eye-brow; the white of the eye is encompassed with red; the eye-ball fixes toward the lower part of the eye; the lower part of the eye-lid swells and becomes livid; the muscles of the nose and cheeks swell, and these last terminate in a point toward the sides of the nostrils; the mouth is very open, and its corners very apparent; the muscles and veins of the neck stretched; the hair stands on end; the colour of the face, that is, the end of the nose, the lips, the ears, and round the eyes, is pale and livid; and all ought to be strongly marked.
17. The effects of anger show its nature. The eyes become red and inflamed; the eye-ball is staring and sparkling; the eye-brows are sometimes elevated and sometimes sunk down equally; the forehead is very much wrinkled, with wrinkles between the eyes; the nostrils are open and enlarged; the lips pressing against one another, the under one rising over the upper one leaves the corners of the mouth a little open, making a cruel and disdainful grin.
18. Haired or jealousy wrinkles the forehead; the eye-brows are sunk down and knit; the eye-ball is half hid under the eye-brows, which turn towards the object; it should appear full of fire, as well as the white of the eye and the eye-lid; the nostrils are pale, open, more marked than ordinary, and drawn backward so as to make wrinkles in the cheeks; the mouth is so shut as to show the teeth are closed; the corners of the mouth are drawn back and very much sunk; the muscles of the jaw appear sunk; the colour of the face is partly inflamed and partly yellowish; the lips pale or livid.
19. As despair is extreme, its motions are so likewise; the forehead wrinkles from the top to the bottom; the eye-brows bend down over the eyes, and press one another on the sides of the nose; the eye seems to be on fire, and full of blood; the eye-ball is disturbed, hid under the eye-brow, sparkling and unfixed; the eye-lid is swelled and livid; the nostrils are large, open, and lifted up; the end of the nose sinks down; the muscles, tendons, and veins are swelled and stretched; the upper part of the cheeks is large, marked, and narrow towards the jaw; the mouth drawn backwards is more open at the sides than in the middle; the lower lip is large and turned out; they gnash their teeth; they foam; they bite their lips, which are pale; as is the rest of the face; the hair is strait and stands on end.
Passion-Flower. See PASSIFLORA.
Passion-Week, the week immediately preceding the festival of Easter; so called, because in that week our Saviour's passion and death happened. The Thursday of this week is called Munday Thursday; the Friday, Good-Friday; and the Saturday, the Great Sabbath.