e. The
correct observation of these tone values is a most important matter, and
one of no little difficulty.

The word tone is used in two senses, in the first place when referring
to the individual masses as to their relations in the scale of "tone
values"; and secondly when referring to the musical relationship of
these values to a oneness of tone idea governing the whole impression.
In very much the same way you might refer to a single note in music as a
tone, and also to the tone of the whole orchestra. The word values
always refers to the relationship of the individual masses or tones in
our imagined scale from black to white. We say a picture is out of value
or out of tone when some of the values are darker or lighter than our
sense of harmony feels they should be, in the same way as we should say
an instrument in an orchestra was out of tone or tune when it was higher
or lower than our sense of harmony allowed. Tone is so intimately
associated with the colour of a picture that it is a little difficult to
treat of it apart, and it is often used in a sense to include colour in
speaking of the general tone. We say it has a warm tone or a cold tone.

There is a particular rhythmic beauty about a well-ordered arrangement
of tone values that is a very important part of pictorial design. This
music of tone has been present in art in a rudimentary way since the
earliest time, but has recently received a much greater amount of
attention, and much new light on the subject has been given by the
impressionist movement and the study of the art of China and Japan,
which is nearly always very beautiful in this respect.

#This quality of tone music is most dominant when the masses are large
and simple#, when the contemplation of them is not disturbed by much
variety, and they have little variation of texture and gradation. A
slight mist will often improve the tone of a landscape for this reason.
It simplifies the tones, masses them together, obliterating many smaller
varieties. I have even heard of the tone of a picture being improved
by such a mist scrambled or glazed over it.

[Illustration: Plate XLIII.

MONTE SOLARO CAPRI

Study on brown paper in charcoal and white chalk.]

The powder on a lady's face, when not over-done, is an improvement for
the same reason. It simplifies the tones by destroying the distressing
shining lights that were cutting up the masses; and it also destroys a
large amount of half tone, broaden