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 man's 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, Alberti's Delia pittura cites Quintilian's remarks;4 Leonardo's Trattato alludes to the same legendary origin;5 and Vasari's Proemio delle Vite refers to Pliny's account of the outlined shadow.6