Invention

A figure sits in a natural landscape with a celestial globe at her side. She is an allegorical figure, to represent Invention, or Genius as one of the four elements of art. The wings on her head and her raised arm suggest the elevation of intellect, which is required for invention. A rocky landscape with mountains in the background represents nature, which was considered the first invention.

This painting is one of four by Kauffman, each representing one of the four ‘Elements of Art’ – Invention, Composition, Design and Colour. These four elements were laid out by fellow artist Joshua Reynolds in his Discourses on Art, given in lectures at the Royal Academy and later published in 1788. The paintings were commissioned by the RA to be displayed in the ceiling of the new Council Chamber.

In Invention (as well as Composition) the figures are engaged in reflection, whereas in Design and Colour they’re engaged in creation. When displayed in the ceiling, the paintings are paired: one practical and one theoretical at each side of the room.

Kauffman created strong female bodies in her work, inspired by examples from the Italian Renaissance. Artists and viewers of art in the 18th century would have been well versed in the many symbols she used. For example, the 16th-century art historian Caesar Ripa wrote a comprehensive and well-read book of symbols used in art (titled Iconologia), in which Invention is described as a young woman dressed in white, since Invention is pure. She has two wings from her head and a raised arm showing the elevation of intellect. Kauffman’s painting fits this allegory. It is interesting to note that although tradition may have made some of the symbolic figures male, Kauffman created all female figures.