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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d7b82bc --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,4 @@ +*.txt text eol=lf +*.htm text eol=lf +*.html text eol=lf +*.md text eol=lf diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6312041 --- /dev/null +++ b/LICENSE.txt @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements, +metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be +in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES. + +Procedures for determining public domain status are described in +the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org. + +No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in +jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize +this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright +status under the laws that apply to them. diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..aafabee --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #53477 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/53477) diff --git a/old/53477-0.txt b/old/53477-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index f089ae9..0000000 --- a/old/53477-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,2346 +0,0 @@ -Project Gutenberg's The Relation of Art to Nature, by John W. Beatty - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org/license - - -Title: The Relation of Art to Nature - -Author: John W. Beatty - -Release Date: November 8, 2016 [EBook #53477] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE RELATION OF ART TO NATURE *** - - - - -Produced by Chris Curnow, Craig Kirkwood, and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This -file was produced from images generously made available -by The Internet Archive.) - - - - - - -Text enclosed by underscores is in italics (_italics_). - -Sidenotes are identified as: [SN: text of sidenote]. - -Additional Transcriber’s Notes are at the end. - - * * * * * - -_The Relation of Art to Nature_ - - * * * * * - - - - -_THE RELATION OF ART TO NATURE_ - - - _by John W. Beatty_ - - _New York - William Edwin Rudge_ - 1922 - - * * * * * - - _Copyright, 1922 - by_ JOHN W. BEATTY - - * * * * * - - _To my gentle wife this little volume - is affectionately dedicated._ - - - - -_Contents_ - - - ARGUMENT _Page_ 1 - - THE ARTIST AND HIS PURPOSE 5 - - ANCIENT CONCEPTIONS OF ART 13 - - EVIDENCE OF PAINTERS AND SCULPTORS 19 - - OPINIONS OF PHILOSOPHERS AND WRITERS 48 - - SYMMETRY 57 - - CONCLUSION 67 - - - - -_Authorities Quoted_ - - - PAINTERS AND SCULPTORS - - Kuo Hsi 11th Century - - Leonardo da Vinci 1452-1519 - - Albrecht Dürer 1471-1528 - - Michelangelo Buonarotti 1475-1564 - - William Hogarth 1697-1764 - - Sir Joshua Reynolds 1723-1792 - - Gilbert Stuart 1755-1828 - - Sir Thomas Lawrence 1769-1830 - - John Constable 1776-1837 - - Jean-Baptiste Camille Corot 1796-1875 - - Jean François Millet 1814-1875 - - James Abbott McNeill Whistler 1834-1903 - - John La Farge 1835-1910 - - Winslow Homer 1836-1910 - - Anton Mauve 1838-1888 - - Auguste Rodin 1840-1915 - - Abbott Handerson Thayer 1849-1921 - - Henry Ward Ranger 1858-1916 - - Giovanni Segantini 1858-1899 - - WRITERS AND PHILOSOPHERS - - Socrates 470-399 B. C. - - Plato 427-347 B. C. - - Aristotle 384-322 B. C. - - Baron Gottfried Wilhelm von Leibnitz 1646-1716 - - Alexander Gottlieb Baumgarten 1714-1762 - - Immanuel Kant 1724-1804 - - Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel 1770-1831 - - Arthur Schopenhauer 1788-1860 - - John Stuart Blackie 1809-1895 - - James Anthony Froude 1818-1894 - - Jean Henri Fabre 1823-1915 - - Hippolyte Adolphe Taine 1828-1893 - - William Angus Knight 1836-1916 - - Lord James Bryce 1838-1922 - - Lafcadio Hearn 1850-1904 - - Maurice Maeterlinck 1862- - - Sei-ichi Taki - - - - -_Introduction_ - - -_In his very convincing and lucid treatise on the fundamental -principles of art, John W. Beatty gives us a most absorbing theme to -follow--the relation of art to nature, as expressed in their own words -by artists themselves, of different times and creeds; with, too, the -opinions of philosophers and men of letters._ - -_Himself a well-known painter, Mr. Beatty has been for almost thirty -years the enlightened Director of Fine Arts of the Carnegie Institute, -where, alone in our whole country, are held annually International -Exhibitions of Art. Much of his life has thus been spent in intimate -association with the very best painters and sculptors of our -generation, and his and their opinions and observations are here to be -read with much pleasure and profit by every one interested in art._ - -_Mr. Beatty is quite right when he says, “Not many able artists -have recorded their opinions.” In conversation, or on the impulse -of the moment they may often speak with great beauty and clarity of -expression, but nearly always tersely and to the point. On the other -hand, the man of letters is more given to analysis and finds more -words, and more beautiful ones, to express his meaning._ - -_Analysis is perhaps a dangerous thing for the craftsman to toy with. -He must approach nature directly and simply, with concentration that is -absolute. He dissects only that particular fragment of nature which is -before him, and that unconsciously. The precious sensation of closeness -to nature is so fleeting and so fickle, so often not there at all, and -so frightened, that it is easily scared away by the cold voice of the -man with a rule to follow. The ever changing aspect of nature, be it -man or landscape, makes the first impression quickly recorded in the -thumb-box sketch, or with a dozen lines on the back of an envelope, an -invaluable document. Again and again in the painting of a picture we -refer with respect to this first strong impression of nature._ - -_The words_ character _and_ beauty _are many times repeated in this -book. Both terms are definite and yet how elastic! Rembrandt is the -preëminent example of the complex meaning of the word beauty; many of -his models he found in the Ghetto and among his friends and neighbors, -or, for lack of a model, he painted himself. Surely he has proved to us -that only that which has character is truly beautiful; and we must also -feel in the presence of Rembrandt’s works, his absolute fidelity to -truth._ - -_On a certain occasion I was in Rodin’s studio when reference was made -to some harsh criticism of one of his nudes. After listening with -impatience Rodin shrugged his shoulders and said: “Why find fault with -me? they should find fault with nature!”_ - -_And so we return to Mr. Beatty’s contention that the artist has -succeeded when he has imitated the truth and beauty of nature. The word -imitation might seem to limit the artist’s personal vision, which must -be his very own. How very different this personal vision can be came -vividly before me when I visited the Prado in Madrid. In one room are -seen the immortal works of Velasquez, among which are the portraits of -Philip IV and his consort; and in an adjoining room are portraits of -this same Philip and his queen by Rubens, the Fleming, who happened -to be temporarily in Madrid on a diplomatic mission. The Spaniard -saw his sovereigns in all their splendor, but with a solemn dignity, -dark haired and sallow complexioned. While the man from Antwerp saw -the forms more round and amiable, the hair and flesh more blond and -colourful, and unconsciously injected the blood of the Netherlands into -the veins of his Spanish sitters._ - -_Notwithstanding this personal expression, the predilection of a Rubens -for the more florid colours, of a Velasquez for the more subdued, sober -notes found in nature, it remains true that the end sought by both is -the representation of character as it exists in nature._ - - GARI MELCHERS. - - _Belmont, - Falmouth, Virginia, - January 5, 1922._ - - * * * * * - - “_The realities of Nature surpass our most ambitious dreams._” - - AUGUSTE RODIN - - - - -_Argument_ - - -My purpose in writing this treatise is to establish, if this be found -possible, a foundation for the belief that the art of the painter and -sculptor is imitative, not creative; that the great masterpieces of -art which have withstood the test of time rest firmly upon the supreme -expression of character and beauty as these qualities are revealed in -man and nature; that it is the mission of art to reveal and make plain -these rare and lovely qualities. The truthful representation of these -qualities constitutes a common factor which binds all great works -together, a fact that is realized in every national gallery of art. - -I have chosen to base my argument not upon theory or opinion but upon -the evidence of eminent painters and sculptors who have produced great -works of art. - -Not many able artists have recorded their opinions touching the -philosophy of art. On the other hand, writers in abundance have -undertaken to define art. A few early and some modern philosophers -have given profound thought to the subject and bequeathed to us their -opinions. Painters and sculptors, with few exceptions, however, have -confined their efforts to searching for, and revealing by their art, -beauty and character. More is the pity, because opinion supported by -achievement is always more valuable than judgment which rests solely -upon theory or observation. - -The great masters who have directed brush and chisel in the performance -of their work must have known what their purpose was; they certainly -knew better than any one else, and they undoubtedly realized how far -they had succeeded, or how far they had fallen short of securing the -qualities which they had discovered and which they had undertaken to -reveal. The evidence of these men is invaluable. Its importance bears -an exact relation to their success in producing great and enduring -works. This is true in every other field of human endeavor and it is -equally true in the field of art. The opinion of the great astronomer -with reference to astronomy is more valuable than that of the layman; -the opinion of the great painter than that of the amateur. The man who -knows any science so perfectly that he can practice it successfully, -the artist who knows his art and nature so well that he can produce -great works of art, these have earned the right to express their -opinions. I think this must be accepted as a fundamental truth. It is -therefore to the painter and sculptor that I turn for judgment. I have -been aided in this inquiry by knowledge of the opinions of many of the -able painters and sculptors of our own time. Intimate discussion has -stimulated further inquiry, and a conviction which was originally based -upon familiarity with the methods and purpose of the painter has been -confirmed. - - - - -_The Artist and His Purpose_ - - -During all the great periods of art able men have striven earnestly -to attain a knowledge of character and beauty and to achieve their -truthful representation. Even when the purpose of the artist has been -to express some specific idea or to record some incident or historical -event, the work has lived, not because of the idea conveyed or the -interest which attaches to the subject, but because it has portrayed -character in a powerful manner, or because it has expressed the -qualities of beauty which are inherent in nature. Upon these qualities, -as they have been understood and translated by the artist, has depended -the life of every great painting and work of sculpture. I believe this -to be a fundamental and far reaching truth, accepted almost universally -by painters and sculptors. This, I know, is equivalent to saying that -the chief value of a work of art lies in its power to give aesthetic -pleasure. - -These observations may suggest a question as to the relative -importance of a work of art which tells a story or records historical -events as compared with one which appeals solely to the aesthetic -sense or the love of beauty. Human language, it would seem to me, is -the logical method for conveying thought from one mind to another and -offers direct, untrammelled mental contact without the intervention -of form or design of any kind, while the representation of beauty for -beauty’s sake alone is the more direct and effective way of creating -and stimulating in the human heart a love of nature and art. - -This, however, is not the question considered in this work. The -question raised is simply this: Has the artist, in representing the -evanescent effects of nature, the manifold beauties and harmonies with -which we are surrounded in this world, or predominant character as -expressed by man, exceeded nature either by virtue of his exceptional -power or as a result of any personal quality which he may impart to the -work? - -It is also manifestly true that the greatness of a work of art must -depend upon the mental power of the artist, that power which enables -him to apprehend or discover the essential qualities existing in -nature. It is equally true that every artist, even though wholly -absorbed in the effort to reveal the truth and beauty which exist -in nature, expresses in some degree his own personality. He does -this inevitably, first, by the type of subject he chooses to study -and represent, and, second, but in a less important degree, by the -technical manner employed. This is, of course, well understood by -every one. It is not for a moment disputed. But beyond and above this -personal expression stands, as the chief and highest purpose of the -artist, the representation of truth and character as these do actually -exist. - -While the painter has used his art to record history, to tell stories, -and to express emotions and convictions, his chief mission is to -extract from nature her many beautiful forms and harmonies and to -present these in pleasing fashion. In this way the artisan, drawing -upon the great multitude of beautiful forms and colours exhibited -by nature and so lavishly spread everywhere in the animal and plant -creations, cunningly fashions patterns and combinations, weaving these -into rugs and adapting them to the many beautiful objects with which we -are familiar. - -Notwithstanding these accepted facts, I am convinced that the great -works of the painter and sculptor, those of supreme importance, rest -not upon any of these devices or expressions of art, but upon the -faithful, unerring and masterly representation of character and beauty -as these do actually exist. The masterpieces of art as they live today -in the national art galleries of the world establish this fact. They -seem to possess a common factor without regard to subject or period -which unites in a common family the great paintings of the entire -history of art. This factor I believe to be the quality of truth. -These great works owe their existence to the fact that they faithfully -represent some great outstanding type, or because they truthfully -reveal the characteristic and essential beauty of nature expressed in -one of her many moods. They are important just in proportion as their -masters have understood these qualities and recorded their impressions -on canvas and in marble. - -I know perfectly well that the opinion here expressed is not the one -most widely accepted; it is not the popular view of art; it is not the -view expressed by many writers upon this subject. - -The opinion most widely accepted is that the artist creates beauty; -that in some mysterious way, by virtue of a special gift, he does -actually evolve from within his own consciousness forms of grace and -loveliness; that however deeply the artist sinks himself in nature, art -yet remains intensely individual; that in representing nature he adds -to that which he secures from nature a personal quality which becomes -the most important part of the work. This is the theory of art accepted -very generally, but it is not supported by evidence. - -The main purpose of this writing is, in fact, to establish by the -evidence of the men who are quoted that their reliance has been solely -upon nature and their success in exact proportion to their knowledge -of nature and their ability to portray her predominant qualities. Let -me repeat, however, that the ability to see and understand nature is -dependent upon mental power. The man of limited mental power will see -little; the one of great power will see much. The latter will apprehend -the subtle, elusive qualities in a way impossible to the former. This, -I know, is equivalent to saying that the great artist must bring to -his task a great mind. This assumption is quite correct. A great mind -is that power which is vaguely described as genius; it is what enables -men to accomplish great things in every field of human endeavor. The -question, therefore, is not whether the great artist possesses superior -power, but rather how important are the inevitable traces of personal -predilection or technical manner revealed in nearly all works of art as -compared with the truthful presentation of the fundamental qualities -the artist has discovered and undertaken to represent. - -Let us examine this phase of the question more fully. A painting by -Corot for instance bears, first, the evidence of Corot’s choice of -subject. That which appealed to him in nature he painted. The kind -of thing he loved, the phase of nature he chose, unquestionably bore -evidence of his personal temperament or predilection. By this he -expressed his personal taste, his discriminating judgment, himself, in -fact. If the artist be a man of gentle and sensitive quality, he will -select for representation, as Corot did, a phase of nature which is in -accord with his feeling. - -In the second place, a painting by Corot will exhibit in a very obvious -way the manifest impress of the artist’s technical method. In fact, the -manner by which the work is performed, that which is termed technic, -the very manner in which the artist touches the canvas, becomes a -distinguishing and individual characteristic intimately associated with -the artist and easily recognized. However, the technical treatment is -of little significance. It is in an important sense pure mannerism, -often the result of habit or early professional training. In a limited -sense it is the handwriting of the artist. This technical side of a -painting, the obvious and superficial aspect, is, I am convinced, -given by the amateur an importance out of all proportion to its value. - -We must, however, deal with this personal phase of a work of art. The -question is how important is this personal expression as compared with -the more profound truth of nature. If we may accept the testimony of -the painters and sculptors who have produced enduring works of art, we -will, I think, be convinced that this quality is not important when -compared with essential truth or predominant character. The artists -whose opinions you will read seem almost without exception to attach -greater importance to the expression of the character of the person -or object represented than to the expression of personal temperament. -Indeed, they seem to be oblivious to the qualities which attract and -occupy the attention of the writer and amateur, but they are insistent -upon the paramount importance of truth. - -What this all-important quality is may be further explained by a simple -illustration. - -Abraham Lincoln was an outstanding type. The painter or sculptor -cannot by his art enhance either the beauty or strength of Lincoln’s -character. The utmost he can hope to do is to realize that character in -its richness and fullness of power. In everything the artist touches -in his effort to reproduce this character his taste will be displayed, -even in the treatment of details, the adjustment of draperies and -accessories, the appropriateness of gesture or movement; but all -these things, including the technic displayed, will be subordinate to -Lincoln’s character. The great, outstanding, dominant character of -Abraham Lincoln exists as a masterpiece of nature far outranking in -perfection any description or portraiture. The man who best reads or -comprehends this character and who most faithfully represents it, will -produce the greatest work of art. In the effort to do this, the painter -or sculptor will undoubtedly leave traces of his own individuality or -temperament, but these qualities must not be confused with the dominant -character of a Lincoln or given undue importance. The highest purpose -of the artist is to faithfully represent character. - - - - -_Ancient Conceptions of Art_ - - -Closely allied to the thought that the painter creates beauty is the -ancient tradition that the artist is inspired to produce works of art. -This conviction had its origin very early in the history of art. In the -time of Praxiteles this belief was entertained by many; it was thought, -for instance, that in the production of the Aphrodite of Knidos the -sculptor was inspired by the goddess herself. - -This conception of art doubtless grew out of the fact that the -early art of the Egyptians and Greeks was largely devoted to the -representation of deities and to the erection of temples which -should be their shrines. This association of art with the gods and -their temples doubtless contributed to the belief that the artist -was inspired or that he possessed a superior power or the gift of -inspiration. - -[SN: _Hegel_] - -Closely allied with this thought was the conception expressed by Hegel -with reference to a distinction between the external and material -forms of art and the spirit which he suggests permeates the work and -of which it is a manifestation. Hegel, although accepting the theory -that “art has the vocation of revealing the truth in the form of -sensuous artistic shape,” speaks of the union of the material with the -spiritual in a manner, which although quite true in abstract reasoning, -contributes to this impression. Discussing Architecture as a Fine -Art, he wrote: “The material of architecture is matter itself in its -immediate externality as a heavy mass subject to mechanical laws, and -its forms remain the forms of inorganic nature, but are merely arranged -and ordered in accordance with the abstract rules of the understanding, -the rules of symmetry. But in such material and in such forms the ideal -as concrete spirituality cannot be realized; the reality which is -represented in them remains, therefore, alien to the spiritual idea, as -something external which it has not penetrated or with which it has but -a remote and abstract relation.... Into this temple now enters the God -himself. The lightning-flash of individuality strikes the inert mass, -permeates it, and a form no longer merely symmetrical, but infinite and -spiritual, concentrates and molds its adequate bodily shape.” No one -today in the presence of a superb relic of architecture asks whether or -not it is the abiding place of a spirit. It is accepted as expressing -the spirit of beauty and is enjoyed for this alone. - -Hegel’s conception of a work of art, frequently expressed in his -philosophy, was that the content or idea is the important thing. This -conception conformed to early art because painting and sculpture were -employed primarily to express ideas. - -With the development of the Landscape School of Art and the enjoyment -of art on the purely aesthetic side, modern thought has materially -changed. Gradually our appreciation of the beautiful for its own sake -has developed. The influence of this movement has reacted upon all -phases of art expression, and even those works which express ideas in -the sense of subject matter have come to be judged upon the basis of -aesthetic beauty, rather than with reference to the idea or content as -thus defined. - -Therefore what Hegel says applies to the early conception of art rather -than to that of the present time. - -[SN: _Socrates_] - -Another conception of art suggests the union of the beautiful with -the good. The philosophy of Socrates teaches this. He regarded the -beautiful as coincident with the good, and both of them as resolvable -into the useful. He does not seem to have attached importance to -the immediate gratification which a beautiful object affords to -perception and contemplation, but rather to have emphasized its power -of furthering the more necessary ends of life. - -These early theories and conceptions with reference to art may in some -degree account for the prevalence of an impression, even in our own -time, that the artist is inspired or that he creates his masterpiece -as the result of some supernatural power. It has always seemed to the -inexperienced that the creation of a work of art implies an element of -mystery or represents something inexplicable. What is to the painter a -natural process becomes mysterious. Nothing existed on the blank canvas -and behold, presently, there appears a picture simulating life. Having -no knowledge of the methods employed, or of the years of patient labor -required to secure the technical ability to represent the actual truth -and spirit of natural objects, the result seems far removed from the -ordinary. Thence it is but a step to the point of view that the artist -is one “inspired.” - -Although the conception of a work of art which places it above nature -is very old, I do not recall a definition made under this impression -which seems satisfactory. There is always apparent the effort to -compromise or bring together two distinct conceptions--the one -attributing to the work a quality superior to nature and the other -demanding that it be a truthful representation of nature. Defining -a work of art as something superior to nature, and at the same time -insisting that it represent nature faithfully is an inconsistency -eternally cropping out. - -[SN: _John Constable_] - -John Constable touched this subject with remarkable acumen and -expressed his conviction with precision when he said: “It appears to me -that pictures have been over-valued; held up by a blind admiration as -ideal things, and almost as standards by which nature is to be judged -rather than the reverse; and this false estimate has been sanctioned by -the extravagant epithets that have been applied to painters, as ‘the -divine,’ ‘the inspired,’ and so forth. Yet, in reality what are the -most sublime productions of the pencil but selections of some of the -forms of nature, and copies of a few of her evanescent effects; the -result, not of inspiration, but of long and patient study, under the -direction of much good sense.” - -This, then, is my argument: First, that art is the expression of -supreme or predominant character and the representation of grace and -harmony as these qualities exist in nature; and, second, that the -truthful rendering of these qualities is the high mission of the -painter and sculptor. - - - - -_Evidence of Painters and Sculptors_ - - -If we will now turn to the evidence bearing upon this subject, we will -discover what I have already indicated, namely, that the able artists -who have expressed opinions touching the philosophy of their art have -done so in no uncertain terms, and that the opinions which refer art -to nature as the highest source seem convincing. We will also discover -that not only do the majority of able painters agree upon what art -really is, and express their opinions with clearness and precision, but -that many of the philosophers of recent and ancient times define art in -the same forceful way. - -Let us first examine opinions expressed by painters and sculptors. - -[SN: _Michelangelo_] - -Michelangelo wrote: “In my judgment that is the excellent and divine -painting which is most like and best imitates any work of immortal God, -whether a human figure, or a wild and strange animal, or a simple and -easy fish, or a bird of the air, or any other creature.... To imitate -perfectly each of these things in its species seems to me to be nothing -else but to desire to imitate the work of immortal God. And yet that -thing will be the most noble and perfect in the works of painting which -in itself reproduced the thing which is most noble and of the greatest -delicacy and knowledge.” Michelangelo thus reduces the philosophy of -art to the simple problem of selection, and the faithful and truthful -representation of the dominant, the graceful, the harmonious, and the -beautiful in nature. His statement, which so simply, even quaintly, -expresses the opinion of a great master whose works have commanded -the homage of the world during nearly four centuries, is worthy of -the most careful consideration. It reveals his reliance upon nature -without confusion of thought or pretension of any kind. There are here -no intricate definitions of art or complex theories concerning his -method of creating his masterly representations of the best he found in -nature--“the thing which is most noble!” - -The universality of this profound truth and of its independence of -local conditions and circumstances is emphasized by the fact that -another great master of another race, one whose technical methods -and choice of subjects differed widely from those of Michelangelo, -expressed the same reliance upon nature. [SN: _Albrecht Dürer_] -Albrecht Dürer was a contemporary of Michelangelo, but he worked under -widely different conditions. It is the great fundamental quality of -truth so quaintly commended by Michelangelo that distinguishes the -works of Albrecht Dürer. Albrecht Dürer wrote: “Life in Nature proves -the truth of these things; therefore consider her diligently, guide -thyself by her, and swerve not from Nature, thinking that thou canst -find something better of thyself, for thou wilt be deceived. For Art -standeth firmly fixed in Nature, and whoso can thence rend her forth, -he only possesseth her.” - -[SN: _Leonardo da Vinci_] - -We find in Leonardo da Vinci’s notebook reference to this same -principle. He recommends application to the study of the works of -nature and advises the student to withdraw as far as possible from -the companionship of others in order that he may more earnestly -and effectively do this. His sage advice emphasizes the importance -of study. “The eye, which is called the window of the soul, is the -chief means whereby the understanding may most fully and abundantly -appreciate the infinite works of nature.... All visible things derive -their existence from nature, and from these same things is born -painting.” - -[SN: _William Hogarth_] - -Another painter who has written his opinion upon this subject is -William Hogarth, who said: “Nature is simple, plain, and true, in all -her works, and those who strictly adhere to her laws, and closely -attend to her appearances in their infinite varieties, are guarded -against any prejudiced bias from truth.” - -[SN: _Sir Joshua Reynolds_] - -Of the great painters who have touched upon the philosophy of art in -their writings, no one has written, shall I say, more fluently than -has Sir Joshua Reynolds. He may even be said to have been eloquent. -His lectures prepared for the students of the Royal Academy have -been famous for a century and a half. They have not only inspired -generations of art students with a keener interest in art, but they -are probably the most helpful utterances upon the subject given to the -world in his time or since. It seems to me, however, that, as is often -the case where great facility of expression is practiced, Reynolds -employs a term which, without clear definition, confuses the mind. -This is true where he frequently uses the term “genius.” The term is -associated in popular belief with the power to create works of art. -Although using a term which is at least subject to this interpretation, -Reynolds definitely denies to the human mind this power, asserting that -the power to create is simply the power to imitate nature. Reynolds -wrote: “I am on the contrary persuaded that by imitation only, variety, -and even originality of invention, is produced. I will go further; -even genius, at least what generally is so called, is the child of -imitation.” He further says: “The study of nature is the beginning and -the end of theory. It is in nature only we can find that beauty which -is the great object of our search; it can be found nowhere else; we can -no more form any idea of beauty superior to nature than we can form an -idea of a sixth sense, or any other excellence out of the limits of -the human mind.” Reynolds again writes: “Invention, strictly speaking, -is little more than a new combination of those images which have been -previously gathered and deposited in the memory: nothing can come of -nothing: he who has laid up no materials can produce no combinations.” - -[SN: _John Constable_] - -John Constable, a contemporary of Reynolds, and to whose judgment we -have already referred, further expressed his opinion upon this subject. -A statement of principle by him seems to be conviction crystallized. -Constable, although unaccustomed to writing, even unaccustomed to -discussion, because he was a man of quiet and simple life, seems to -have thought profoundly; and when the rare occasion to express his -opinion did come he condensed within a few words a great fundamental -principle with unerring precision. His definition of the purpose -and method of the artist cannot, I think, be excelled for accuracy -or fullness of meaning. He wrote: “In art, there are two modes by -which men aim at distinction; in the one, by a careful application to -what others have accomplished, the artist imitates their works, or -selects and combines their various beauties; in the other, he seeks -excellence at its primitive source, nature. In the first, he forms a -style upon the study of pictures, and produces either imitative or -eclectic art; in the second, by a close observation of nature, he -discovers qualities existing in her which have never been portrayed -before, and thus forms a style which is original. The results of the -one mode, as they repeat that with which the eye is already familiar, -are soon recognized and estimated, while the advances of the artist -in a new path must necessarily be slow, for few are able to judge of -that which deviates from the usual course, or qualified to appreciate -original studies.” There is here no mystery or ambiguity. This is the -statement of a profound truth by a great painter who knew perfectly his -reliance upon nature. It was prompted by the conviction of a great mind -which saw only the underlying fact and abjured all trivialities and -hair-splitting theories. In his mental attitude and grasp, Constable -was like Winslow Homer, a man of few words, one given to much thought -and to firm convictions. - -[SN: _Sir Thomas Lawrence_] - -In one of his lectures at the Royal Institution of Great Britain, -Constable said: “It was said by Sir Thomas Lawrence, that ‘we can never -hope to compete with nature in the beauty and delicacy of her separate -forms or colours, our only chance lies in selection and combination.’” - -[SN: _Gilbert Stuart_] - -Gilbert Stuart expressed a like reliance upon nature when he said: “You -must copy nature, but if you leave nature for an imaginary effect, you -will lose all. Nature cannot be excused, and as your object is to copy -nature, it is the height of folly to work at anything else to produce -that copy.” - -[SN: _Corot_] - -Corot was equally assured of the importance of this principle to an -artist. He said: “Truth is the first thing in art, and the second, and -the third.” - -[SN: _Millet_] - -Let us take the opinion of another able painter, that of Millet, who -said: “Men of genius are, as it were, endowed with a divining-rod. -Some discover one thing in nature, some another, according to their -temperament.... The mission of men of genius is to reveal that portion -of nature’s riches which they have discovered, to those who would -never have suspected their existence. They interpret nature to those -who cannot understand her language.” - -“I should like to do nothing which was not the result of an impression -received from the appearance of nature, either in landscape or figures.” - -“I should express the type very strongly, the type being, to my mind, -the most powerful truth.” - -These opinions are at once simple and comprehensive. They express the -thoughts of men who have achieved great works. Indeed, I have never -heard the able master of art say otherwise than that he has striven -with all his power, sometimes in despair, to wrest from nature the -subtle beauties of form and colour possessed by her and discovered by -those who have the power to perceive and understand these qualities. -Nature is the supreme standard, attained to only in part. We may accept -nature as the source of all beauty and harmony in art and rest assured -that the stream has never risen above its source. - -The opinions here quoted do not differ materially from those expressed -by painters of our own time. - -[SN: _Whistler_] - -I recall that Whistler upon the occasion of one of my visits expressed -an opinion upon this subject. Whistler’s “White Girl,” “Girl at the -Piano” and many other works are such notable examples of truthful -representation as to give weight to his opinion. The absolute certainty -with which the several parts of these pictures exist in relation to -each other cannot be overstated. - -In response to my inquiry regarding the most important quality in -the art of the painter, Whistler said: “Art is the science of the -beautiful. The parts of nature bear a certain relation to each other, -and this relation is as true as a mathematical fact. People sometimes -say my pictures are dark. That depends upon whether or not the subject -was dark; whether the conditions made it dark. If a dark or low toned -phase of nature is selected, then the picture must be absolutely true -to those conditions.” - -“There it is, the subject. Certain relations exist between the value -notes, and these relations must be reproduced absolutely. Two and two -make four--that is a simple truth in mathematics as it is in nature. -Two and two make four--the trouble is that many painters do not see -that two and two make four. They do not see this fine relationship -which results in a simple truth. Not seeing, they try all kinds of -numbers.” - -Turning from the easel in front of which we were standing, Whistler -lifted a book from the table with a quick, almost nervous action, and -as he opened it said with a quizzical expression, “It is all in here.” -The book was the “Gentle Art of Making Enemies.” Tuning quickly to the -paragraph he had in mind, he read, “Nature contains the elements, in -colour and form, of all pictures, as the keyboard contains the notes -of all music. But the artist is born to pick, and choose, and group -with science, these elements, that the result may be beautiful.” He -continued to read for a good part of an hour. Whistler by Whistler -was an inimitable and rare treat. The slightest shade of meaning was -expressed with great delicacy, by inflection and gesture. - -At the end of very many years of study and observation, Whistler’s -sensitive appreciation and power of selection were extraordinary. The -most subtle and harmonious qualities in nature made an irresistible -appeal to him. He has described this faculty as the power to pick and -choose. By the very choice of many of his subjects he was enabled to -eliminate all insignificant details and thereby to render the harmonies -of nature as they appeared to him. He described his method or mental -attitude with reference to nature when he said: “As the light fades and -the shadows deepen all petty and exacting details vanish, everything -trivial disappears, and I see things as they are, in great strong -masses.” - -This represents Whistler in the presence of subdued and gentle -qualities in nature, but it was the same Whistler, without modification -or change in his attitude with respect to nature, who rendered with -such startling realism and absolute fidelity to truth in his marvellous -etchings the shipping, the city, and the river Thames. Under the -blazing light of noonday the masts and rigging of the ships, the forms -and details of the hulls, even the tile upon the roofs of the city -houses were distinctly seen. He recorded his impressions manifestly -without the slightest deviation from the simple truth of form and -value. No one who has studied Whistler’s set of the Thames etchings -will for an instant dispute this statement. The quality of simple truth -is so astonishingly present in every line and form in these works that -no argument is needed touching this point. The Whistler who made these -etchings, the Whistler who painted the “White Girl” and the “Girl -at the Piano,” must be reconciled with the Whistler who painted the -evening symphonies representing the river, the “Portrait of Sarasate,” -and other works of subdued and gentle qualities. The simple truth is -that Whistler was as faithful and scientific in the one case as in the -other, and that the result depended upon his choice of subject, and -the time, and effect observed. I am told that in his later period -he sought after and discovered means of securing the more gentle -aspects of nature; that he toned and diffused the light in his studio -scientifically by the use of semi-transparent window curtains. However -this may be, it is undoubtedly true that he did rely upon the effect -actually before him and that he sought to represent the subdued effect -in his studio or the gentle light of evening so beautifully described -by him in his “Ten O’Clock.” It would be difficult to imagine a more -beautiful pen picture than this description by Whistler. It indicates -his love for the gentle and harmonious qualities in nature. - -“When the evening mist clothes the riverside with poetry, as with a -veil, and the poor buildings lose themselves in the dim sky, and the -tall chimneys become campanili, and the warehouses palaces in the -night, and the whole city hangs in the heavens, and fairyland is before -us--then the wayfarer hastens home; the workingman and the cultured -one, the wise man and the one of pleasure, cease to understand, as they -have ceased to see, and Nature, who, for once, has sung in tune, sings -her exquisite song to the artist alone, her son and her master--her son -in that he loves her, her master in that he knows her.” - -[SN: _Abbott Thayer_] - -This power to select and represent the beautiful qualities in nature, -a power which is the result of repeated efforts, has been defined by -Abbott H. Thayer with rare skill and poetic beauty. “It is as though -a man were shown a crystal, a perfect thing, gleaming below depths of -water--far down beyond reach. He would dive and dive again, driven by -his great desire to secure it, until finally, all dripping, he brought -it up. But that in the end he could bring it--a perfect thing--to us, -was possible solely because he had first seen it, gleaming there. -Others might dive and dive, might work and labor with endless patience -and endless pain, but unless they had first seen the crystal--unless -they had been given this divine gift of seeing--this vision--they would -come up empty-handed. The occasional so-called genius does not make -the crystal, but he alone sees it, where it lies gleaming below depths -of water, and by his effort brings it to us. The whole question is how -absolutely, how perfectly, the artist sees this vision.” - -“After the artist has lived, for a certain period, in worship of some -particular specimen or type of the form of beauty dearest to him, -this crystal-like vision forms, clearer and clearer, at the bottom -of his mind, which is, so to speak, his sea of consciousness, until -at last the vision is plainly visible to him, and the all-strain and -danger-facing time has come for putting it into the form in which as -one of the world’s treasures it is to live on.” - -When asked whether the artist has ever been granted a vision of any -beauty which is not based upon the beauty of nature, Thayer exclaimed -emphatically, “No, no, no! I don’t see the slightest material for any -such conception.” - -And when the question was further put--granted that the artist has -the gift of seeing beauty in nature to which others are blind, is -his picture Art in proportion as he truthfully records the beauty of -the nature that he sees? Mr. Thayer answered, “Yes. Everything in -art, in poetry, music, sculpture, or painting, however fantastic it -looks to people who are not far enough on that road, is nothing but -truth-telling, true reporting of one or another of the great facts of -nature--of the universe.” - -The ability to see, as Thayer suggests, is the very foundation of -the artist’s power. It is this power of seeing which enables him to -discover truth and beauty, and it is the skill of the trained master -which enables him to reproduce these for the delight and inspiration of -his fellows. - -That men are endowed by inheritance with varying degrees of mental -power is a self-evident fact. No one will dispute this; it comes within -our common experience. Providence has been lavish in the bestowal of -extraordinary powers upon the few, but it remains everlastingly true -that even with these success depends upon effort. Nothing is more fully -established than this truism. The records of successful men in all -periods and in every avenue of life bear testimony to this fact. - -To the artist, seeing is the all important thing, and to him there is -no mystery either in the development of this power or in the result -obtained. To him it is simply a matter of logical evolution, the result -of the day’s work well done. He begins his career as a student by -laboriously copying nature. His first studies are, as a rule, hard and -unsympathetic. I have not discovered an exception to this rule. In the -beginning the art student does not even see colour in its fullness and -beauty. Gradually he acquires greater power of perception. He discovers -beautiful and harmonious colours in nature which were unseen at first. -He realizes the exquisite grace of line to be found on every hand but -unperceived before--the movement, charm, and beauty of natural forms. -New beauties are revealed from day to day; new harmonies are seen -and felt. Presently the inharmonious becomes distasteful; the ugly, -intolerable; the offensive, a distress. He comes into the presence of -nature with a new vision. Her beauties are revealed to him. He feels a -thrill in the love he bears for the exceptional and profound beauty of -an evening sky or a grey day. He never talks about inspiration or soul, -although he has searched out the very soul of the landscape. He simply -seeks with every power at his command, as Constable, borrowing the -thought from Wordsworth, expressed it, “to give ‘to one brief moment -caught from fleeting time’ a lasting and sober existence, and to render -permanent many of those splendid but evanescent Exhibitions which are -ever occurring in the endless varieties of Nature.” - -The sculptor, I think, in some such manner lies in wait for the grace -and charm of movement, the supreme expression of character and of -harmony, as an animal lies in wait for its prey. When one or all of -these qualities are seen he seizes his chisel and strives to fix what -he has discovered in permanent form. - -The artist, looking back over twenty or thirty years of continuous and -earnest study, of repeated and laborious effort, and of failures and -successes, realizes that the power of perception and selection which he -now possesses is the result of these years of observation and labor. He -also realizes that he has never quite attained to the full height of -his ambition to represent truthfully the supreme qualities of beauty -which he has learned to discover in nature. - -In the selection of subjects for his works and in the production of -arrangements or combinations representing either grace, beauty of -colour and form, or essential character, the painter or sculptor is -aided by two very powerful influences. - -The first of these is his inherited or acquired taste. Step by step, -precept upon precept, first as a student in the art school, then as -an artist, this faculty known as taste is cultivated, increased, -until with rare discrimination and judgment he selects, “picks and -chooses,” as Whistler said, the things of beauty and harmony, being -guided all the while by the unwritten law of harmony of which we are -all conscious. To arrive at this consummation of the artist’s highest -endeavors is not an easy task. - -His course may be, and often is, a very delightful and agreeable -one, but it is one of infinite effort and labor. Before the painter -acquires this knowledge or power which enables him to discriminate -with judgment and taste, selecting those forms and colours expressive -of harmony, grace and beauty, he must have served an apprenticeship of -many long years. The sculptor who would aspire to the exquisite and -discriminating taste of a Rodin, who observes with patience and who -seizes with marvellous skill upon the very essence of grace as it is -expressed by the human figure, must travel the same tedious road. If -the sculptor would read and know character as does a Saint-Gaudens, he -must travel many a weary mile over the path which leads to perfection -in art. - -The second powerful influence helping the artist to acquire knowledge -is, as Constable suggested, art itself. The student while pursuing the -plodding course of training in the art school and later in a wider -field as an artist, is not only searching out in nature the qualities -of grace and harmony, but his eyes are constantly turned in the -direction of the accumulated records of art. He studies with assiduous -care and thought in the great works of all times, the qualities, the -harmonies, the character wrested from nature by the able painters -and sculptors of the past. Myriads have tried and failed to know and -master nature during the past few hundred years, and only the few who -have succeeded have left the record of their success. All the weak -productions have gone into oblivion. To these really great works the -painter and sculptor turn again and again, patiently, persistently, -unfalteringly, sometimes through hours of silent study at other times -by earnest effort to copy, but always with a single purpose in -mind--to know and master the secrets of the masters. Little by little, -always referring the master to nature for confirmation or proof, the -artist struggles upward to a more consummate understanding of the works -of nature, but he never forsakes or belittles this supreme source of -all his power and knowledge. - -[SN: _Winslow Homer_] - -I recall asking Winslow Homer if he did not think the beauty existing -in nature must be discovered and reproduced by the painter. Quick as a -flash he answered: “Yes, but the rare thing is to find a painter who -knows a good thing when he sees it.” - -On another occasion we were picking our way along the Maine coast, over -the shelving rocks he painted so often and with such insight and power, -when I suddenly said: “Homer, do you ever take the liberty, in painting -nature, of modifying the colour of any part?” - -I recall his manner and expression perfectly. He stopped quickly and -exclaimed: “Never! Never! When I have selected the thing carefully I -paint it exactly as it appears.” - -During our talk he emphasized, however, the importance of selection. -“You must not paint anything you see--you must wait and wait patiently -for a particular effect, and then when it comes, if you have sense -enough to know it when you do see it--well, that’s all there is to -that.” - -At another time, referring contemptuously to the calm ocean under a -vacant sky, he said: “I take no interest in that.” There came, however, -one morning while I was at Prout’s Neck a misty and threatening sky. -Grey clouds bewitching in their silvery tones went hurrying across the -troubled sea. By noon it was blowing a gale and the waves were lashing -the coast, sending spray high into the air. Once and again great clouds -of mist drove across the deserted rocks, and the music of old ocean -rose to an ominous and resounding tone. Presently Homer hurried into -my room, clad from head to foot in rubber, and carrying in his arms a -storm coat and a pair of sailor’s boots. “Come,” he said, “quickly! It -is perfectly grand.” - -For an hour we clambered over rocks, holding fast to the wiry shrubs -which grew from every crevice, while the spray dashed far overhead. -This placid, reserved, self-contained little man was in a fever of -excitement, and his delight in the beautiful and almost overpowering -expression of the ocean as it foamed and rioted was inspiring. To him -this was the supreme expression of beauty and power. The moment he had -patiently waited for had come. - -Homer’s love for and appreciation of those rugged, elemental qualities -in nature resulted in the production of forceful works of great beauty. -In the selection of subjects he expressed his individual taste. - -[SN: _Henry W. Ranger_] - -I recall an opinion expressed by the late Henry W. Ranger to the -effect that Tolstoi’s definition of art had never been excelled. He -referred to Tolstoi’s definition of art as the power to pass on a -sensation. Ranger maintained the opinion that art is the expression -of the individual’s feeling, that the artist uses the facts of nature -to express his own sensation and that no great landscape was ever -painted directly from nature. “The technical difficulties,” he said, -“and the rapidly changing effects made it hard to paint out of doors. -He could do better by depending upon his memory.” It was his opinion -that the deeper qualities were secured in the studio; that nature only -furnishes the hooks upon which the painter hangs his work; that he -in reality expresses his own feeling, the poetry or sentiment which -is in himself. Ranger here describes a vague or not clearly defined -quality which is referred to as personal temperament. His opinion is -in direct contradiction to the almost universal testimony of painters -and sculptors, and Ranger himself in his practice failed to maintain -it. Although he did not complete his works in the presence of nature, -he made many sketches from nature and copied his larger canvases from -these. - -I think Ranger at the end of a long career had the power of discovering -beautiful qualities in nature and of seeing them profoundly. I knew -him well, and many times we discussed art and artists. I found his -knowledge broad and intimate. His view that a painter simply passes -on a sensation was repeated to me many times. I think one may frankly -agree with this opinion, but I do not think a painter originates or -creates a sensation. In the presence of nature he simply receives it -and then transmits it, the result being dependent upon his natural or -acquired power of perception, his memory, and his technical ability. - -Ranger’s paintings are characterized by an understanding of nature, -and this was the result of a lifetime of the most earnest, patient, -and persistent study. Probably no modern artist was more industrious, -for his studio was filled with studies in colour and many thousands -of pencil drawings. Indeed, so familiar was he with the colours and -characteristic forms of nature that he frequently reproduced these -with much delicacy, relying solely upon his memory and a few accurate -pencil notes. In discussing his method, I recall his remark that he -painted in the studio because he could get closer to nature that way -than by painting out of doors. Painters universally understand the -difficulties of painting in the open because of conflicting lights. -They also realize the more certain judgment of the experienced eye when -painting in a quiet or more subdued light; but to do this requires -great knowledge and a retentive memory. - -As illustrating Ranger’s method of study and his reliance upon memory, -I recall an occasion when he studied long and patiently the union -or combination of two colour notes, the sky and water--for we were -sailing at the time. He remarked upon the beautiful harmony expressed -by these colours. He studied them intently, evidently with the thought -of reproducing them later. I also remember a painting expressive of the -charm and beauty of a moon-light night. It was painted at his Noank -home. I believe this picture was painted almost wholly in his studio. I -think it was the result of an infinite number of impressions received -as he studied, evening after evening, the ocean and the sky. By this I -mean that while Ranger in this painting was passing on a sensation, he -was only passing on the truth and beauty of nature as realized by him -night after night, and recorded in his memory. - -The point here raised is one of vital importance with reference to the -subject under consideration. It is that the painter does not express -anything he has not received. He pursues one of two methods: he either -secures beautiful qualities in the presence of nature or he reproduces -qualities stored in his memory. - -[SN: _John La Farge_] - -John La Farge referred to these two methods, the one by which the -painter works directly from nature and the other by which he depends -upon his memory, and his opinion bears directly upon the point raised. -La Farge wrote: “He [the painter] will then go again to nature, perhaps -working directly from it, perhaps only to his memory of sight, for -remember, that in what we call working from nature--we painters--we -merely use a shorter strain of memory than when we carry back to our -studios the vision that we wish to note. And more than that, the very -way in which we draw our lines, and mix our pigments, in the hurry of -instant record, in the certainty of successful handling, implies that -our mind is filled with innumerable memories of continuous trials.” - -As La Farge points out, the difference between painting in the presence -of nature and painting from memory is only a different span of memory. -One painter pursues one way, another a different method. The end sought -is the same. - -[SN: _Segantini_] - -Giovanni Segantini’s method was to go to nature _finally_. He began his -paintings in the studio, working from studies, and finished them in the -presence of nature. I recall a delightful visit with this able Italian -painter at his home at Maloja, and also his interesting description of -his method. His art was little known at that time, some twenty years -ago. His works are now well known to art lovers throughout the world. - -I had but recently seen his “Ploughing in the Engadine” at an -exhibition in the Bavarian capital. It impressed me as possessing a -very vital quality. The technical manner seemed at that time strange -and unusual. Like worsted, the colours stretched across the sky. -The earth clods were small strands of colour, revealing, on close -examination, a rarely prodigal palette. This phase of Segantini’s art -interested me on the purely technical side. The effect of the picture -was startling. It was like a breath of fresh and fragrant air from the -mountains of Switzerland. - -It was following this impression received from his painting that I -visited the painter at Maloja. Leaving Chiavenna early one morning, -the coach slowly climbed the mountainside and, presently, crossed the -apex of the range. There lay at our feet the beautiful valley of the -Engadine. I carried away from Maloja many delightful impressions, -but the two dominating all others were these: the earnestness of the -painter, and his unwavering dependence upon nature. - -He showed me large drawings or cartoons of some of his well known -subjects representing the arrangement of the compositions and the -balancing of the various parts of his pictures. The drawings were -made in crayon and suggested in line the technical treatment of -his paintings. From these sketches he transferred the drawings to -canvas. In this way he saved time and labor. When a drawing was thus -transferred to a canvas he carried the canvas to the scene of his -subject, where he painted invariably directly from nature. When I asked -if he ever completed a picture in the studio, he said: “Absolutely no! -I always finish my pictures in the presence of nature.” - -Segantini spoke his last word, if I may adopt this form of expression, -in the very presence of and under the influence of nature. This to him -was the supreme moment in the execution of his work. - -[SN: _Anton Mauve_] - -Another illustration of the method of a great painter in relying upon -his memory for the truths and facts of nature is found in Anton Mauve. -Mauve’s power is unquestioned. He was one of the great modern Dutch -painters. His pictures are always direct and forceful. His knowledge -of nature was profound. This knowledge was the result of effort and -study. Among his early drawings are found studies from nature which, -in spirit, are wholly unlike his later productions. They reveal Mauve -as a student of nature who was untiring in his effort to draw minute -details with unflinching accuracy. I recall pencil studies of sheep, -horses, cows, and plants which have rarely ever been excelled in the -delineation of detail, not even by a master draughtsman like Barque. -Mauve’s knowledge of nature acquired by this method was intimate and -deep. His later manner was based upon a solid foundation. It was -by this knowledge he was enabled to depict the more characteristic -forms with a few hastily drawn lines. He knew well how important are -broad, essential masses in art and he rendered these, eliminating -non-essentials and trivial details. His sense of design or appropriate -balance of parts was keen and sure; nearly all his pictures possess -the distinguishing quality of simplicity. Like Ranger, he preferred to -paint his pictures in the studio, but his reliance was, in the highest -sense, upon nature. - -I recall a visit to Mauve’s country, a country of sand dunes and -pastures. These he loved and painted. One of Mauve’s students, an able -etcher, was probably more familiar with the artist’s method than any -other person. “His [Mauve’s] best pictures, before Laren,” he wrote me, -“were all made in his studio from memory, aided with sketches in chalk. -Then he went every day, if possible, to the spot he had sketched, to -study the effect, the ‘moment,’ and he tried to fix that impression on -his canvas when back home.” - -[SN: _Rodin_] - -Let us turn from the art of the painter to the art of the sculptor. -Probably no modern sculptor has taken a higher place in the estimation -of his fellow artists than has Rodin. As expressions of his art, his -“Thinker” stands at one extreme end of the scale and such graceful and -beautiful forms as “Eternal Spring” at the other. It is interesting, -therefore, to know that Rodin has acknowledged his absolute dependence -upon nature for the widely divergent expressions of character rendered -by him. He is quoted as saying: “Seeker after truth and student of -life as I am, ... I obey Nature in everything, and I never pretend to -command her. My only ambition is to be servilely faithful to her.” - -“I have not changed it [nature]. Or, rather, if I have done it, it was -without suspecting it at the time. The feeling which influenced my -vision showed me nature as I have copied her.” - -“If I had wished to modify what I saw and to make it more beautiful I -should have produced nothing good.” - -“The only principle in Art is to copy what you see. Dealers in -aesthetics to the contrary, every other method is fatal. There is no -recipe for improving Nature.” - -“The only thing is _to see_.” - -“The ideal! The dream! Why, the realities of Nature surpass our most -ambitious dreams.” - - - - -_Opinions of Philosophers and Writers_ - - -The opinions here referred to are those of masters who have produced -works of art. They seem to be supported by the opinions of able -writers and philosophers who have dealt with this subject. If the -opinions of these writers are less authoritative, they are nevertheless -important as representing the thought of profound scholars. They cover -practically the entire period of writing upon art. While diversified in -the manner of approach, they will be found to unite in a common theory. -These writers naturally deal with mental processes; with the attributes -of the mind; with the philosophy of the subject. - -[SN: _Schopenhauer_] - -Schopenhauer defines genius as pre-eminent capacity for contemplation -which ends in the object. “Now,” he says, “as this requires that a -man should entirely forget himself and the relations in which he -stands, genius is simply complete objectivity, i.e., the objective -tendency of the mind, as opposed to the subjective, which is directed -to one’s own self--in other words, to the will. Thus genius is the -faculty of continuing in the state of pure perception, of losing one’s -self in perception, and of enlisting in this service the knowledge -which originally existed only for the service of the will; that is -to say, genius is the power of leaving one’s own interests, wishes, -and aims entirely out of sight, and thus of entirely renouncing one’s -own personality for a time, so as to remain pure knowing subject, -clear vision of the world--and this not merely at moments, but for a -sufficient length of time and with sufficient consciousness to enable -one to reproduce by deliberate art what has thus been apprehended, and -‘to fix in lasting thoughts the wavering images that float before the -mind.’” - -Schopenhauer’s definition of genius is probably more accurate and more -logical than that of any other writer. In his opinion, genius is the -power of pre-eminent perception. The artist only exceeds his fellows in -that his perception is keener; that he is able to see and understand -more perfectly than others. When an able painter approaches nature in -this spirit, forgetting all else, as Schopenhauer suggests, the result -is usually a masterpiece. To such a painter is attributed the quality -known as genius. - -[SN: _Taine_] - -Taine defines art as the power of perceiving the essential character -of an object. Taine says: “The character of an object strikes him -[the artist] and the effect of this sensation is a strong, peculiar -impression.... But art itself, which is the faculty of perceiving and -expressing the leading character of objects, is as enduring as the -civilization of which it is the best and earliest fruit.... To give -full prominence to a leading character is the object of a work of art. -It is owing to this that the closer a work of art approaches this -point the more perfect it becomes; in other words, the more exactly -and completely these conditions are complied with, the more elevated -it becomes on the scale. Two of these conditions are necessary; it -is necessary that the character should be the most notable possible -and the most dominant possible.... The masterpiece is that in which -the greatest force receives the greatest development. In the language -of the painter, the superior work is that in which the character -possessing the greatest possible value in nature receives from art -all the increase in value that is possible.... It is essential, then, -to closely imitate something in an object; but not everything.” After -defining the essential quality by two illustrations--the illustration -of the lion and the illustration of the dominant characteristics of a -flat country like Holland, Taine continues: “Through its innumerable -effects, you judge of the importance of this essential character. It -is this which art must bring forward into proper light, and if this -task devolves upon art it is because nature fails to accomplish it. In -nature this essential character is simply dominant; it is the aim of -art to render it predominant.... Man is sensible of this deficiency, -and to remove it he has invented art.” - -[SN: _Froude_] - -Froude touches upon this point in his reference to the art of the -writer. He said he would turn to Shakespeare for the best history of -England because of his (Shakespeare’s) absolute truth to character and -event. “We wonder,” Froude wrote, “at the grandeur, the moral majesty, -of some of Shakespeare’s characters, so far beyond what the noblest -among ourselves can imitate, and at first thought we attribute it to -the genius of the poet, who has outstripped Nature in his creations. -But we are misunderstanding the power and the meaning of poetry in -attributing creativeness to it in any such sense. Shakespeare created, -but only as the spirit of Nature created around him, working in him -as it worked abroad in those among whom he lived. The men whom he -draws were such men as he saw and knew; the words they utter were -such as he heard in the ordinary conversations in which he joined. At -the Mermaid with Raleigh and with Sidney, and at a thousand unnamed -English firesides, he found the living originals for his Prince Hals, -his Orlandos, his Antonios, his Portias, his Isabellas. The closer -personal acquaintance which we can form with the English of the age of -Elizabeth, the more we are satisfied that Shakespeare’s great poetry is -no more than the rhythmic echo of the life which it depicts.” - -[SN: _Baumgarten_] - -Baumgarten concluded, from Leibnitz’ theory of a pre-established -harmony and its consequence, that the world is the best possible, that -nature is the highest embodiment of beauty, and that art must seek as -its highest function the strictest possible imitation of nature. - -[SN: _Leibnitz_] - -Bosanquet says: “The greatest degree of perfection was to be found, -according to Leibnitz, in the existing universe, every other possible -system being as a whole less perfect.” - -[SN: _Kant_] - -Kant deals with a phase of this subject which is of great interest. -In many strong works of art there remain incomplete and often -unsatisfactory details. These are permitted to remain because the -artist knows that to remove them would weaken or affect the strength -of the whole. These, Kant says, are “only of necessity suffered to -remain, because they could hardly be removed without loss of force -to the idea. This courage has merit only in the case of a genius. A -certain boldness of expression, and, in general, many a deviation from -the common rule becomes him well; but in no sense is it a thing worthy -of imitation. On the contrary it remains all through intrinsically a -blemish which one is bound to try to remove, but for which the genius -is, as it were, allowed to plead a privilege, on the ground that a -scrupulous carefulness would spoil what is inimitable in the impetuous -ardor of his soul.” - -The genius here referred to by Kant is well understood and his power -is fully recognized, but he is not separated from his fellow craftsmen -except in the degree of his knowledge and ability. He is a man of -superior ability and power who, driving straight to the object of -his labor, represents character in a direct and forceful way. To -this end he brings to his assistance his superior technical skill, -but often in the very impetuosity of his ardor, as Kant suggests, he -leaves unfinished parts because he well understands that to labor over -these parts would be to reduce the force or power of the whole. This -impetuous manner which strives to render the character of the object -or person, or of the scene, or of the ephemeral effects of nature, -quickly and directly, is well understood by the painter. I recall a -large sketch of Daubigny’s owned by Mesdag, probably purchased from -the painter. This sketch represents a green hillside with a canal and -horses in the foreground. For absolute power and truth of beautiful -quality and colour it was probably never surpassed by Daubigny, but it -is what the public would call an unfinished picture. In truth, force, -and beauty, it might fairly be considered “inspired” as compared with -Daubigny’s finished or carefully painted pictures so widely known. -In this painting there are many unsatisfactory parts, such as are -referred to by Kant as “deformities,” but Daubigny well understood -that to remove them or to work over this sketch, which was doubtless -made rapidly in the presence of nature and under the influence of the -particular mood expressed by nature, would have weakened its power. - -I recall another painting that will illustrate this point--a study by -Anton Mauve. This study was found among Mauve’s possessions after his -death, and was probably never offered for sale during his lifetime -because, in minor parts, it is incomplete. Rough lines of the original -drawing were permitted to remain. These are the kind of blemishes to -which Kant refers, but they do not detract from the supreme beauty -and power of the study. Indeed, this picture is considered by many -painters to be one of Mauve’s masterpieces, so true and just is it in -the representation of a momentary effect in nature. Mauve doubtless -recognized the importance of the study and refused to make corrections -of minor defects. I have been told that he replied to Weissenbrouck, a -fellow painter who urged him to finish this work: “I will leave it as -God made it in nature. It is finished.” Mauve had secured the broad, -essential truth of nature and with this he was content. - -[SN: _Maeterlinck_] - -Maurice Maeterlinck tersely expressed the same thought when he said: -“I myself have now for a long time ceased to look for anything more -beautiful in this world, or more interesting, than the truth....” - -The reader will not have failed to observe the significant note of -agreement running through these opinions touching the importance of -selection, the power to perceive and select from among the multitude of -forms those which are exceptional or dominant. - -“Pure perception”; “the faculty of perceiving and expressing the -leading character of objects”; “In nature this essential character is -simply dominant; it is the aim of art to render it predominant ...”; -these expressions of philosophers are in perfect accord with the -expressions of painters, as for instance, “The only thing is _to see_”; -or “our only chance lies in selection and combination.” - - - - -_Symmetry_ - - -If what has been written is true, if art is but the revelation of grace -and beauty inherent in nature, the making plain that which is revealed -to the artist and obscure to the less observant, or to those with less -power, it still remains to account for the universal distinction in -form which characterizes all great works of art. Reference has been -made to the common factor of truth, but there is a second factor or -quality possessed by works of art, that of symmetry. This attribute -lifts a work above the commonplace and, combined with truth, places it -among the masterpieces of art. - -There are certain fundamental laws of symmetry existing in nature and -these, consciously or unconsciously, govern the masters of art in the -production of their works. These undefined laws have been recognized -from the earliest time, and the artist who is governed by them in the -selection of his subjects and controlled by them in the execution of -his work makes a universal appeal to which the aesthetic sense in man -responds. These laws are not of man’s creation. They belong to nature. -They exist in form and colour. They also exist in sound. Whether or not -the Greeks had reduced these laws to definite principles or rules, and -were governed by them in the construction of their temples and in the -creation of their masterly works in sculpture, is a doubtful question; -but certain it is that Hambidge has shown quite conclusively that -certain fundamental proportions existing in natural forms are repeated -in the Parthenon and in other great architectural structures belonging -to the Grecian period. - -This does not mean that every great work of art must of necessity be -based upon clearly defined, rigid rules of proportion, on what is -called Dynamic Symmetry, but rather that works made to conform to these -rules do possess a degree of distinction and that the result is an -orderliness of arrangement or an agreeable disposition of spaces with -relation to each other which produces an aesthetic effect upon the -human mind. - -Therefore, while truth is essential, it is conceded that symmetry must -be added to secure distinction. Commonplace expressions of nature, -while satisfying the ignorant, have never been accepted as art by -those who have given this subject serious thought. - -The quality of design, of pattern, of appropriate and harmonious -arrangement, must be taken into account in any discussion touching -the philosophy of art. The universal appreciation and enjoyment of -design as revealed in rugs, in tapestries, and in a hundred other art -forms, may only be accounted for upon the theory of the existence of a -universal law of nature governing the judgment of man with reference to -these things. - -This law is found in nature just as certainly as is found the law of -gravitation. The art of design when not literally transcribed from -the beautiful forms presented by nature herself is found to rest upon -some adaptation of this universal law of symmetry and harmony. With -symmetrical forms in nature we become familiar even in our childhood. -Take for instance the symmetrical forms of leaves. The grace and -symmetry of the leaf of the elm tree is well known, as is also the -character of the oak leaf and its almost invariable symmetrical form. -When a form that is not symmetrical appears, such, for instance, -as that of the leaf of the sassafras tree--one of the three leaf -forms borne by this tree being shaped like a mitten--we instantly -recognize this exception to the almost universal rule and reject it -as unsymmetrical and inharmonious. Illustrations of symmetry might -be multiplied, because they are found in flower and animal forms -everywhere. With harmony and colour we are made familiar by the passing -seasons. Spring, summer, autumn, and winter are successive expressions -of harmony. - -How far this universal law of symmetry extends throughout nature and -what influence it has upon the human mind in its appreciation of the -beautiful in nature it would be difficult to estimate. It is sufficient -for our purpose to know that it is universal and far reaching in its -application and influence. [SN: _J. Henri Fabre_] It is interesting -in this connection to note that J. Henri Fabre, the eminent French -naturalist, makes reference to this law in describing the uniformity -with which certain bees act, their actions seeming to be governed by a -mysterious law. In his book on “Bramble Bees and Others” Fabre says: -“The first time that I prepared one of these horizontal tubes [for -bramble bees] open at both ends, I was greatly struck by what happened. -The series consisted of ten cocoons. It was divided into two equal -batches. The five on the left went out on the left, the five on the -right went out on the right, reversing, when necessary, their original -direction in the cell. It was very remarkable from the point of view -of symmetry; moreover, it was a very unlikely arrangement among the -total number of possible arrangements, as mathematics will show us.” -Fabre elucidates this fact by mathematical calculation proving that -there had been a spontaneous decision, one half in favor of the exit -on the left, one half in favor of that on the right, when the tube was -horizontal and gravity ceased to interfere. - -This law of harmony has been recognized and to some extent defined by -early philosophers and writers as well as by those of recent date. - -[SN: _Plato_] - -It was recognized and referred to by Plato, who said that the world -offers the material in graceful and beautiful forms; or again that -there is no difficulty in seeing that grace or the absence of grace is -an effect of good or bad rhythm ... that beauty of style and harmony -and grace and good rhythm depend on simplicity. He also refers to art -as representing proportion, harmony, or unity among the parts. His -thought is that there is an absolute principle of beauty which reveals -itself in natural objects. [SN: _Aristotle_] Aristotle expressed the -opinion that the essential qualities of beauty are order and symmetry. -[SN: _Knight_] Knight refers to the appreciation of symmetry and -proportion on the part of the Greek people and he concludes that the -knowledge of this same law of symmetry and its appreciation was -doubtless the basis of Greek art. [SN: _Kant_] Kant in his philosophy -refers to this same law of symmetry, grace, and beauty in nature. He -says: “The beautiful forms displayed in the organic world all plead -eloquently on the side of the realism of the aesthetic finality -of nature in support of the plausible assumption that beneath the -production of the beautiful there must lie a preconceived idea in the -producing cause--that is to say, an end acting in the interest of our -imagination. Flowers, blossoms, even the shapes of plants as a whole, -the elegance of animal formations of all kinds, unnecessary for the -discharge of any function on their part, but chosen as it were with an -eye to our taste; and, beyond all else, the variety and harmony in the -array of colours (in the pheasant, in crustacea, in insects, down even -to the meanest flowers) so pleasing and charming to the eye, but which, -inasmuch as they touch the bare surface and do not even here in any way -affect the structure of these creatures--a matter which might have a -necessary bearing on their internal ends--seem to be planned entirely -with a view to outward appearance: all these lend great weight to the -mode of explanation which assumes actual ends of nature in favor of -our aesthetic judgment.” [SN: _Blackie_] John Stuart Blackie refers -to qualities in nature which create spontaneously in the mind a degree -of pleasure because of their symmetry and beauty. He says: “There must -be, therefore, in nature and in the constitution of things certain -qualities which, being superinduced upon the useful, or mere fitness -to achieve a practical end, create in the mind the pleasant sensations -which arise spontaneously on the perception of a beautiful object.” - -It would seem, therefore, that nature has furnished those forms and -colours which are symmetrical and harmonious, and that familiarity with -these has created in man, in varying degrees, a love for the beautiful -and an appreciation of the symmetrical and orderly. This law of -symmetry and proportion not only appeals to our own consciousness but -has become a part of our daily life. - -It frequently happens that the repetition of beautiful forms results in -what comes to be recognized as a conventional or national expression of -art. This is especially true of Chinese and Japanese art. Conventional -forms adopted by one generation of Chinese or Japanese artists were -often handed down to succeeding generations of artists. Not only was -this true, but the repetition of these conventional forms, generation -after generation, resulted in the adoption of certain arbitrary -rules governing the composition and construction of their works of -art. [SN: _Sei-ichi Taki_] Sei-ichi Taki in his “Three Essays on -Oriental Painting” noted eighteen rules for the painting of “mountain -wrinkles.” Among these rules the following may be mentioned: “Wrinkled -like eddying water.” “Wrinkled like a horse’s tooth.” “Wrinkled like -bullock’s hair.” “Wrinkled like the veins of a lotus leaf.” - -Notwithstanding these conventions, the fundamental or underlying -qualities in Chinese and Japanese art do not differ from those -characterizing works by artists of other nations. There was the same -reliance upon nature and insistence upon selection and the expression -of essential character. [SN: _Kuo Hsi_] For instance, Kuo Hsi, himself -a landscape painter, in his work on art criticism, “Noble Features -of the Forest and Stream,” wrote as follows: “Observe widely and -comprehensively.” And again: “Take in the essentials of a scene and -discard the trivialities.” - -[SN: _Lafcadio Hearn_] - -With Chinese and Japanese artists it was always a question of -discriminating selection. Lafcadio Hearn, a keen observer and a -charming writer upon Japanese life and art, referred with unusual -penetration to the importance of selection when he wrote: “The artist -looked for dominant laws of contrast and colour, for the general -character of nature’s combinations, for the order of the beautiful. He -drew actualities but not repellent or meaningless actualities, proving -his rank even more by his refusal than by his choice of subjects.” -It will be seen from these expressions that Chinese and Japanese art -was in fact based upon an intimate and thorough knowledge of nature, -influenced by certain conventions which were clearly defined and -understood. - -[SN: _La Farge_] - -John La Farge, the American artist who was a profound student of -oriental art, suggests this undefined law of harmony in the universe -when he says: “I might acknowledge that I have far within me a belief -that art is the love of certain balanced proportions and relations -which the mind likes to discover and to bring out in what it deals -with, be it thought, or the action of man, or the influences of nature, -or the material things in which the necessity makes it to work. I -should then expand this idea until it stretched from the patterns of -earliest pottery to the harmony of the lines of Homer. Then I should -say that in our plastic arts the relations of lines and spaces are, in -my belief, the first and earliest desires. And again, I should have to -say that, in my unexpressed faith, these needs are as needs of the soul -and echoes of the laws of the universe, seen and unseen, reflections -of the universal mathematics, cadences of the ancient music of the -spheres.” - -“For I am forced to believe that there are laws for our eyes as well as -for our ears, and that when, if ever, these shall have been deciphered, -as has been the good fortune with music, then shall we find that all -best artists have carefully preserved their instinctive obedience to -these, and have all cared together for this before all.” - -“For the arrangements of line and balances of spaces which meet these -underlying needs are indeed the points through which we recognize the -answer to our natural love and sensitiveness for order, and through -this answer, we feel, clearly or obscurely, the difference between what -we call great men and what we call the average, whatever the personal -charm may be.” - - - - -_Conclusion_ - - -It may seem ruthless to destroy the old conception which attributed to -the works of the painter and sculptor a place superior to or above the -works of men in the field of science or in other spheres of activity, -but this, I think, is rapidly being done. The idea that man is capable -of adding anything to or improving upon the supreme qualities of beauty -as these exist in nature is disappearing. The spirit of a scientific -age is dispelling the old conception of art. Men now realize in art as -in science that the quality of truth is the sole object to be sought. - -[SN: _Lord James Bryce_] - -Lord James Bryce, the eminent English statesman and author, recently -called attention to the dominating influence of the scientific spirit -as felt in the various activities of our time. He referred to the -effect which the enormous increase in knowledge in the scientific world -has had upon our intellectual life and upon the ideas, the habits and -ways of thought of mankind. He said that the scientific investigations -during the past century and a half have occupied a larger proportion -of the energetic intellects of the world than ever before. The -results of these investigations have been more read than they ever -were before, and by a widening circle. They have more affected men’s -minds and become part of our thinking--part of the mental furniture -of educated men and women. Lord Bryce pointed out that through the -everlasting searching after truth and the facts of nature “the methods -and the spirit of science have undoubtedly affected such subjects as -metaphysical and ethical philosophy, as economic science and history, -as political theory, as oratory, as philology, as literature.” And he -added that for some reason (he would not call it inscrutable, because -he said that everything is more or less discoverable by sufficient -study and attention--everything in the human sphere at least) he -believed that there did, in the Eighteenth Century, begin to come over -the human mind a change, the results of which are seen in all these -fields. The novelty of this method, Lord Bryce said, “lies in the -scrupulous care which we bestow upon phenomena, in the determination to -examine the minutest details and to record exactly what we see, that -and nothing more.” Lord Bryce had also expressed the thought that -with all careful study we must strive to communicate an impression, -which is much more difficult than merely to state facts. For example, -he says, the historian’s general impression of a people is no less an -expression of truth and no less accurate than is the presentation of -many minor facts. Lord Bryce here states a profound truth, namely, that -the impression of the whole is of greater importance than the literal -representation of detail. This truth applies to art. The elimination of -trifling details but emphasizes the power and beauty of the whole. - -I think it is this scientific spirit which has influenced modern art -and which is very clearly exemplified in the history of the School of -Impressionists. This school has exerted a powerful influence upon the -art of painting of the present day. I know that the general opinion has -been that the so-called Impressionist painters have departed from the -representation of the truths of nature and that their paintings are not -faithful representations of nature; but I believe the very reverse of -this to be true. I think, in their search for the essential truth of -nature, or the essential fact, that they have, in their very intensity -of effort, departed from the representation of minute details and of -many forms, in order that they might the more fully and perfectly -represent the less obvious and more subtle truth. - -Take, for instance, the purpose which actuated Monet, probably the -leader of this group of painters, in his effort to represent the very -truth of nature by a few masses of vibrating colour. For example, -his haycock series of pictures was but an effort to represent the -most essential qualities of the subjects which he had chosen for his -experiment. I recall very well the first painting by Monet which I had -the opportunity to see, some thirty years ago, and the impression I -received then remains fresh in my memory. It was not the pleasurable -or childish sensation created by recognizing the forms of familiar -objects, but rather the delight created by an impression of vibrating, -sunlit atmosphere. This effect was the result of scientific research. -Monet simply applied his power and his wealth of technical ability -to reproduce another kind of truth, the truth of nature as broadly -represented by beautiful colours in relation to each other. I mention -Monet in this connection because he seems to represent, in an important -sense, the influence of a scientific age upon the art of the painter. - -This view of Claude Monet’s art and the art of the so-called -Impressionists is the very opposite of that entertained by many writers -who have attributed to these painters careless rather than scientific -methods. - -If the principles laid down in this work are true, they become of vital -importance. We will not think less of art, but we will be inspired by -a new devotion to nature and the great laws which govern her. We will -seek more diligently after the subtle harmonies and beauties in nature, -those qualities which have been discovered by the great masters and -translated with measurable success. We will go to nature with more -intelligence and devotion, that we may there enjoy these things for -ourselves at the source of all beauty. The student may lay aside all -preconceived notions with reference to inspiration and creation, and -address himself to his task as would any other workman. The result -should be a more profound appreciation of all beauty and more joy in a -world too often made commonplace by man. - - - - -_References_ - - - ARISTOTLE - - p. 61 William Angus Knight, “Philosophy of the - Beautiful,” Part 1, p. 28. - - BAUMGARTEN, ALEXANDER GOTTLIEB - - p. 52 Enc. Brit. 9th Ed., Vol. 1, “Aesthetics.” - - BLACKIE, JOHN STUART - - p. 62-63 The Contemporary Review, Vol. 43, June, 1883, - pp. 821-822. - - BRYCE, LORD JAMES - - p. 67-69 Founder’s Day Book, Carnegie Institute, 1908, - pp. 12-16. - - CONSTABLE, JOHN - - p. 17-18 C. R. Leslie, R. A., “Memoirs of the Life of John - Constable, Esq., R. A.,” 1843, pp. 147-148. - - p. 23-25 C. R. Leslie, R. A., “Memoirs of the Life of John - Constable, Esq., R. A.,” 1843, p. 66. - - p. 34 C. J. Holmes, “Constable and His Influence on - Landscape Painting,” 1902, p. 131. - - COROT, JEAN-BAPTISTE CAMILLE - - p. 25 Mrs. Schuyler Van Rensselaer, “Six Portraits,” - p. 160. - - DÜRER, ALBRECHT - - p. 20-21 Wm. Angus Knight, “Philosophy of the Beautiful,” - Part 1, p. 48, and Moriz Thausing, “Albert Dürer, - His Life and Works,” 1882, p. 319. - - FABRE, JEAN HENRI - - p. 60-61 J. Henri Fabre, “Bramble Bees and Others,” p. 42. - - FROUDE, JAMES ANTHONY - - p. 51-52 James Anthony Froude, “England’s Forgotten - Worthies,” pub. in “Short Studies on Great - Subjects,” Vol. 1, First Series, 1894, p. 360. - - HAMBIDGE, JAY - - p. 58 Jay Hambidge, “Dynamic Symmetry: The Greek Vase.” - - HEARN, LAFCADIO - - p. 64-65 Atlantic Monthly, Vol. 78, August, 1896, p. 224. - - HEGEL, GEORG WILHELM FRIEDRICH - - p. 13-15 “The German Classics of the Nineteenth and - Twentieth Centuries,” trans. by Kuno Francke - and Wm. G. Howard, Vol. 7, pp. 112-113. - - p. 15 “Philosophy of Fine Art,” trans. by Bernard - Bosanquet, p. 105. - - HOGARTH, WILLIAM - - p. 22 William Hogarth, “Anecdotes of William Hogarth,” - 1833, p. 47. - - HOMER, WINSLOW - - p. 37-39 Author’s Notebook. - - KANT, IMMANUEL - - p. 52-55 Immanuel Kant, “Critique of Aesthetic Judgment,” - trans. by James Creed Meredith, 1911, p. 181. - - p. 62 Immanuel Kant, “Critique of Aesthetic Judgment,” - trans. by James Creed Meredith, 1911, pp. 216-217. - - KNIGHT, WILLIAM ANGUS - - p. 61-62 Wm. Angus Knight, “Philosophy of the - Beautiful,” Part 1, pp. 40-41 and page 19. - - KUO HSI - - p. 64 Sei-ichi Taki, “Three Essays on Oriental - Painting,” pp. 43-45, quoting from Kuo - Hsi, “Noble Features of the Forest and Stream.” - - LA FARGE, JOHN - - p. 42 John La Farge, “An Artist’s Letters - From Japan,” p. 141. - - p. 65-66 John La Farge, “An Artist’s Letters - From Japan,” p. 145. - - LAWRENCE, SIR THOMAS - - p. 25 C. R. Leslie, R. A., “Memoirs of the Life - of John Constable, Esq., R. A.,” 1843, p. 148. - - LEIBNITZ, BARON GOTTFRIED WILHELM VON - - p. 52 Bernard Bosanquet, “A History of Aesthetics,” - 1892, p. 185. - - LEONARDO DA VINCI - - p. 21 “Leonardo da Vinci’s Notebooks,” trans. - by Edward McCurdy, p. 156 and p. 160. - - MAETERLINCK, MAURICE - - p. 55-56 Maurice Maeterlinck, “The Life of the Bee,” p. 5. - - MAUVE, ANTON - - p. 44-46 Author’s Notebook. - - MICHELANGELO BUONAROTTI - - p. 19-20 Francisco D’Ollanda, “Third Dialogue on Painting,” - pub. in “Michael Angelo Buonarotti,” by Charles - Holroyd, Appendix, p. 323. - - MILLET, JEAN FRANÇOIS - - p. 25-26 Romain Rolland, “Millet,” trans. by Clementina - Black, pp. 383-385, 162, and 180. - - PLATO - - p. 61 Plato’s Republic, pub. in “Dialogues of Plato,” - trans. by B. Jowett, Vol. 3, pp. 86-87, and Enc. - Brit. 9th Ed., Vol. 1, “Aesthetics.” - - RANGER, HENRY WARD - - p. 39-41 Author’s Notebook. - - REYNOLDS, SIR JOSHUA - - p. 22-23 Henry William Beechy, “The Literary Works of Sir - Joshua Reynolds,” Vol. 1, pp. 385 and 317, and - G. Clausen, “Royal Academy Lectures on Painting,” - p. 137. - - RODIN, AUGUSTE - - p. 46-47 Auguste Rodin, “Art,” trans. from the French of - Paul Gsell by Mrs. Romilly Fedden, pp. 30-33, - and Literary Digest, June 4, 1910, p. 1127. - - SCHOPENHAUER, ARTHUR - - p. 48-49 “The German Classics of the Nineteenth and - Twentieth Centuries,” trans. by Kuno Francke - and Wm. G. Howard, Vol. 15, p. 48. - - SEGANTINI, GIOVANNI - - p. 43-44 Author’s Notebook. - - SOCRATES - - p. 15-16 Enc. Brit. 9th Ed., Vol. 1, “Aesthetics.” - - STUART, GILBERT - - p. 25 George C. Mason, “The Life and Works of Gilbert - Stuart,” 1894, pp. 68-69. - - TAINE, HIPPOLYTE ADOLPHE - - p. 50-51 H. Taine, “Philosophy of Art,” trans. by Durand, - 1865, pp. 41, 57, 73, and H. Taine, “Lectures on - Art,” Vol. 1, 1889, pp. 163, 197, and 353. - - TAKI, SEI-ICHI - - p. 64 Sei-ichi Taki, “Three Essays on Oriental - Painting,” p. 48. - - THAYER, ABBOTT HANDERSON - - p. 30-32 Carnegie Institute Catalogue, Abbott H. - Thayer Exhibition, 1919, p. 9. - - TOLSTOI, L. N. - - p. 39 L. N. Tolstoi, “What is Art,” p. 43. - - WHISTLER, JAMES ABBOTT MCNEILL - - p. 26-30 Author’s Notebook, and James McNeill Whistler, - “The Gentle Art of Making Enemies,” pp. 142-143, - and James McNeill Whistler, “Ten O’clock,” - pp. 13-14. - - WORDSWORTH, WILLIAM - - p. 34 Wm. Wordsworth, “Upon the Sight of a Beautiful - Picture,” lines 12-14. - - * * * * * - - NINE HUNDRED AND FIFTY COPIES PRINTED - AT THE PRESS OF WILLIAM EDWIN RUDGE - MOUNT VERNON, NEW YORK - - TYPOGRAPHY BY BRUCE ROGERS - - * * * * * - -Transcriber’s Notes: - -Punctuation has been made consistent. - -Variations in spelling and hyphenation were retained as they appear in -the original publication, except that obvious typographical errors have -been corrected. - - - - - -End of Project Gutenberg's The Relation of Art to Nature, by John W. 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Beatty - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org/license - - -Title: The Relation of Art to Nature - -Author: John W. Beatty - -Release Date: November 8, 2016 [EBook #53477] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE RELATION OF ART TO NATURE *** - - - - -Produced by Chris Curnow, Craig Kirkwood, and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This -file was produced from images generously made available -by The Internet Archive.) - - - - - - -</pre> - - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 572px;"> -<img id="coverpage" src="images/i_cover.jpg" width="572" height="850" alt="Cover." /> -</div> - -<p id="half-title"><em>The Relation of Art to Nature</em></p> - - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 436px;"> -<img src="images/i_title.jpg" width="436" height="650" alt="Title page." /> -</div> - -<div class="boxittitlepage"> -<h1><em>THE RELATION<br /> -OF ART<br /> -TO NATURE</em></h1> - -<p class="center xlargefont" style="margin-top:1em"><em>by<br /> -John W. Beatty</em></p> - -<p class="center xlargefont" style="margin-top:3em"><em>New York<br /> -William Edwin Rudge</em><br /> -1922 -</p> -</div> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<div class="chapter"></div><!--Page break for ePub--> - -<p class="center"><em>Copyright, 1922<br /> -by</em> <span class="smcap">John W. Beatty</span> -</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<div class="chapter"></div><!--Page break for ePub--> - -<p class="center"><em>To my gentle wife this little volume<br /> -is affectionately dedicated.</em> -</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"></div><!--Page break for ePub--> - - -<h2><em>Contents</em></h2> - -<div class="center"> -<table class="toc" border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0" summary="Contents"> -<tr><td class="toctitle"><span class="smcap">Argument</span></td><td class="tocpage"><em>Page</em> <a href="#Page_1">1</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class="toctitle"><span class="smcap">The Artist and His Purpose</span></td><td class="tocpage"><a href="#Page_5">5</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class="toctitle"><span class="smcap">Ancient Conceptions of Art</span></td><td class="tocpage"><a href="#Page_13">13</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class="toctitle"><span class="smcap">Evidence of Painters and Sculptors</span></td><td class="tocpage"><a href="#Page_19">19</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class="toctitle"><span class="smcap">Opinions of Philosophers and Writers</span></td><td class="tocpage"><a href="#Page_48">48</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class="toctitle"><span class="smcap">Symmetry</span></td><td class="tocpage"><a href="#Page_57">57</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class="toctitle"><span class="smcap">Conclusion</span></td><td class="tocpage"><a href="#Page_67">67</a></td></tr> -</table></div> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"></div><!--Page break for ePub--> - - -<h2><em>Authorities Quoted</em></h2> - - -<div class="center"> -<table class="auth" border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0" summary="Authorities"> -<tr><td class="authsection" colspan="2">PAINTERS AND SCULPTORS</td></tr> -<tr><td class="authauth">Kuo Hsi</td><td class="authdate">11th Century</td></tr> -<tr><td class="authauth">Leonardo da Vinci</td><td class="authdate">1452-1519</td></tr> -<tr><td class="authauth">Albrecht Dürer</td><td class="authdate">1471-1528</td></tr> -<tr><td class="authauth">Michelangelo Buonarotti</td><td class="authdate">1475-1564</td></tr> -<tr><td class="authauth">William Hogarth</td><td class="authdate">1697-1764</td></tr> -<tr><td class="authauth">Sir Joshua Reynolds</td><td class="authdate">1723-1792</td></tr> -<tr><td class="authauth">Gilbert Stuart</td><td class="authdate">1755-1828</td></tr> -<tr><td class="authauth">Sir Thomas Lawrence</td><td class="authdate">1769-1830</td></tr> -<tr><td class="authauth">John Constable</td><td class="authdate">1776-1837</td></tr> -<tr><td class="authauth">Jean-Baptiste Camille Corot</td><td class="authdate">1796-1875</td></tr> -<tr><td class="authauth">Jean François Millet</td><td class="authdate">1814-1875</td></tr> -<tr><td class="authauth">James Abbott McNeill Whistler</td><td class="authdate">1834-1903</td></tr> -<tr><td class="authauth">John La Farge</td><td class="authdate">1835-1910</td></tr> -<tr><td class="authauth">Winslow Homer</td><td class="authdate">1836-1910</td></tr> -<tr><td class="authauth">Anton Mauve</td><td class="authdate">1838-1888</td></tr> -<tr><td class="authauth">Auguste Rodin</td><td class="authdate">1840-1915</td></tr> -<tr><td class="authauth">Abbott Handerson Thayer</td><td class="authdate">1849-1921</td></tr> -<tr><td class="authauth">Henry Ward Ranger</td><td class="authdate">1858-1916</td></tr> -<tr><td class="authauth">Giovanni Segantini</td><td class="authdate">1858-1899</td></tr> -<tr><td class="authsection" colspan="2">WRITERS AND PHILOSOPHERS</td></tr> -<tr><td class="authauth">Socrates</td><td class="authdate">470-399 B. C.</td></tr> -<tr><td class="authauth">Plato</td><td class="authdate">427-347 B. C.</td></tr> -<tr><td class="authauth">Aristotle</td><td class="authdate">384-322 B. C.</td></tr> -<tr><td class="authauth">Baron Gottfried Wilhelm von Leibnitz</td><td class="authdate">1646-1716</td></tr> -<tr><td class="authauth">Alexander Gottlieb Baumgarten</td><td class="authdate">1714-1762</td></tr> -<tr><td class="authauth">Immanuel Kant</td><td class="authdate">1724-1804</td></tr> -<tr><td class="authauth">Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel</td><td class="authdate">1770-1831</td></tr> -<tr><td class="authauth">Arthur Schopenhauer</td><td class="authdate">1788-1860</td></tr> -<tr><td class="authauth">John Stuart Blackie</td><td class="authdate">1809-1895</td></tr> -<tr><td class="authauth">James Anthony Froude</td><td class="authdate">1818-1894</td></tr> -<tr><td class="authauth">Jean Henri Fabre</td><td class="authdate">1823-1915</td></tr> -<tr><td class="authauth">Hippolyte Adolphe Taine</td><td class="authdate">1828-1893</td></tr> -<tr><td class="authauth">William Angus Knight</td><td class="authdate">1836-1916</td></tr> -<tr><td class="authauth">Lord James Bryce</td><td class="authdate">1838-1922</td></tr> -<tr><td class="authauth">Lafcadio Hearn</td><td class="authdate">1850-1904</td></tr> -<tr><td class="authauth">Maurice Maeterlinck</td><td class="authdate"><span style="padding-right:2em">1862-</span></td></tr> -<tr><td class="authauth">Sei-ichi Taki</td></tr> -</table></div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"></div><!--Page break for ePub--> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 600px;"> -<img src="images/i_xiii.jpg" width="600" height="69" alt="" /> -</div> - -<h2 class="no-break"><em>Introduction</em></h2> - - -<p><em>In his very convincing and lucid treatise on the -fundamental principles of art, John W. Beatty -gives us a most absorbing theme to follow—the -relation of art to nature, as expressed in their own -words by artists themselves, of different times and -creeds; with, too, the opinions of philosophers and -men of letters.</em></p> - -<p><em>Himself a well-known painter, Mr. Beatty has -been for almost thirty years the enlightened Director -of Fine Arts of the Carnegie Institute, where, -alone in our whole country, are held annually -International Exhibitions of Art. Much of his life -has thus been spent in intimate association with -the very best painters and sculptors of our generation, -and his and their opinions and observations -are here to be read with much pleasure and profit -by every one interested in art.</em></p> - -<p><em>Mr. Beatty is quite right when he says, “Not -many able artists have recorded their opinions.” -In conversation, or on the impulse of the moment -they may often speak with great beauty and clarity -of expression, but nearly always tersely and to the -point. On the other hand, the man of letters is -more given to analysis and finds more words, and -more beautiful ones, to express his meaning.</em></p> - -<p><em>Analysis is perhaps a dangerous thing for the -craftsman to toy with. He must approach nature -directly and simply, with concentration that is -absolute. He dissects only that particular fragment -of nature which is before him, and that unconsciously. -The precious sensation of closeness -to nature is so fleeting and so fickle, so often not -there at all, and so frightened, that it is easily -scared away by the cold voice of the man with a -rule to follow. The ever changing aspect of nature, -be it man or landscape, makes the first impression -quickly recorded in the thumb-box sketch, or with -a dozen lines on the back of an envelope, an invaluable -document. Again and again in the painting -of a picture we refer with respect to this first strong -impression of nature.</em></p> - -<p><em>The words</em> character <em>and</em> beauty <em>are many times -repeated in this book. Both terms are definite and -yet how elastic! Rembrandt is the preëminent example -of the complex meaning of the word beauty; -many of his models he found in the Ghetto and -among his friends and neighbors, or, for lack of a -model, he painted himself. Surely he has proved -to us that only that which has character is truly -beautiful; and we must also feel in the presence of -Rembrandt’s works, his absolute fidelity to truth.</em></p> - -<p><em>On a certain occasion I was in Rodin’s studio -when reference was made to some harsh criticism -of one of his nudes. After listening with impatience -Rodin shrugged his shoulders and said: -“Why find fault with me? they should find fault -with nature!”</em></p> - -<p><em>And so we return to Mr. Beatty’s contention -that the artist has succeeded when he has imitated -the truth and beauty of nature. The word imitation -might seem to limit the artist’s personal vision, -which must be his very own. How very different -this personal vision can be came vividly before me -when I visited the Prado in Madrid. In one room -are seen the immortal works of Velasquez, among -which are the portraits of Philip IV and his consort; -and in an adjoining room are portraits of -this same Philip and his queen by Rubens, the -Fleming, who happened to be temporarily in Madrid -on a diplomatic mission. The Spaniard saw -his sovereigns in all their splendor, but with a -solemn dignity, dark haired and sallow complexioned. -While the man from Antwerp saw the forms -more round and amiable, the hair and flesh more -blond and colourful, and unconsciously injected the -blood of the Netherlands into the veins of his -Spanish sitters.</em></p> - -<p><em>Notwithstanding this personal expression, the -predilection of a Rubens for the more florid colours, -of a Velasquez for the more subdued, sober notes -found in nature, it remains true that the end sought -by both is the representation of character as it -exists in nature.</em></p> - -<p class="marginrightindent"><span class="smcap">Gari Melchers.</span></p> - -<p><em>Belmont,<br /> -Falmouth, Virginia,<br /> -January 5, 1922.</em></p> - - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<div class="chapter"></div><!--Page break for ePub--> - -<div class="boxitrodin"> -<p class="hangindent">“<em>The realities of Nature surpass our most ambitious dreams.</em>”</p> - -<p class="marginright"><span class="smcap">Auguste Rodin</span></p> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"></div><!--Page break for ePub--> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_1" id="Page_1">[1]</a></span></p> - - - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 600px;"> -<img src="images/i_001.jpg" width="600" height="71" alt="" /> -</div> - - -<h2 class="no-break"><em>Argument</em></h2> - - -<p class="dropcap">My purpose in writing this treatise is to establish, -if this be found possible, a foundation -for the belief that the art of the painter and sculptor -is imitative, not creative; that the great masterpieces -of art which have withstood the test of time -rest firmly upon the supreme expression of character -and beauty as these qualities are revealed in -man and nature; that it is the mission of art to reveal -and make plain these rare and lovely qualities. -The truthful representation of these qualities constitutes -a common factor which binds all great -works together, a fact that is realized in every -national gallery of art.</p> - -<p>I have chosen to base my argument not upon -theory or opinion but upon the evidence of eminent -painters and sculptors who have produced great -works of art.</p> - -<p>Not many able artists have recorded their opinions -touching the philosophy of art. On the other<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2" id="Page_2">[2]</a></span> -hand, writers in abundance have undertaken to -define art. A few early and some modern philosophers -have given profound thought to the subject -and bequeathed to us their opinions. Painters and -sculptors, with few exceptions, however, have confined -their efforts to searching for, and revealing -by their art, beauty and character. More is the -pity, because opinion supported by achievement is -always more valuable than judgment which rests -solely upon theory or observation.</p> - -<p>The great masters who have directed brush and -chisel in the performance of their work must have -known what their purpose was; they certainly -knew better than any one else, and they undoubtedly -realized how far they had succeeded, or how -far they had fallen short of securing the qualities -which they had discovered and which they had undertaken -to reveal. The evidence of these men is -invaluable. Its importance bears an exact relation -to their success in producing great and enduring -works. This is true in every other field of human -endeavor and it is equally true in the field of art. -The opinion of the great astronomer with reference -to astronomy is more valuable than that of the layman; -the opinion of the great painter than that of -the amateur. The man who knows any science so -perfectly that he can practice it successfully, the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_3" id="Page_3">[3]</a></span> -artist who knows his art and nature so well that he -can produce great works of art, these have earned -the right to express their opinions. I think this must -be accepted as a fundamental truth. It is therefore -to the painter and sculptor that I turn for judgment. -I have been aided in this inquiry by knowledge -of the opinions of many of the able painters -and sculptors of our own time. Intimate discussion -has stimulated further inquiry, and a conviction -which was originally based upon familiarity with -the methods and purpose of the painter has been -confirmed.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"></div><!--Page break for ePub--> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_5" id="Page_5">[5]</a></span></p> - - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 600px;"> -<img src="images/i_005.jpg" width="600" height="68" alt="" /> -</div> - -<h2 class="no-break"><em>The Artist and His Purpose</em></h2> - - -<p class="dropcap">During all the great periods of art able men -have striven earnestly to attain a knowledge -of character and beauty and to achieve their truthful -representation. Even when the purpose of the -artist has been to express some specific idea or to -record some incident or historical event, the work -has lived, not because of the idea conveyed or the -interest which attaches to the subject, but because -it has portrayed character in a powerful manner, or -because it has expressed the qualities of beauty -which are inherent in nature. Upon these qualities, -as they have been understood and translated by the -artist, has depended the life of every great painting -and work of sculpture. I believe this to be a fundamental -and far reaching truth, accepted almost universally -by painters and sculptors. This, I know, is -equivalent to saying that the chief value of a work -of art lies in its power to give aesthetic pleasure.</p> - -<p>These observations may suggest a question as to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_6" id="Page_6">[6]</a></span> -the relative importance of a work of art which tells -a story or records historical events as compared -with one which appeals solely to the aesthetic sense -or the love of beauty. Human language, it would -seem to me, is the logical method for conveying -thought from one mind to another and offers direct, -untrammelled mental contact without the intervention -of form or design of any kind, while the -representation of beauty for beauty’s sake alone is -the more direct and effective way of creating and -stimulating in the human heart a love of nature -and art.</p> - -<p>This, however, is not the question considered in -this work. The question raised is simply this: Has -the artist, in representing the evanescent effects of -nature, the manifold beauties and harmonies with -which we are surrounded in this world, or predominant -character as expressed by man, exceeded nature -either by virtue of his exceptional power or as -a result of any personal quality which he may impart -to the work?</p> - -<p>It is also manifestly true that the greatness of a -work of art must depend upon the mental power of -the artist, that power which enables him to apprehend -or discover the essential qualities existing in -nature. It is equally true that every artist, even -though wholly absorbed in the effort to reveal the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_7" id="Page_7">[7]</a></span> -truth and beauty which exist in nature, expresses -in some degree his own personality. He does this -inevitably, first, by the type of subject he chooses -to study and represent, and, second, but in a less -important degree, by the technical manner employed. -This is, of course, well understood by -every one. It is not for a moment disputed. But -beyond and above this personal expression stands, -as the chief and highest purpose of the artist, the -representation of truth and character as these do -actually exist.</p> - -<p>While the painter has used his art to record history, -to tell stories, and to express emotions and -convictions, his chief mission is to extract from -nature her many beautiful forms and harmonies -and to present these in pleasing fashion. In this -way the artisan, drawing upon the great multitude -of beautiful forms and colours exhibited by nature -and so lavishly spread everywhere in the animal -and plant creations, cunningly fashions patterns -and combinations, weaving these into rugs and -adapting them to the many beautiful objects with -which we are familiar.</p> - -<p>Notwithstanding these accepted facts, I am convinced -that the great works of the painter and -sculptor, those of supreme importance, rest not -upon any of these devices or expressions of art,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_8" id="Page_8">[8]</a></span> -but upon the faithful, unerring and masterly representation -of character and beauty as these do -actually exist. The masterpieces of art as they live -today in the national art galleries of the world -establish this fact. They seem to possess a common -factor without regard to subject or period which -unites in a common family the great paintings of -the entire history of art. This factor I believe to -be the quality of truth. These great works owe -their existence to the fact that they faithfully represent -some great outstanding type, or because they -truthfully reveal the characteristic and essential -beauty of nature expressed in one of her many -moods. They are important just in proportion as -their masters have understood these qualities and -recorded their impressions on canvas and in -marble.</p> - -<p>I know perfectly well that the opinion here expressed -is not the one most widely accepted; it is -not the popular view of art; it is not the view -expressed by many writers upon this subject.</p> - -<p>The opinion most widely accepted is that the -artist creates beauty; that in some mysterious way, -by virtue of a special gift, he does actually evolve -from within his own consciousness forms of grace -and loveliness; that however deeply the artist sinks -himself in nature, art yet remains intensely individual;<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_9" id="Page_9">[9]</a></span> -that in representing nature he adds to that -which he secures from nature a personal quality -which becomes the most important part of the -work. This is the theory of art accepted very generally, -but it is not supported by evidence.</p> - -<p>The main purpose of this writing is, in fact, to -establish by the evidence of the men who are quoted -that their reliance has been solely upon nature and -their success in exact proportion to their knowledge -of nature and their ability to portray her predominant -qualities. Let me repeat, however, that the -ability to see and understand nature is dependent -upon mental power. The man of limited mental -power will see little; the one of great power will -see much. The latter will apprehend the subtle, -elusive qualities in a way impossible to the former. -This, I know, is equivalent to saying that the great -artist must bring to his task a great mind. This -assumption is quite correct. A great mind is that -power which is vaguely described as genius; it is -what enables men to accomplish great things in -every field of human endeavor. The question, -therefore, is not whether the great artist possesses -superior power, but rather how important are the -inevitable traces of personal predilection or technical -manner revealed in nearly all works of art as -compared with the truthful presentation of the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_10" id="Page_10">[10]</a></span> -fundamental qualities the artist has discovered and -undertaken to represent.</p> - -<p>Let us examine this phase of the question more -fully. A painting by Corot for instance bears, -first, the evidence of Corot’s choice of subject. -That which appealed to him in nature he painted. -The kind of thing he loved, the phase of nature he -chose, unquestionably bore evidence of his personal -temperament or predilection. By this he expressed -his personal taste, his discriminating judgment, -himself, in fact. If the artist be a man of gentle and -sensitive quality, he will select for representation, -as Corot did, a phase of nature which is in accord -with his feeling.</p> - -<p>In the second place, a painting by Corot will -exhibit in a very obvious way the manifest impress -of the artist’s technical method. In fact, the manner -by which the work is performed, that which is -termed technic, the very manner in which the artist -touches the canvas, becomes a distinguishing and -individual characteristic intimately associated with -the artist and easily recognized. However, the technical -treatment is of little significance. It is in an -important sense pure mannerism, often the result -of habit or early professional training. In a limited -sense it is the handwriting of the artist. This -technical side of a painting, the obvious and superficial<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_11" id="Page_11">[11]</a></span> -aspect, is, I am convinced, given by the amateur -an importance out of all proportion to its -value.</p> - -<p>We must, however, deal with this personal phase -of a work of art. The question is how important -is this personal expression as compared with the -more profound truth of nature. If we may accept -the testimony of the painters and sculptors who -have produced enduring works of art, we will, I -think, be convinced that this quality is not important -when compared with essential truth or predominant -character. The artists whose opinions -you will read seem almost without exception to -attach greater importance to the expression of the -character of the person or object represented than -to the expression of personal temperament. Indeed, -they seem to be oblivious to the qualities which -attract and occupy the attention of the writer and -amateur, but they are insistent upon the paramount -importance of truth.</p> - -<p>What this all-important quality is may be further -explained by a simple illustration.</p> - -<p>Abraham Lincoln was an outstanding type. The -painter or sculptor cannot by his art enhance either -the beauty or strength of Lincoln’s character. The -utmost he can hope to do is to realize that character -in its richness and fullness of power. In everything<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_12" id="Page_12">[12]</a></span> -the artist touches in his effort to reproduce this -character his taste will be displayed, even in the -treatment of details, the adjustment of draperies -and accessories, the appropriateness of gesture or -movement; but all these things, including the -technic displayed, will be subordinate to Lincoln’s -character. The great, outstanding, dominant character -of Abraham Lincoln exists as a masterpiece -of nature far outranking in perfection any description -or portraiture. The man who best reads or comprehends -this character and who most faithfully -represents it, will produce the greatest work of art. -In the effort to do this, the painter or sculptor will -undoubtedly leave traces of his own individuality -or temperament, but these qualities must not be -confused with the dominant character of a Lincoln -or given undue importance. The highest purpose -of the artist is to faithfully represent character.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"></div><!--Page break for ePub--> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_13" id="Page_13">[13]</a></span></p> - - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 600px;"> -<img src="images/i_013.jpg" width="600" height="61" alt="" /> -</div> - -<h2 class="no-break"><em>Ancient Conceptions of Art</em></h2> - - -<p class="dropcap">Closely allied to the thought that the painter -creates beauty is the ancient tradition that -the artist is inspired to produce works of art. This -conviction had its origin very early in the history -of art. In the time of Praxiteles this belief was -entertained by many; it was thought, for instance, -that in the production of the Aphrodite of Knidos -the sculptor was inspired by the goddess herself.</p> - -<p>This conception of art doubtless grew out of the -fact that the early art of the Egyptians and Greeks -was largely devoted to the representation of deities -and to the erection of temples which should be -their shrines. This association of art with the -gods and their temples doubtless contributed to the -belief that the artist was inspired or that he possessed -a superior power or the gift of inspiration.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><em>Hegel</em></div> - -<p>Closely allied with this thought was the conception -expressed by Hegel with reference to a distinction -between the external and material forms<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_14" id="Page_14">[14]</a></span> -of art and the spirit which he suggests permeates -the work and of which it is a manifestation. Hegel, -although accepting the theory that “art has the -vocation of revealing the truth in the form of sensuous -artistic shape,” speaks of the union of the -material with the spiritual in a manner, which -although quite true in abstract reasoning, contributes -to this impression. Discussing Architecture as -a Fine Art, he wrote: “The material of architecture -is matter itself in its immediate externality as a -heavy mass subject to mechanical laws, and its -forms remain the forms of inorganic nature, but are -merely arranged and ordered in accordance with -the abstract rules of the understanding, the rules -of symmetry. But in such material and in such -forms the ideal as concrete spirituality cannot be -realized; the reality which is represented in them -remains, therefore, alien to the spiritual idea, as -something external which it has not penetrated or -with which it has but a remote and abstract relation.... -Into this temple now enters the -God himself. The lightning-flash of individuality -strikes the inert mass, permeates it, and a form no -longer merely symmetrical, but infinite and spiritual, -concentrates and molds its adequate bodily -shape.” No one today in the presence of a superb -relic of architecture asks whether or not it is the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_15" id="Page_15">[15]</a></span> -abiding place of a spirit. It is accepted as expressing -the spirit of beauty and is enjoyed for this -alone.</p> - -<p>Hegel’s conception of a work of art, frequently -expressed in his philosophy, was that the content or -idea is the important thing. This conception conformed -to early art because painting and sculpture -were employed primarily to express ideas.</p> - -<p>With the development of the Landscape School -of Art and the enjoyment of art on the purely -aesthetic side, modern thought has materially -changed. Gradually our appreciation of the beautiful -for its own sake has developed. The influence -of this movement has reacted upon all phases of -art expression, and even those works which express -ideas in the sense of subject matter have come to be -judged upon the basis of aesthetic beauty, rather -than with reference to the idea or content as thus -defined.</p> - -<p>Therefore what Hegel says applies to the early -conception of art rather than to that of the present -time.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><em>Socrates</em></div> - -<p>Another conception of art suggests the union of -the beautiful with the good. The philosophy of -Socrates teaches this. He regarded the beautiful -as coincident with the good, and both of them as -resolvable into the useful. He does not seem to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_16" id="Page_16">[16]</a></span> -have attached importance to the immediate gratification -which a beautiful object affords to perception -and contemplation, but rather to have emphasized -its power of furthering the more necessary -ends of life.</p> - -<p>These early theories and conceptions with reference -to art may in some degree account for the -prevalence of an impression, even in our own time, -that the artist is inspired or that he creates his masterpiece -as the result of some supernatural power. -It has always seemed to the inexperienced that the -creation of a work of art implies an element of -mystery or represents something inexplicable. -What is to the painter a natural process becomes -mysterious. Nothing existed on the blank canvas -and behold, presently, there appears a picture simulating -life. Having no knowledge of the methods -employed, or of the years of patient labor required -to secure the technical ability to represent the -actual truth and spirit of natural objects, the result -seems far removed from the ordinary. Thence it is -but a step to the point of view that the artist is one -“inspired.”</p> - -<p>Although the conception of a work of art which -places it above nature is very old, I do not recall a -definition made under this impression which seems -satisfactory. There is always apparent the effort<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_17" id="Page_17">[17]</a></span> -to compromise or bring together two distinct conceptions—the -one attributing to the work a quality -superior to nature and the other demanding that it -be a truthful representation of nature. Defining -a work of art as something superior to nature, and -at the same time insisting that it represent nature -faithfully is an inconsistency eternally cropping -out.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><em>John Constable</em></div> - -<p>John Constable touched this subject with remarkable -acumen and expressed his conviction -with precision when he said: “It appears to me -that pictures have been over-valued; held up by a -blind admiration as ideal things, and almost as -standards by which nature is to be judged rather -than the reverse; and this false estimate has been -sanctioned by the extravagant epithets that have -been applied to painters, as ‘the divine,’ ‘the inspired,’ -and so forth. Yet, in reality what are the -most sublime productions of the pencil but selections -of some of the forms of nature, and copies of -a few of her evanescent effects; the result, not of -inspiration, but of long and patient study, under -the direction of much good sense.”</p> - -<p>This, then, is my argument: First, that art is -the expression of supreme or predominant character -and the representation of grace and harmony -as these qualities exist in nature; and, second, that<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_18" id="Page_18">[18]</a></span> -the truthful rendering of these qualities is the high -mission of the painter and sculptor.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"></div><!--Page break for ePub--> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_19" id="Page_19">[19]</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 600px;"> -<img src="images/i_019.jpg" width="600" height="69" alt="" /> -</div> - - -<h2 class="no-break"><em>Evidence of Painters and Sculptors</em></h2> - - -<p class="dropcap">If we will now turn to the evidence bearing upon -this subject, we will discover what I have already -indicated, namely, that the able artists who -have expressed opinions touching the philosophy -of their art have done so in no uncertain terms, and -that the opinions which refer art to nature as the -highest source seem convincing. We will also discover -that not only do the majority of able painters -agree upon what art really is, and express their -opinions with clearness and precision, but that -many of the philosophers of recent and ancient -times define art in the same forceful way.</p> - -<p>Let us first examine opinions expressed by painters -and sculptors.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><em>Michelangelo</em></div> - -<p>Michelangelo wrote: “In my judgment that is -the excellent and divine painting which is most -like and best imitates any work of immortal God, -whether a human figure, or a wild and strange -animal, or a simple and easy fish, or a bird of the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_20" id="Page_20">[20]</a></span> -air, or any other creature.... To imitate perfectly -each of these things in its species seems to -me to be nothing else but to desire to imitate the -work of immortal God. And yet that thing will be -the most noble and perfect in the works of painting -which in itself reproduced the thing which is most -noble and of the greatest delicacy and knowledge.” -Michelangelo thus reduces the philosophy of art -to the simple problem of selection, and the faithful -and truthful representation of the dominant, the -graceful, the harmonious, and the beautiful in -nature. His statement, which so simply, even -quaintly, expresses the opinion of a great master -whose works have commanded the homage of the -world during nearly four centuries, is worthy of the -most careful consideration. It reveals his reliance -upon nature without confusion of thought or pretension -of any kind. There are here no intricate -definitions of art or complex theories concerning his -method of creating his masterly representations of -the best he found in nature—“the thing which is -most noble!”</p> - -<p>The universality of this profound truth and of -its independence of local conditions and circumstances -is emphasized by the fact that another -great master of another race, one whose technical -methods and choice of subjects differed widely<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_21" id="Page_21">[21]</a></span> -from those of Michelangelo, expressed the same -reliance upon nature. <span class="sni"><span class="hidev">|</span><em>Albrecht Dürer</em><span class="hidev">|</span></span> -Albrecht Dürer was a contemporary -of Michelangelo, but he worked under -widely different conditions. It is the great fundamental -quality of truth so quaintly commended by -Michelangelo that distinguishes the works of -Albrecht Dürer. Albrecht Dürer wrote: “Life in -Nature proves the truth of these things; therefore -consider her diligently, guide thyself by her, and -swerve not from Nature, thinking that thou canst -find something better of thyself, for thou wilt be -deceived. For Art standeth firmly fixed in Nature, -and whoso can thence rend her forth, he only possesseth -her.”</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><em>Leonardo da Vinci</em></div> - -<p>We find in Leonardo da Vinci’s notebook reference -to this same principle. He recommends application -to the study of the works of nature and -advises the student to withdraw as far as possible -from the companionship of others in order that -he may more earnestly and effectively do this. His -sage advice emphasizes the importance of study. -“The eye, which is called the window of the soul, -is the chief means whereby the understanding may -most fully and abundantly appreciate the infinite -works of nature.... All visible things derive -their existence from nature, and from these same -things is born painting.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_22" id="Page_22">[22]</a></span></p> - -<div class="sidenote"><em>William Hogarth</em></div> - -<p>Another painter who has written his opinion -upon this subject is William Hogarth, who said: -“Nature is simple, plain, and true, in all her works, -and those who strictly adhere to her laws, and -closely attend to her appearances in their infinite -varieties, are guarded against any prejudiced bias -from truth.”</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><em>Sir Joshua Reynolds</em></div> - -<p>Of the great painters who have touched upon the -philosophy of art in their writings, no one has -written, shall I say, more fluently than has Sir -Joshua Reynolds. He may even be said to have -been eloquent. His lectures prepared for the students -of the Royal Academy have been famous for -a century and a half. They have not only inspired -generations of art students with a keener interest -in art, but they are probably the most helpful utterances -upon the subject given to the world in his -time or since. It seems to me, however, that, as is -often the case where great facility of expression is -practiced, Reynolds employs a term which, without -clear definition, confuses the mind. This is true -where he frequently uses the term “genius.” The -term is associated in popular belief with the power -to create works of art. Although using a term -which is at least subject to this interpretation, Reynolds -definitely denies to the human mind this -power, asserting that the power to create is simply<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_23" id="Page_23">[23]</a></span> -the power to imitate nature. Reynolds wrote: -“I am on the contrary persuaded that by imitation -only, variety, and even originality of invention, is -produced. I will go further; even genius, at least -what generally is so called, is the child of imitation.” -He further says: “The study of nature is -the beginning and the end of theory. It is in nature -only we can find that beauty which is the great -object of our search; it can be found nowhere else; -we can no more form any idea of beauty superior -to nature than we can form an idea of a sixth sense, -or any other excellence out of the limits of the -human mind.” Reynolds again writes: “Invention, -strictly speaking, is little more than a new -combination of those images which have been previously -gathered and deposited in the memory: -nothing can come of nothing: he who has laid up -no materials can produce no combinations.”</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><em>John Constable</em></div> - -<p>John Constable, a contemporary of Reynolds, -and to whose judgment we have already referred, -further expressed his opinion upon this subject. A -statement of principle by him seems to be conviction -crystallized. Constable, although unaccustomed -to writing, even unaccustomed to discussion, -because he was a man of quiet and simple life, -seems to have thought profoundly; and when the -rare occasion to express his opinion did come he<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_24" id="Page_24">[24]</a></span> -condensed within a few words a great fundamental -principle with unerring precision. His definition -of the purpose and method of the artist cannot, -I think, be excelled for accuracy or fullness of -meaning. He wrote: “In art, there are two modes -by which men aim at distinction; in the one, by a -careful application to what others have accomplished, -the artist imitates their works, or selects -and combines their various beauties; in the other, -he seeks excellence at its primitive source, nature. -In the first, he forms a style upon the study of -pictures, and produces either imitative or eclectic -art; in the second, by a close observation of nature, -he discovers qualities existing in her which have -never been portrayed before, and thus forms a -style which is original. The results of the one -mode, as they repeat that with which the eye is -already familiar, are soon recognized and estimated, -while the advances of the artist in a new -path must necessarily be slow, for few are able to -judge of that which deviates from the usual course, -or qualified to appreciate original studies.” There -is here no mystery or ambiguity. This is the statement -of a profound truth by a great painter who -knew perfectly his reliance upon nature. It was -prompted by the conviction of a great mind which -saw only the underlying fact and abjured all trivialities<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_25" id="Page_25">[25]</a></span> -and hair-splitting theories. In his mental -attitude and grasp, Constable was like Winslow -Homer, a man of few words, one given to much -thought and to firm convictions.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><em>Sir Thomas Lawrence</em></div> - -<p>In one of his lectures at the Royal Institution -of Great Britain, Constable said: “It was said by -Sir Thomas Lawrence, that ‘we can never hope to -compete with nature in the beauty and delicacy of -her separate forms or colours, our only chance lies -in selection and combination.’”</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><em>Gilbert Stuart</em></div> - -<p>Gilbert Stuart expressed a like reliance upon -nature when he said: “You must copy nature, but -if you leave nature for an imaginary effect, you -will lose all. Nature cannot be excused, and as -your object is to copy nature, it is the height of -folly to work at anything else to produce that -copy.”</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><em>Corot</em></div> - -<p>Corot was equally assured of the importance of -this principle to an artist. He said: “Truth is the -first thing in art, and the second, and the third.”</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><em>Millet</em></div> - -<p>Let us take the opinion of another able painter, -that of Millet, who said: “Men of genius are, as -it were, endowed with a divining-rod. Some discover -one thing in nature, some another, according -to their temperament.... The mission of men -of genius is to reveal that portion of nature’s riches -which they have discovered, to those who would<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_26" id="Page_26">[26]</a></span> -never have suspected their existence. They interpret -nature to those who cannot understand her -language.”</p> - -<p>“I should like to do nothing which was not the -result of an impression received from the appearance -of nature, either in landscape or figures.”</p> - -<p>“I should express the type very strongly, the -type being, to my mind, the most powerful truth.”</p> - -<p>These opinions are at once simple and comprehensive. -They express the thoughts of men who -have achieved great works. Indeed, I have never -heard the able master of art say otherwise than -that he has striven with all his power, sometimes -in despair, to wrest from nature the subtle beauties -of form and colour possessed by her and discovered -by those who have the power to perceive and understand -these qualities. Nature is the supreme standard, -attained to only in part. We may accept -nature as the source of all beauty and harmony in -art and rest assured that the stream has never risen -above its source.</p> - -<p>The opinions here quoted do not differ materially -from those expressed by painters of our own -time.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><em>Whistler</em></div> - -<p>I recall that Whistler upon the occasion of one -of my visits expressed an opinion upon this subject. -Whistler’s “White Girl,” “Girl at the Piano” and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_27" id="Page_27">[27]</a></span> -many other works are such notable examples of -truthful representation as to give weight to his -opinion. The absolute certainty with which the -several parts of these pictures exist in relation to -each other cannot be overstated.</p> - -<p>In response to my inquiry regarding the most -important quality in the art of the painter, Whistler -said: “Art is the science of the beautiful. The -parts of nature bear a certain relation to each other, -and this relation is as true as a mathematical fact. -People sometimes say my pictures are dark. That -depends upon whether or not the subject was dark; -whether the conditions made it dark. If a dark or -low toned phase of nature is selected, then the picture -must be absolutely true to those conditions.”</p> - -<p>“There it is, the subject. Certain relations exist -between the value notes, and these relations must -be reproduced absolutely. Two and two make four—that -is a simple truth in mathematics as it is in -nature. Two and two make four—the trouble is -that many painters do not see that two and two -make four. They do not see this fine relationship -which results in a simple truth. Not seeing, they -try all kinds of numbers.”</p> - -<p>Turning from the easel in front of which we -were standing, Whistler lifted a book from the -table with a quick, almost nervous action, and as<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_28" id="Page_28">[28]</a></span> -he opened it said with a quizzical expression, “It is -all in here.” The book was the “Gentle Art of -Making Enemies.” Tuning quickly to the paragraph -he had in mind, he read, “Nature contains -the elements, in colour and form, of all pictures, -as the keyboard contains the notes of all music. -But the artist is born to pick, and choose, and -group with science, these elements, that the result -may be beautiful.” He continued to read for a -good part of an hour. Whistler by Whistler was -an inimitable and rare treat. The slightest shade -of meaning was expressed with great delicacy, by -inflection and gesture.</p> - -<p>At the end of very many years of study and -observation, Whistler’s sensitive appreciation and -power of selection were extraordinary. The most -subtle and harmonious qualities in nature made an -irresistible appeal to him. He has described this -faculty as the power to pick and choose. By the very -choice of many of his subjects he was enabled to -eliminate all insignificant details and thereby to render -the harmonies of nature as they appeared to him. -He described his method or mental attitude with -reference to nature when he said: “As the light fades -and the shadows deepen all petty and exacting details -vanish, everything trivial disappears, and I -see things as they are, in great strong masses.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_29" id="Page_29">[29]</a></span></p> - -<p>This represents Whistler in the presence of subdued -and gentle qualities in nature, but it was the -same Whistler, without modification or change in -his attitude with respect to nature, who rendered -with such startling realism and absolute fidelity to -truth in his marvellous etchings the shipping, the -city, and the river Thames. Under the blazing -light of noonday the masts and rigging of the ships, -the forms and details of the hulls, even the tile -upon the roofs of the city houses were distinctly -seen. He recorded his impressions manifestly without -the slightest deviation from the simple truth -of form and value. No one who has studied -Whistler’s set of the Thames etchings will for an -instant dispute this statement. The quality of -simple truth is so astonishingly present in every -line and form in these works that no argument is -needed touching this point. The Whistler who -made these etchings, the Whistler who painted the -“White Girl” and the “Girl at the Piano,” must -be reconciled with the Whistler who painted the -evening symphonies representing the river, the -“Portrait of Sarasate,” and other works of subdued -and gentle qualities. The simple truth is that -Whistler was as faithful and scientific in the one -case as in the other, and that the result depended -upon his choice of subject, and the time, and effect<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_30" id="Page_30">[30]</a></span> -observed. I am told that in his later period he -sought after and discovered means of securing the -more gentle aspects of nature; that he toned and -diffused the light in his studio scientifically by the -use of semi-transparent window curtains. However -this may be, it is undoubtedly true that he did -rely upon the effect actually before him and that -he sought to represent the subdued effect in his -studio or the gentle light of evening so beautifully -described by him in his “Ten O’Clock.” It would -be difficult to imagine a more beautiful pen picture -than this description by Whistler. It indicates his love -for the gentle and harmonious qualities in nature.</p> - -<p>“When the evening mist clothes the riverside -with poetry, as with a veil, and the poor buildings -lose themselves in the dim sky, and the tall chimneys -become campanili, and the warehouses palaces -in the night, and the whole city hangs in the -heavens, and fairyland is before us—then the wayfarer -hastens home; the workingman and the cultured -one, the wise man and the one of pleasure, -cease to understand, as they have ceased to see, and -Nature, who, for once, has sung in tune, sings her -exquisite song to the artist alone, her son and her -master—her son in that he loves her, her master -in that he knows her.”</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><em>Abbott Thayer</em></div> - -<p>This power to select and represent the beautiful<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_31" id="Page_31">[31]</a></span> -qualities in nature, a power which is the result of -repeated efforts, has been defined by Abbott H. -Thayer with rare skill and poetic beauty. “It is -as though a man were shown a crystal, a perfect -thing, gleaming below depths of water—far down -beyond reach. He would dive and dive again, -driven by his great desire to secure it, until finally, -all dripping, he brought it up. But that in the end -he could bring it—a perfect thing—to us, was possible -solely because he had first seen it, gleaming -there. Others might dive and dive, might work -and labor with endless patience and endless pain, -but unless they had first seen the crystal—unless -they had been given this divine gift of seeing—this -vision—they would come up empty-handed. -The occasional so-called genius does not make the -crystal, but he alone sees it, where it lies gleaming -below depths of water, and by his effort brings it -to us. The whole question is how absolutely, how -perfectly, the artist sees this vision.”</p> - -<p>“After the artist has lived, for a certain period, -in worship of some particular specimen or type of -the form of beauty dearest to him, this crystal-like -vision forms, clearer and clearer, at the bottom of -his mind, which is, so to speak, his sea of consciousness, -until at last the vision is plainly visible to -him, and the all-strain and danger-facing time has<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_32" id="Page_32">[32]</a></span> -come for putting it into the form in which as one -of the world’s treasures it is to live on.”</p> - -<p>When asked whether the artist has ever been -granted a vision of any beauty which is not based -upon the beauty of nature, Thayer exclaimed emphatically, -“No, no, no! I don’t see the slightest -material for any such conception.”</p> - -<p>And when the question was further put—granted -that the artist has the gift of seeing beauty -in nature to which others are blind, is his picture -Art in proportion as he truthfully records the -beauty of the nature that he sees? Mr. Thayer -answered, “Yes. Everything in art, in poetry, -music, sculpture, or painting, however fantastic it -looks to people who are not far enough on that -road, is nothing but truth-telling, true reporting of -one or another of the great facts of nature—of the -universe.”</p> - -<p>The ability to see, as Thayer suggests, is the -very foundation of the artist’s power. It is this -power of seeing which enables him to discover -truth and beauty, and it is the skill of the trained -master which enables him to reproduce these for -the delight and inspiration of his fellows.</p> - -<p>That men are endowed by inheritance with -varying degrees of mental power is a self-evident -fact. No one will dispute this; it comes within our<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_33" id="Page_33">[33]</a></span> -common experience. Providence has been lavish -in the bestowal of extraordinary powers upon the -few, but it remains everlastingly true that even -with these success depends upon effort. Nothing is -more fully established than this truism. The records -of successful men in all periods and in every -avenue of life bear testimony to this fact.</p> - -<p>To the artist, seeing is the all important thing, -and to him there is no mystery either in the development -of this power or in the result obtained. -To him it is simply a matter of logical evolution, -the result of the day’s work well done. He begins -his career as a student by laboriously copying -nature. His first studies are, as a rule, hard and -unsympathetic. I have not discovered an exception -to this rule. In the beginning the art student -does not even see colour in its fullness and beauty. -Gradually he acquires greater power of perception. -He discovers beautiful and harmonious colours in -nature which were unseen at first. He realizes the -exquisite grace of line to be found on every hand -but unperceived before—the movement, charm, -and beauty of natural forms. New beauties are -revealed from day to day; new harmonies are seen -and felt. Presently the inharmonious becomes distasteful; -the ugly, intolerable; the offensive, a distress. -He comes into the presence of nature with<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_34" id="Page_34">[34]</a></span> -a new vision. Her beauties are revealed to him. -He feels a thrill in the love he bears for the exceptional -and profound beauty of an evening sky or a -grey day. He never talks about inspiration or soul, -although he has searched out the very soul of the -landscape. He simply seeks with every power at -his command, as Constable, borrowing the thought -from Wordsworth, expressed it, “to give ‘to one -brief moment caught from fleeting time’ a lasting -and sober existence, and to render permanent many -of those splendid but evanescent Exhibitions which -are ever occurring in the endless varieties of -Nature.”</p> - -<p>The sculptor, I think, in some such manner lies -in wait for the grace and charm of movement, the -supreme expression of character and of harmony, -as an animal lies in wait for its prey. When one -or all of these qualities are seen he seizes his chisel -and strives to fix what he has discovered in permanent -form.</p> - -<p>The artist, looking back over twenty or thirty -years of continuous and earnest study, of repeated -and laborious effort, and of failures and successes, -realizes that the power of perception and selection -which he now possesses is the result of these years -of observation and labor. He also realizes that -he has never quite attained to the full height of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_35" id="Page_35">[35]</a></span> -his ambition to represent truthfully the supreme -qualities of beauty which he has learned to discover -in nature.</p> - -<p>In the selection of subjects for his works and in -the production of arrangements or combinations -representing either grace, beauty of colour and -form, or essential character, the painter or sculptor -is aided by two very powerful influences.</p> - -<p>The first of these is his inherited or acquired -taste. Step by step, precept upon precept, first as -a student in the art school, then as an artist, this -faculty known as taste is cultivated, increased, until -with rare discrimination and judgment he selects, -“picks and chooses,” as Whistler said, the things of -beauty and harmony, being guided all the while -by the unwritten law of harmony of which we are -all conscious. To arrive at this consummation of -the artist’s highest endeavors is not an easy task.</p> - -<p>His course may be, and often is, a very delightful -and agreeable one, but it is one of infinite effort -and labor. Before the painter acquires this knowledge -or power which enables him to discriminate -with judgment and taste, selecting those forms -and colours expressive of harmony, grace and -beauty, he must have served an apprenticeship of -many long years. The sculptor who would aspire -to the exquisite and discriminating taste of a<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_36" id="Page_36">[36]</a></span> -Rodin, who observes with patience and who seizes -with marvellous skill upon the very essence of -grace as it is expressed by the human figure, must -travel the same tedious road. If the sculptor would -read and know character as does a Saint-Gaudens, -he must travel many a weary mile over the path -which leads to perfection in art.</p> - -<p>The second powerful influence helping the artist -to acquire knowledge is, as Constable suggested, -art itself. The student while pursuing the plodding -course of training in the art school and later -in a wider field as an artist, is not only searching -out in nature the qualities of grace and harmony, -but his eyes are constantly turned in the direction -of the accumulated records of art. He studies with -assiduous care and thought in the great works of -all times, the qualities, the harmonies, the character -wrested from nature by the able painters -and sculptors of the past. Myriads have tried and -failed to know and master nature during the past -few hundred years, and only the few who have -succeeded have left the record of their success. All -the weak productions have gone into oblivion. To -these really great works the painter and sculptor -turn again and again, patiently, persistently, unfalteringly, -sometimes through hours of silent -study at other times by earnest effort to copy, but<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_37" id="Page_37">[37]</a></span> -always with a single purpose in mind—to know -and master the secrets of the masters. Little by -little, always referring the master to nature for -confirmation or proof, the artist struggles upward -to a more consummate understanding of the works -of nature, but he never forsakes or belittles this -supreme source of all his power and knowledge.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><em>Winslow Homer</em></div> - -<p>I recall asking Winslow Homer if he did not -think the beauty existing in nature must be discovered -and reproduced by the painter. Quick as a -flash he answered: “Yes, but the rare thing is to -find a painter who knows a good thing when he -sees it.”</p> - -<p>On another occasion we were picking our way -along the Maine coast, over the shelving rocks he -painted so often and with such insight and power, -when I suddenly said: “Homer, do you ever take -the liberty, in painting nature, of modifying the -colour of any part?”</p> - -<p>I recall his manner and expression perfectly. -He stopped quickly and exclaimed: “Never! -Never! When I have selected the thing carefully -I paint it exactly as it appears.”</p> - -<p>During our talk he emphasized, however, the -importance of selection. “You must not paint anything -you see—you must wait and wait patiently -for a particular effect, and then when it comes, if<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_38" id="Page_38">[38]</a></span> -you have sense enough to know it when you do -see it—well, that’s all there is to that.”</p> - -<p>At another time, referring contemptuously to -the calm ocean under a vacant sky, he said: “I take -no interest in that.” There came, however, one -morning while I was at Prout’s Neck a misty and -threatening sky. Grey clouds bewitching in their -silvery tones went hurrying across the troubled sea. -By noon it was blowing a gale and the waves were -lashing the coast, sending spray high into the air. -Once and again great clouds of mist drove across -the deserted rocks, and the music of old ocean rose -to an ominous and resounding tone. Presently -Homer hurried into my room, clad from head to -foot in rubber, and carrying in his arms a storm -coat and a pair of sailor’s boots. “Come,” he said, -“quickly! It is perfectly grand.”</p> - -<p>For an hour we clambered over rocks, holding fast -to the wiry shrubs which grew from every crevice, -while the spray dashed far overhead. This placid, -reserved, self-contained little man was in a fever of -excitement, and his delight in the beautiful and -almost overpowering expression of the ocean as it -foamed and rioted was inspiring. To him this was -the supreme expression of beauty and power. The -moment he had patiently waited for had come.</p> - -<p>Homer’s love for and appreciation of those<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_39" id="Page_39">[39]</a></span> -rugged, elemental qualities in nature resulted in -the production of forceful works of great beauty. -In the selection of subjects he expressed his individual -taste.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><em>Henry W. Ranger</em></div> - -<p>I recall an opinion expressed by the late Henry -W. Ranger to the effect that Tolstoi’s definition of -art had never been excelled. He referred to Tolstoi’s -definition of art as the power to pass on a -sensation. Ranger maintained the opinion that art -is the expression of the individual’s feeling, that -the artist uses the facts of nature to express his -own sensation and that no great landscape was ever -painted directly from nature. “The technical difficulties,” -he said, “and the rapidly changing effects -made it hard to paint out of doors. He could do -better by depending upon his memory.” It was his -opinion that the deeper qualities were secured in -the studio; that nature only furnishes the hooks -upon which the painter hangs his work; that he in -reality expresses his own feeling, the poetry or sentiment -which is in himself. Ranger here describes -a vague or not clearly defined quality which is referred -to as personal temperament. His opinion -is in direct contradiction to the almost universal -testimony of painters and sculptors, and Ranger -himself in his practice failed to maintain it. Although -he did not complete his works in the presence<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_40" id="Page_40">[40]</a></span> -of nature, he made many sketches from nature -and copied his larger canvases from these.</p> - -<p>I think Ranger at the end of a long career had -the power of discovering beautiful qualities in -nature and of seeing them profoundly. I knew him -well, and many times we discussed art and artists. -I found his knowledge broad and intimate. His -view that a painter simply passes on a sensation -was repeated to me many times. I think one may -frankly agree with this opinion, but I do not think -a painter originates or creates a sensation. In the -presence of nature he simply receives it and then -transmits it, the result being dependent upon his -natural or acquired power of perception, his memory, -and his technical ability.</p> - -<p>Ranger’s paintings are characterized by an understanding -of nature, and this was the result of a -lifetime of the most earnest, patient, and persistent -study. Probably no modern artist was more -industrious, for his studio was filled with studies -in colour and many thousands of pencil drawings. -Indeed, so familiar was he with the colours and -characteristic forms of nature that he frequently -reproduced these with much delicacy, relying solely -upon his memory and a few accurate pencil notes. -In discussing his method, I recall his remark that -he painted in the studio because he could get closer<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_41" id="Page_41">[41]</a></span> -to nature that way than by painting out of doors. -Painters universally understand the difficulties of -painting in the open because of conflicting lights. -They also realize the more certain judgment of the -experienced eye when painting in a quiet or more -subdued light; but to do this requires great knowledge -and a retentive memory.</p> - -<p>As illustrating Ranger’s method of study and -his reliance upon memory, I recall an occasion -when he studied long and patiently the union or -combination of two colour notes, the sky and water—for -we were sailing at the time. He remarked -upon the beautiful harmony expressed by these -colours. He studied them intently, evidently with -the thought of reproducing them later. I also remember -a painting expressive of the charm and -beauty of a moon-light night. It was painted at his -Noank home. I believe this picture was painted -almost wholly in his studio. I think it was the result -of an infinite number of impressions received -as he studied, evening after evening, the ocean and -the sky. By this I mean that while Ranger in this -painting was passing on a sensation, he was only -passing on the truth and beauty of nature as realized -by him night after night, and recorded in his -memory.</p> - -<p>The point here raised is one of vital importance<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_42" id="Page_42">[42]</a></span> -with reference to the subject under consideration. -It is that the painter does not express anything he -has not received. He pursues one of two methods: -he either secures beautiful qualities in the presence -of nature or he reproduces qualities stored in -his memory.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><em>John La Farge</em></div> - -<p>John La Farge referred to these two methods, -the one by which the painter works directly from -nature and the other by which he depends upon his -memory, and his opinion bears directly upon the -point raised. La Farge wrote: “He [the painter] -will then go again to nature, perhaps working directly -from it, perhaps only to his memory of sight, -for remember, that in what we call working from -nature—we painters—we merely use a shorter -strain of memory than when we carry back to our -studios the vision that we wish to note. And more -than that, the very way in which we draw our lines, -and mix our pigments, in the hurry of instant -record, in the certainty of successful handling, implies -that our mind is filled with innumerable -memories of continuous trials.”</p> - -<p>As La Farge points out, the difference between -painting in the presence of nature and painting -from memory is only a different span of memory. -One painter pursues one way, another a different -method. The end sought is the same.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_43" id="Page_43">[43]</a></span></p> - -<div class="sidenote"><em>Segantini</em></div> - -<p>Giovanni Segantini’s method was to go to nature -<em>finally</em>. He began his paintings in the studio, -working from studies, and finished them in the -presence of nature. I recall a delightful visit with -this able Italian painter at his home at Maloja, -and also his interesting description of his method. -His art was little known at that time, some twenty -years ago. His works are now well known to art -lovers throughout the world.</p> - -<p>I had but recently seen his “Ploughing in the -Engadine” at an exhibition in the Bavarian capital. -It impressed me as possessing a very vital -quality. The technical manner seemed at that time -strange and unusual. Like worsted, the colours -stretched across the sky. The earth clods were -small strands of colour, revealing, on close examination, -a rarely prodigal palette. This phase of -Segantini’s art interested me on the purely technical -side. The effect of the picture was startling. -It was like a breath of fresh and fragrant air from -the mountains of Switzerland.</p> - -<p>It was following this impression received from -his painting that I visited the painter at Maloja. -Leaving Chiavenna early one morning, the coach -slowly climbed the mountainside and, presently, -crossed the apex of the range. There lay at our feet -the beautiful valley of the Engadine. I carried<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_44" id="Page_44">[44]</a></span> -away from Maloja many delightful impressions, -but the two dominating all others were these: the -earnestness of the painter, and his unwavering -dependence upon nature.</p> - -<p>He showed me large drawings or cartoons of -some of his well known subjects representing the -arrangement of the compositions and the balancing -of the various parts of his pictures. The drawings -were made in crayon and suggested in line the -technical treatment of his paintings. From these -sketches he transferred the drawings to canvas. In -this way he saved time and labor. When a drawing -was thus transferred to a canvas he carried the canvas -to the scene of his subject, where he painted -invariably directly from nature. When I asked if -he ever completed a picture in the studio, he said: -“Absolutely no! I always finish my pictures in -the presence of nature.”</p> - -<p>Segantini spoke his last word, if I may adopt -this form of expression, in the very presence of and -under the influence of nature. This to him was the -supreme moment in the execution of his work.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><em>Anton Mauve</em></div> - -<p>Another illustration of the method of a great -painter in relying upon his memory for the truths -and facts of nature is found in Anton Mauve. -Mauve’s power is unquestioned. He was one of -the great modern Dutch painters. His pictures are<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_45" id="Page_45">[45]</a></span> -always direct and forceful. His knowledge of -nature was profound. This knowledge was the -result of effort and study. Among his early drawings -are found studies from nature which, in spirit, -are wholly unlike his later productions. They reveal -Mauve as a student of nature who was untiring -in his effort to draw minute details with unflinching -accuracy. I recall pencil studies of sheep, -horses, cows, and plants which have rarely ever -been excelled in the delineation of detail, not even -by a master draughtsman like Barque. Mauve’s -knowledge of nature acquired by this method was -intimate and deep. His later manner was based -upon a solid foundation. It was by this knowledge -he was enabled to depict the more characteristic -forms with a few hastily drawn lines. He knew -well how important are broad, essential masses in -art and he rendered these, eliminating non-essentials -and trivial details. His sense of design or -appropriate balance of parts was keen and sure; -nearly all his pictures possess the distinguishing -quality of simplicity. Like Ranger, he preferred -to paint his pictures in the studio, but his reliance -was, in the highest sense, upon nature.</p> - -<p>I recall a visit to Mauve’s country, a country of -sand dunes and pastures. These he loved and -painted. One of Mauve’s students, an able etcher,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_46" id="Page_46">[46]</a></span> -was probably more familiar with the artist’s -method than any other person. “His [Mauve’s] -best pictures, before Laren,” he wrote me, “were -all made in his studio from memory, aided with -sketches in chalk. Then he went every day, if possible, -to the spot he had sketched, to study the -effect, the ‘moment,’ and he tried to fix that impression -on his canvas when back home.”</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><em>Rodin</em></div> - -<p>Let us turn from the art of the painter to the art -of the sculptor. Probably no modern sculptor has -taken a higher place in the estimation of his fellow -artists than has Rodin. As expressions of his art, -his “Thinker” stands at one extreme end of the -scale and such graceful and beautiful forms as -“Eternal Spring” at the other. It is interesting, -therefore, to know that Rodin has acknowledged -his absolute dependence upon nature for the widely -divergent expressions of character rendered by -him. He is quoted as saying: “Seeker after truth -and student of life as I am, ... I obey Nature -in everything, and I never pretend to command -her. My only ambition is to be servilely faithful -to her.”</p> - -<p>“I have not changed it [nature]. Or, rather, if -I have done it, it was without suspecting it at the -time. The feeling which influenced my vision -showed me nature as I have copied her.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_47" id="Page_47">[47]</a></span></p> - -<p>“If I had wished to modify what I saw and to -make it more beautiful I should have produced -nothing good.”</p> - -<p>“The only principle in Art is to copy what you -see. Dealers in aesthetics to the contrary, every -other method is fatal. There is no recipe for improving -Nature.”</p> - -<p>“The only thing is <em>to see</em>.”</p> - -<p>“The ideal! The dream! Why, the realities of -Nature surpass our most ambitious dreams.”</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"></div><!--Page break for ePub--> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_48" id="Page_48">[48]</a></span></p> - - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 600px;"> -<img src="images/i_048.jpg" width="600" height="64" alt="" /> -</div> - -<h2 class="no-break"><em>Opinions of Philosophers and Writers</em></h2> - - -<p class="dropcap">The opinions here referred to are those of -masters who have produced works of art. -They seem to be supported by the opinions of able -writers and philosophers who have dealt with this -subject. If the opinions of these writers are less -authoritative, they are nevertheless important as -representing the thought of profound scholars. -They cover practically the entire period of writing -upon art. While diversified in the manner of approach, -they will be found to unite in a common -theory. These writers naturally deal with mental -processes; with the attributes of the mind; with -the philosophy of the subject.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><em>Schopenhauer</em></div> - -<p>Schopenhauer defines genius as pre-eminent capacity -for contemplation which ends in the object. -“Now,” he says, “as this requires that a man should -entirely forget himself and the relations in which -he stands, genius is simply complete objectivity, -i.e., the objective tendency of the mind, as opposed<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_49" id="Page_49">[49]</a></span> -to the subjective, which is directed to one’s own -self—in other words, to the will. Thus genius is -the faculty of continuing in the state of pure perception, -of losing one’s self in perception, and of -enlisting in this service the knowledge which originally -existed only for the service of the will; that -is to say, genius is the power of leaving one’s own -interests, wishes, and aims entirely out of sight, -and thus of entirely renouncing one’s own personality -for a time, so as to remain pure knowing subject, -clear vision of the world—and this not merely -at moments, but for a sufficient length of time and -with sufficient consciousness to enable one to reproduce -by deliberate art what has thus been apprehended, -and ‘to fix in lasting thoughts the wavering -images that float before the mind.’”</p> - -<p>Schopenhauer’s definition of genius is probably -more accurate and more logical than that of any -other writer. In his opinion, genius is the power of -pre-eminent perception. The artist only exceeds -his fellows in that his perception is keener; that -he is able to see and understand more perfectly -than others. When an able painter approaches nature -in this spirit, forgetting all else, as Schopenhauer -suggests, the result is usually a masterpiece. -To such a painter is attributed the quality known -as genius.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_50" id="Page_50">[50]</a></span></p> - -<div class="sidenote"><em>Taine</em></div> - -<p>Taine defines art as the power of perceiving the -essential character of an object. Taine says: “The -character of an object strikes him [the artist] and -the effect of this sensation is a strong, peculiar -impression.... But art itself, which is the faculty -of perceiving and expressing the leading character -of objects, is as enduring as the civilization -of which it is the best and earliest fruit.... To -give full prominence to a leading character is the -object of a work of art. It is owing to this that the -closer a work of art approaches this point the more -perfect it becomes; in other words, the more exactly -and completely these conditions are complied -with, the more elevated it becomes on the scale. -Two of these conditions are necessary; it is necessary -that the character should be the most notable -possible and the most dominant possible.... -The masterpiece is that in which the greatest force -receives the greatest development. In the language -of the painter, the superior work is that in which -the character possessing the greatest possible value -in nature receives from art all the increase in value -that is possible.... It is essential, then, to closely -imitate something in an object; but not everything.” -After defining the essential quality by two -illustrations—the illustration of the lion and the -illustration of the dominant characteristics of a flat<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_51" id="Page_51">[51]</a></span> -country like Holland, Taine continues: “Through -its innumerable effects, you judge of the importance -of this essential character. It is this which -art must bring forward into proper light, and if -this task devolves upon art it is because nature -fails to accomplish it. In nature this essential -character is simply dominant; it is the aim of art -to render it predominant.... Man is sensible of -this deficiency, and to remove it he has invented -art.”</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><em>Froude</em></div> - -<p>Froude touches upon this point in his reference -to the art of the writer. He said he would turn to -Shakespeare for the best history of England because -of his (Shakespeare’s) absolute truth to character -and event. “We wonder,” Froude wrote, “at -the grandeur, the moral majesty, of some of -Shakespeare’s characters, so far beyond what the -noblest among ourselves can imitate, and at first -thought we attribute it to the genius of the poet, -who has outstripped Nature in his creations. But -we are misunderstanding the power and the meaning -of poetry in attributing creativeness to it in -any such sense. Shakespeare created, but only as -the spirit of Nature created around him, working -in him as it worked abroad in those among whom -he lived. The men whom he draws were such men -as he saw and knew; the words they utter were<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_52" id="Page_52">[52]</a></span> -such as he heard in the ordinary conversations in -which he joined. At the Mermaid with Raleigh -and with Sidney, and at a thousand unnamed English -firesides, he found the living originals for his -Prince Hals, his Orlandos, his Antonios, his Portias, -his Isabellas. The closer personal acquaintance -which we can form with the English of the -age of Elizabeth, the more we are satisfied that -Shakespeare’s great poetry is no more than the -rhythmic echo of the life which it depicts.”</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><em>Baumgarten</em></div> - -<p>Baumgarten concluded, from Leibnitz’ theory -of a pre-established harmony and its consequence, -that the world is the best possible, that nature is -the highest embodiment of beauty, and that art -must seek as its highest function the strictest possible -imitation of nature.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><em>Leibnitz</em></div> - -<p>Bosanquet says: “The greatest degree of perfection -was to be found, according to Leibnitz, in the -existing universe, every other possible system being -as a whole less perfect.”</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><em>Kant</em></div> - -<p>Kant deals with a phase of this subject which is -of great interest. In many strong works of art -there remain incomplete and often unsatisfactory -details. These are permitted to remain because -the artist knows that to remove them would weaken -or affect the strength of the whole. These, Kant -says, are “only of necessity suffered to remain, because<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_53" id="Page_53">[53]</a></span> -they could hardly be removed without loss -of force to the idea. This courage has merit only -in the case of a genius. A certain boldness of expression, -and, in general, many a deviation from -the common rule becomes him well; but in no sense -is it a thing worthy of imitation. On the contrary -it remains all through intrinsically a blemish which -one is bound to try to remove, but for which the -genius is, as it were, allowed to plead a privilege, -on the ground that a scrupulous carefulness would -spoil what is inimitable in the impetuous ardor -of his soul.”</p> - -<p>The genius here referred to by Kant is well understood -and his power is fully recognized, but he -is not separated from his fellow craftsmen except -in the degree of his knowledge and ability. He -is a man of superior ability and power who, driving -straight to the object of his labor, represents -character in a direct and forceful way. To this -end he brings to his assistance his superior technical -skill, but often in the very impetuosity of his -ardor, as Kant suggests, he leaves unfinished -parts because he well understands that to labor -over these parts would be to reduce the force or -power of the whole. This impetuous manner which -strives to render the character of the object or -person, or of the scene, or of the ephemeral effects<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_54" id="Page_54">[54]</a></span> -of nature, quickly and directly, is well understood -by the painter. I recall a large sketch of Daubigny’s -owned by Mesdag, probably purchased -from the painter. This sketch represents a green -hillside with a canal and horses in the foreground. -For absolute power and truth of beautiful quality -and colour it was probably never surpassed by -Daubigny, but it is what the public would call an -unfinished picture. In truth, force, and beauty, -it might fairly be considered “inspired” as compared -with Daubigny’s finished or carefully painted -pictures so widely known. In this painting there -are many unsatisfactory parts, such as are referred -to by Kant as “deformities,” but Daubigny well -understood that to remove them or to work over -this sketch, which was doubtless made rapidly in -the presence of nature and under the influence of -the particular mood expressed by nature, would -have weakened its power.</p> - -<p>I recall another painting that will illustrate this -point—a study by Anton Mauve. This study was -found among Mauve’s possessions after his death, -and was probably never offered for sale during his -lifetime because, in minor parts, it is incomplete. -Rough lines of the original drawing were permitted -to remain. These are the kind of blemishes -to which Kant refers, but they do not detract from<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_55" id="Page_55">[55]</a></span> -the supreme beauty and power of the study. Indeed, -this picture is considered by many painters -to be one of Mauve’s masterpieces, so true and -just is it in the representation of a momentary -effect in nature. Mauve doubtless recognized the -importance of the study and refused to make corrections -of minor defects. I have been told that he -replied to Weissenbrouck, a fellow painter who -urged him to finish this work: “I will leave it as -God made it in nature. It is finished.” Mauve -had secured the broad, essential truth of nature and -with this he was content.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><em>Maeterlinck</em></div> - -<p>Maurice Maeterlinck tersely expressed the -same thought when he said: “I myself have now -for a long time ceased to look for anything more -beautiful in this world, or more interesting, than -the truth....”</p> - -<p>The reader will not have failed to observe the -significant note of agreement running through these -opinions touching the importance of selection, the -power to perceive and select from among the multitude -of forms those which are exceptional or -dominant.</p> - -<p>“Pure perception”; “the faculty of perceiving -and expressing the leading character of objects”; -“In nature this essential character is simply dominant; -it is the aim of art to render it predominant ...”;<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_56" id="Page_56">[56]</a></span> -these expressions of philosophers -are in perfect accord with the expressions of painters, -as for instance, “The only thing is <em>to see</em>”; or -“our only chance lies in selection and combination.”</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"></div><!--Page break for ePub--> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_57" id="Page_57">[57]</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 600px;"> -<img src="images/i_057.jpg" width="600" height="69" alt="" /> -</div> - - -<h2 class="no-break"><em>Symmetry</em></h2> - - -<p class="dropcap">If what has been written is true, if art is but the -revelation of grace and beauty inherent in nature, -the making plain that which is revealed to -the artist and obscure to the less observant, or to -those with less power, it still remains to account for -the universal distinction in form which characterizes -all great works of art. Reference has been -made to the common factor of truth, but there is -a second factor or quality possessed by works of -art, that of symmetry. This attribute lifts a work -above the commonplace and, combined with truth, -places it among the masterpieces of art.</p> - -<p>There are certain fundamental laws of symmetry -existing in nature and these, consciously or -unconsciously, govern the masters of art in the production -of their works. These undefined laws have -been recognized from the earliest time, and the -artist who is governed by them in the selection of -his subjects and controlled by them in the execution<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_58" id="Page_58">[58]</a></span> -of his work makes a universal appeal to which the -aesthetic sense in man responds. These laws are -not of man’s creation. They belong to nature. -They exist in form and colour. They also exist in -sound. Whether or not the Greeks had reduced -these laws to definite principles or rules, and were -governed by them in the construction of their temples -and in the creation of their masterly works in -sculpture, is a doubtful question; but certain it is -that Hambidge has shown quite conclusively that -certain fundamental proportions existing in natural -forms are repeated in the Parthenon and in -other great architectural structures belonging to -the Grecian period.</p> - -<p>This does not mean that every great work of -art must of necessity be based upon clearly defined, -rigid rules of proportion, on what is called -Dynamic Symmetry, but rather that works made -to conform to these rules do possess a degree of -distinction and that the result is an orderliness of -arrangement or an agreeable disposition of spaces -with relation to each other which produces an -aesthetic effect upon the human mind.</p> - -<p>Therefore, while truth is essential, it is conceded -that symmetry must be added to secure distinction. -Commonplace expressions of nature, while satisfying -the ignorant, have never been accepted as<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_59" id="Page_59">[59]</a></span> -art by those who have given this subject serious -thought.</p> - -<p>The quality of design, of pattern, of appropriate -and harmonious arrangement, must be taken into -account in any discussion touching the philosophy -of art. The universal appreciation and enjoyment -of design as revealed in rugs, in tapestries, and in -a hundred other art forms, may only be accounted -for upon the theory of the existence of a universal -law of nature governing the judgment of man with -reference to these things.</p> - -<p>This law is found in nature just as certainly as -is found the law of gravitation. The art of design -when not literally transcribed from the beautiful -forms presented by nature herself is found to rest -upon some adaptation of this universal law of -symmetry and harmony. With symmetrical forms -in nature we become familiar even in our childhood. -Take for instance the symmetrical forms of -leaves. The grace and symmetry of the leaf of the -elm tree is well known, as is also the character of -the oak leaf and its almost invariable symmetrical -form. When a form that is not symmetrical appears, -such, for instance, as that of the leaf of the -sassafras tree—one of the three leaf forms borne -by this tree being shaped like a mitten—we instantly -recognize this exception to the almost universal<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_60" id="Page_60">[60]</a></span> -rule and reject it as unsymmetrical and inharmonious. -Illustrations of symmetry might be -multiplied, because they are found in flower and -animal forms everywhere. With harmony and -colour we are made familiar by the passing seasons. -Spring, summer, autumn, and winter are successive -expressions of harmony.</p> - -<p>How far this universal law of symmetry extends -throughout nature and what influence it has -upon the human mind in its appreciation of the -beautiful in nature it would be difficult to estimate. -It is sufficient for our purpose to know that -it is universal and far reaching in its application -and influence. <span class="sni"><span class="hidev">|</span><em>J. Henri Fabre</em><span class="hidev">|</span></span> -It is interesting in this connection -to note that J. Henri Fabre, the eminent French -naturalist, makes reference to this law in describing -the uniformity with which certain bees act, -their actions seeming to be governed by a mysterious -law. In his book on “Bramble Bees and Others” -Fabre says: “The first time that I prepared one of -these horizontal tubes [for bramble bees] open at -both ends, I was greatly struck by what happened. -The series consisted of ten cocoons. It was divided -into two equal batches. The five on the left went -out on the left, the five on the right went out on -the right, reversing, when necessary, their original -direction in the cell. It was very remarkable from<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_61" id="Page_61">[61]</a></span> -the point of view of symmetry; moreover, it was -a very unlikely arrangement among the total number -of possible arrangements, as mathematics will -show us.” Fabre elucidates this fact by mathematical -calculation proving that there had been a spontaneous -decision, one half in favor of the exit on -the left, one half in favor of that on the right, -when the tube was horizontal and gravity ceased -to interfere.</p> - -<p>This law of harmony has been recognized and -to some extent defined by early philosophers and -writers as well as by those of recent date.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><em>Plato</em></div> - -<p>It was recognized and referred to by Plato, who -said that the world offers the material in graceful -and beautiful forms; or again that there is no difficulty -in seeing that grace or the absence of grace -is an effect of good or bad rhythm ... that beauty -of style and harmony and grace and good rhythm -depend on simplicity. He also refers to art as -representing proportion, harmony, or unity among -the parts. His thought is that there is an absolute -principle of beauty which reveals itself in natural -objects. <span class="sni"><span class="hidev">|</span><em>Aristotle</em><span class="hidev">|</span></span> Aristotle expressed the opinion that the -essential qualities of beauty are order and symmetry. <span class="sni"><span class="hidev">|</span><em>Knight</em><span class="hidev">|</span></span> -Knight refers to the appreciation of symmetry -and proportion on the part of the Greek -people and he concludes that the knowledge of this<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_62" id="Page_62">[62]</a></span> -same law of symmetry and its appreciation was -doubtless the basis of Greek art. <span class="sni"><span class="hidev">|</span><em>Kant</em><span class="hidev">|</span></span> -Kant in his philosophy -refers to this same law of symmetry, grace, -and beauty in nature. He says: “The beautiful -forms displayed in the organic world all plead eloquently -on the side of the realism of the aesthetic -finality of nature in support of the plausible assumption -that beneath the production of the beautiful -there must lie a preconceived idea in the producing -cause—that is to say, an end acting in the -interest of our imagination. Flowers, blossoms, -even the shapes of plants as a whole, the elegance -of animal formations of all kinds, unnecessary -for the discharge of any function on their part, -but chosen as it were with an eye to our taste; -and, beyond all else, the variety and harmony in -the array of colours (in the pheasant, in crustacea, -in insects, down even to the meanest flowers) so -pleasing and charming to the eye, but which, inasmuch -as they touch the bare surface and do not -even here in any way affect the structure of these -creatures—a matter which might have a necessary -bearing on their internal ends—seem to be -planned entirely with a view to outward appearance: -all these lend great weight to the mode of -explanation which assumes actual ends of nature -in favor of our aesthetic judgment.” <span class="sni"><span class="hidev">|</span><em>Blackie</em><span class="hidev">|</span></span> -John Stuart<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_63" id="Page_63">[63]</a></span> -Blackie refers to qualities in nature which create -spontaneously in the mind a degree of pleasure because -of their symmetry and beauty. He says: -“There must be, therefore, in nature and in the -constitution of things certain qualities which, being -superinduced upon the useful, or mere fitness -to achieve a practical end, create in the mind the -pleasant sensations which arise spontaneously on -the perception of a beautiful object.”</p> - -<p>It would seem, therefore, that nature has furnished -those forms and colours which are symmetrical -and harmonious, and that familiarity with -these has created in man, in varying degrees, a -love for the beautiful and an appreciation of the -symmetrical and orderly. This law of symmetry -and proportion not only appeals to our own consciousness -but has become a part of our daily life.</p> - -<p>It frequently happens that the repetition of -beautiful forms results in what comes to be recognized -as a conventional or national expression of -art. This is especially true of Chinese and Japanese -art. Conventional forms adopted by one generation -of Chinese or Japanese artists were often -handed down to succeeding generations of artists. -Not only was this true, but the repetition of these -conventional forms, generation after generation, -resulted in the adoption of certain arbitrary rules<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_64" id="Page_64">[64]</a></span> -governing the composition and construction of -their works of art. <span class="sni"><span class="hidev">|</span><em>Sei-ichi Taki</em><span class="hidev">|</span></span> -Sei-ichi Taki in his “Three -Essays on Oriental Painting” noted eighteen rules -for the painting of “mountain wrinkles.” Among -these rules the following may be mentioned: -“Wrinkled like eddying water.” “Wrinkled like a -horse’s tooth.” “Wrinkled like bullock’s hair.” -“Wrinkled like the veins of a lotus leaf.”</p> - -<p>Notwithstanding these conventions, the fundamental -or underlying qualities in Chinese and -Japanese art do not differ from those characterizing -works by artists of other nations. There was -the same reliance upon nature and insistence upon -selection and the expression of essential character. <span class="sni"><span class="hidev">|</span><em>Kuo Hsi</em><span class="hidev">|</span></span> -For instance, Kuo Hsi, himself a landscape painter, -in his work on art criticism, “Noble Features of -the Forest and Stream,” wrote as follows: “Observe -widely and comprehensively.” And again: -“Take in the essentials of a scene and discard the -trivialities.”</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><em>Lafcadio Hearn</em></div> - -<p>With Chinese and Japanese artists it was always -a question of discriminating selection. Lafcadio -Hearn, a keen observer and a charming writer upon -Japanese life and art, referred with unusual penetration -to the importance of selection when he -wrote: “The artist looked for dominant laws of -contrast and colour, for the general character of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_65" id="Page_65">[65]</a></span> -nature’s combinations, for the order of the beautiful. -He drew actualities but not repellent or -meaningless actualities, proving his rank even more -by his refusal than by his choice of subjects.” It -will be seen from these expressions that Chinese -and Japanese art was in fact based upon an intimate -and thorough knowledge of nature, influenced -by certain conventions which were clearly defined -and understood.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><em>La Farge</em></div> - -<p>John La Farge, the American artist who was a -profound student of oriental art, suggests this undefined -law of harmony in the universe when he -says: “I might acknowledge that I have far within -me a belief that art is the love of certain balanced -proportions and relations which the mind likes to -discover and to bring out in what it deals with, be -it thought, or the action of man, or the influences -of nature, or the material things in which the necessity -makes it to work. I should then expand this -idea until it stretched from the patterns of earliest -pottery to the harmony of the lines of Homer. -Then I should say that in our plastic arts the relations -of lines and spaces are, in my belief, the first -and earliest desires. And again, I should have to -say that, in my unexpressed faith, these needs are -as needs of the soul and echoes of the laws of the -universe, seen and unseen, reflections of the universal<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_66" id="Page_66">[66]</a></span> -mathematics, cadences of the ancient music -of the spheres.”</p> - -<p>“For I am forced to believe that there are laws -for our eyes as well as for our ears, and that when, -if ever, these shall have been deciphered, as has -been the good fortune with music, then shall we -find that all best artists have carefully preserved -their instinctive obedience to these, and have all -cared together for this before all.”</p> - -<p>“For the arrangements of line and balances of -spaces which meet these underlying needs are indeed -the points through which we recognize the -answer to our natural love and sensitiveness for -order, and through this answer, we feel, clearly or -obscurely, the difference between what we call -great men and what we call the average, whatever -the personal charm may be.”</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"></div><!--Page break for ePub--> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_67" id="Page_67">[67]</a></span></p> - - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 600px;"> -<img src="images/i_067.jpg" width="600" height="67" alt="" /> -</div> - -<h2 class="no-break"><em>Conclusion</em></h2> - - -<p class="dropcap">It may seem ruthless to destroy the old conception -which attributed to the works of the painter -and sculptor a place superior to or above the works -of men in the field of science or in other spheres of -activity, but this, I think, is rapidly being done. -The idea that man is capable of adding anything -to or improving upon the supreme qualities of -beauty as these exist in nature is disappearing. -The spirit of a scientific age is dispelling the old -conception of art. Men now realize in art as in -science that the quality of truth is the sole object -to be sought.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><em>Lord James Bryce</em></div> - -<p>Lord James Bryce, the eminent English statesman -and author, recently called attention to the -dominating influence of the scientific spirit as felt -in the various activities of our time. He referred -to the effect which the enormous increase in knowledge -in the scientific world has had upon our intellectual -life and upon the ideas, the habits and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_68" id="Page_68">[68]</a></span> -ways of thought of mankind. He said that the -scientific investigations during the past century -and a half have occupied a larger proportion of -the energetic intellects of the world than ever before. -The results of these investigations have been -more read than they ever were before, and by a -widening circle. They have more affected men’s -minds and become part of our thinking—part of -the mental furniture of educated men and women. -Lord Bryce pointed out that through the everlasting -searching after truth and the facts of nature -“the methods and the spirit of science have undoubtedly -affected such subjects as metaphysical -and ethical philosophy, as economic science and -history, as political theory, as oratory, as philology, -as literature.” And he added that for some reason -(he would not call it inscrutable, because he said -that everything is more or less discoverable by sufficient -study and attention—everything in the -human sphere at least) he believed that there did, -in the Eighteenth Century, begin to come over the -human mind a change, the results of which are -seen in all these fields. The novelty of this method, -Lord Bryce said, “lies in the scrupulous care which -we bestow upon phenomena, in the determination -to examine the minutest details and to record exactly -what we see, that and nothing more.” Lord<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_69" id="Page_69">[69]</a></span> -Bryce had also expressed the thought that with all -careful study we must strive to communicate an -impression, which is much more difficult than -merely to state facts. For example, he says, the -historian’s general impression of a people is no less -an expression of truth and no less accurate than -is the presentation of many minor facts. Lord -Bryce here states a profound truth, namely, that -the impression of the whole is of greater importance -than the literal representation of detail. This -truth applies to art. The elimination of trifling -details but emphasizes the power and beauty of -the whole.</p> - -<p>I think it is this scientific spirit which has influenced -modern art and which is very clearly exemplified -in the history of the School of Impressionists. -This school has exerted a powerful influence -upon the art of painting of the present day. I -know that the general opinion has been that the -so-called Impressionist painters have departed -from the representation of the truths of nature and -that their paintings are not faithful representations -of nature; but I believe the very reverse of this to -be true. I think, in their search for the essential -truth of nature, or the essential fact, that they -have, in their very intensity of effort, departed -from the representation of minute details and of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_70" id="Page_70">[70]</a></span> -many forms, in order that they might the more -fully and perfectly represent the less obvious and -more subtle truth.</p> - -<p>Take, for instance, the purpose which actuated -Monet, probably the leader of this group of painters, -in his effort to represent the very truth of -nature by a few masses of vibrating colour. For -example, his haycock series of pictures was but an -effort to represent the most essential qualities of -the subjects which he had chosen for his experiment. -I recall very well the first painting by -Monet which I had the opportunity to see, some -thirty years ago, and the impression I received then -remains fresh in my memory. It was not the pleasurable -or childish sensation created by recognizing -the forms of familiar objects, but rather the delight -created by an impression of vibrating, sunlit atmosphere. -This effect was the result of scientific research. -Monet simply applied his power and his -wealth of technical ability to reproduce another -kind of truth, the truth of nature as broadly represented -by beautiful colours in relation to each -other. I mention Monet in this connection because -he seems to represent, in an important sense, the -influence of a scientific age upon the art of the -painter.</p> - -<p>This view of Claude Monet’s art and the art of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_71" id="Page_71">[71]</a></span> -the so-called Impressionists is the very opposite of -that entertained by many writers who have attributed -to these painters careless rather than scientific -methods.</p> - -<p>If the principles laid down in this work are true, -they become of vital importance. We will not think -less of art, but we will be inspired by a new devotion -to nature and the great laws which govern -her. We will seek more diligently after the subtle -harmonies and beauties in nature, those qualities -which have been discovered by the great masters -and translated with measurable success. We will -go to nature with more intelligence and devotion, -that we may there enjoy these things for ourselves -at the source of all beauty. The student may lay -aside all preconceived notions with reference to -inspiration and creation, and address himself to -his task as would any other workman. The result -should be a more profound appreciation of all -beauty and more joy in a world too often made -commonplace by man.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"></div><!--Page break for ePub--> - - - -<h2><em>References</em></h2> - - -<div class="center"> -<table class="refs" border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0" summary="References"> -<tr><td class="refsauth" colspan="2"><span class="smcap">Aristotle</span></td></tr> -<tr><td class="refspage" style="width:4em">p. 61</td><td class="refsdesc">William Angus Knight, “Philosophy of the Beautiful,” Part 1, p. 28.</td></tr> -<tr><td class="refsauth" colspan="2"><span class="smcap">Baumgarten, Alexander Gottlieb</span></td></tr> -<tr><td class="refspage">p. 52</td><td class="refsdesc">Enc. Brit. 9th Ed., Vol. 1, “Aesthetics.”</td></tr> -<tr><td class="refsauth" colspan="2"><span class="smcap">Blackie, John Stuart</span></td></tr> -<tr><td class="refspage">p. 62-63</td><td class="refsdesc">The Contemporary Review, Vol. 43, June, 1883, pp. 821-822.</td></tr> -<tr><td class="refsauth" colspan="2"><span class="smcap">Bryce, Lord James</span></td></tr> -<tr><td class="refspage">p. 67-69</td><td class="refsdesc">Founder’s Day Book, Carnegie Institute, 1908, pp. 12-16.</td></tr> -<tr><td class="refsauth" colspan="2"><span class="smcap">Constable, John</span></td></tr> -<tr><td class="refspage">p. 17-18</td><td class="refsdesc">C. R. Leslie, R. A., “Memoirs of the Life of John Constable, Esq., R. A.,” 1843, pp. 147-148.</td></tr> -<tr><td class="refspage">p. 23-25</td><td class="refsdesc">C. R. Leslie, R. A., “Memoirs of the Life of John Constable, Esq., R. A.,” 1843, p. 66.</td></tr> -<tr><td class="refspage">p. 34</td><td class="refsdesc">C. J. Holmes, “Constable and His Influence on Landscape Painting,” 1902, p. 131.</td></tr> -<tr><td class="refsauth" colspan="2"><span class="smcap">Corot, Jean-Baptiste Camille</span></td></tr> -<tr><td class="refspage">p. 25</td><td class="refsdesc">Mrs. Schuyler Van Rensselaer, “Six Portraits,” p. 160.</td></tr> -<tr><td class="refsauth" colspan="2"><span class="smcap">Dürer, Albrecht</span></td></tr> -<tr><td class="refspage">p. 20-21</td><td class="refsdesc">Wm. Angus Knight, “Philosophy of the Beautiful,” Part 1, p. 48, and Moriz Thausing, “Albert Dürer, His Life and Works,” 1882, p. 319.</td></tr> -<tr><td class="refsauth" colspan="2"><span class="smcap">Fabre, Jean Henri</span></td></tr> -<tr><td class="refspage">p. 60-61</td><td class="refsdesc">J. Henri Fabre, “Bramble Bees and Others,” p. 42.</td></tr> -<tr><td class="refsauth" colspan="2"><span class="smcap">Froude, James Anthony</span></td></tr> -<tr><td class="refspage">p. 51-52</td><td class="refsdesc">James Anthony Froude, “England’s Forgotten Worthies,” pub. in “Short Studies on Great Subjects,” Vol. 1, First Series, 1894, p. 360.</td></tr> -<tr><td class="refsauth" colspan="2"><span class="smcap">Hambidge, Jay</span></td></tr> -<tr><td class="refspage">p. 58</td><td class="refsdesc">Jay Hambidge, “Dynamic Symmetry: The Greek Vase.”</td></tr> -<tr><td class="refsauth" colspan="2"><span class="smcap">Hearn, Lafcadio</span></td></tr> -<tr><td class="refspage">p. 64-65</td><td class="refsdesc">Atlantic Monthly, Vol. 78, August, 1896, p. 224.</td></tr> -<tr><td class="refsauth" colspan="2"><span class="smcap">Hegel, Georg Wilhelm Friedrich</span></td></tr> -<tr><td class="refspage">p. 13-15</td><td class="refsdesc">“The German Classics of the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries,” trans. by Kuno Francke and Wm. G. Howard, Vol. 7, pp. 112-113.</td></tr> -<tr><td class="refspage">p. 15</td><td class="refsdesc">“Philosophy of Fine Art,” trans. by Bernard Bosanquet, p. 105.</td></tr> -<tr><td class="refsauth" colspan="2"><span class="smcap">Hogarth, William</span></td></tr> -<tr><td class="refspage">p. 22</td><td class="refsdesc">William Hogarth, “Anecdotes of William Hogarth,” 1833, p. 47.</td></tr> -<tr><td class="refsauth" colspan="2"><span class="smcap">Homer, Winslow</span></td></tr> -<tr><td class="refspage">p. 37-39</td><td class="refsdesc">Author’s Notebook.</td></tr> -<tr><td class="refsauth" colspan="2"><span class="smcap">Kant, Immanuel</span></td></tr> -<tr><td class="refspage">p. 52-55</td><td class="refsdesc">Immanuel Kant, “Critique of Aesthetic Judgment,” trans. by James Creed Meredith, 1911, p. 181.</td></tr> -<tr><td class="refspage">p. 62</td><td class="refsdesc">Immanuel Kant, “Critique of Aesthetic Judgment,” trans. by James Creed Meredith, 1911, pp. 216-217.</td></tr> -<tr><td class="refsauth" colspan="2"><span class="smcap">Knight, William Angus</span></td></tr> -<tr><td class="refspage">p. 61-62</td><td class="refsdesc">Wm. Angus Knight, “Philosophy of the Beautiful,” Part 1, pp. 40-41 and page 19.</td></tr> -<tr><td class="refsauth" colspan="2"><span class="smcap">Kuo Hsi</span></td></tr> -<tr><td class="refspage">p. 64</td><td class="refsdesc">Sei-ichi Taki, “Three Essays on Oriental Painting,” pp. 43-45, quoting from Kuo Hsi, “Noble Features of the Forest and Stream.”</td></tr> -<tr><td class="refsauth" colspan="2"><span class="smcap">La Farge, John</span></td></tr> -<tr><td class="refspage">p. 42</td><td class="refsdesc">John La Farge, “An Artist’s Letters From Japan,” p. 141.</td></tr> -<tr><td class="refspage">p. 65-66</td><td class="refsdesc">John La Farge, “An Artist’s Letters From Japan,” p. 145.</td></tr> -<tr><td class="refsauth" colspan="2"><span class="smcap">Lawrence, Sir Thomas</span></td></tr> -<tr><td class="refspage">p. 25</td><td class="refsdesc">C. R. Leslie, R. A., “Memoirs of the Life of John Constable, Esq., R. A.,” 1843, p. 148.</td></tr> -<tr><td class="refsauth" colspan="2"><span class="smcap">Leibnitz, Baron Gottfried Wilhelm Von</span></td></tr> -<tr><td class="refspage">p. 52</td><td class="refsdesc">Bernard Bosanquet, “A History of Aesthetics,” 1892, p. 185.</td></tr> -<tr><td class="refsauth" colspan="2"><span class="smcap">Leonardo da Vinci</span></td></tr> -<tr><td class="refspage">p. 21</td><td class="refsdesc">“Leonardo da Vinci’s Notebooks,” trans. by Edward McCurdy, p. 156 and p. 160.</td></tr> -<tr><td class="refsauth" colspan="2"><span class="smcap">Maeterlinck, Maurice</span></td></tr> -<tr><td class="refspage">p. 55-56</td><td class="refsdesc">Maurice Maeterlinck, “The Life of the Bee,” p. 5.</td></tr> -<tr><td class="refsauth" colspan="2"><span class="smcap">Mauve, Anton</span></td></tr> -<tr><td class="refspage">p. 44-46</td><td class="refsdesc">Author’s Notebook.</td></tr> -<tr><td class="refsauth" colspan="2"><span class="smcap">Michelangelo Buonarotti</span></td></tr> -<tr><td class="refspage">p. 19-20</td><td class="refsdesc">Francisco D’Ollanda, “Third Dialogue on Painting,” pub. in “Michael Angelo Buonarotti,” by Charles Holroyd, Appendix, p. 323.</td></tr> -<tr><td class="refsauth" colspan="2"><span class="smcap">Millet, Jean François</span></td></tr> -<tr><td class="refspage">p. 25-26</td><td class="refsdesc">Romain Rolland, “Millet,” trans. by Clementina Black, pp. 383-385, 162, and 180.</td></tr> -<tr><td class="refsauth" colspan="2"><span class="smcap">Plato</span></td></tr> -<tr><td class="refspage">p. 61</td><td class="refsdesc">Plato’s Republic, pub. in “Dialogues of Plato,” trans. by B. Jowett, Vol. 3, pp. 86-87, and Enc. Brit. 9th Ed., Vol. 1, “Aesthetics.”</td></tr> -<tr><td class="refsauth" colspan="2"><span class="smcap">Ranger, Henry Ward</span></td></tr> -<tr><td class="refspage">p. 39-41</td><td class="refsdesc">Author’s Notebook.</td></tr> -<tr><td class="refsauth" colspan="2"><span class="smcap">Reynolds, Sir Joshua</span></td></tr> -<tr><td class="refspage">p. 22-23</td><td class="refsdesc">Henry William Beechy, “The Literary Works of Sir Joshua Reynolds,” Vol. 1, pp. 385 and 317, and G. Clausen, “Royal Academy Lectures on Painting,” p. 137.</td></tr> -<tr><td class="refsauth" colspan="2"><span class="smcap">Rodin, Auguste</span></td></tr> -<tr><td class="refspage">p. 46-47</td><td class="refsdesc">Auguste Rodin, “Art,” trans. from the French of Paul Gsell by Mrs. Romilly Fedden, pp. 30-33, and Literary Digest, June 4, 1910, p. 1127.</td></tr> -<tr><td class="refsauth" colspan="2"><span class="smcap">Schopenhauer, Arthur</span></td></tr> -<tr><td class="refspage">p. 48-49</td><td class="refsdesc">“The German Classics of the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries,” trans. by Kuno Francke and Wm. G. Howard, Vol. 15, p. 48.</td></tr> -<tr><td class="refsauth" colspan="2"><span class="smcap">Segantini, Giovanni</span></td></tr> -<tr><td class="refspage">p. 43-44</td><td class="refsdesc">Author’s Notebook.</td></tr> -<tr><td class="refsauth" colspan="2"><span class="smcap">Socrates</span></td></tr> -<tr><td class="refspage">p. 15-16</td><td class="refsdesc">Enc. Brit. 9th Ed., Vol. 1, “Aesthetics.”</td></tr> -<tr><td class="refsauth" colspan="2"><span class="smcap">Stuart, Gilbert</span></td></tr> -<tr><td class="refspage">p. 25</td><td class="refsdesc">George C. Mason, “The Life and Works of Gilbert Stuart,” 1894, pp. 68-69.</td></tr> -<tr><td class="refsauth" colspan="2"><span class="smcap">Taine, Hippolyte Adolphe</span></td></tr> -<tr><td class="refspage">p. 50-51</td><td class="refsdesc">H. Taine, “Philosophy of Art,” trans. by Durand, 1865, pp. 41, 57, 73, and H. Taine, “Lectures on Art,” Vol. 1, 1889, pp. 163, 197, and 353.</td></tr> -<tr><td class="refsauth" colspan="2"><span class="smcap">Taki, Sei-ichi</span></td></tr> -<tr><td class="refspage">p. 64</td><td class="refsdesc">Sei-ichi Taki, “Three Essays on Oriental Painting,” p. 48.</td></tr> -<tr><td class="refsauth" colspan="2"><span class="smcap">Thayer, Abbott Handerson</span></td></tr> -<tr><td class="refspage">p. 30-32</td><td class="refsdesc">Carnegie Institute Catalogue, Abbott H. Thayer Exhibition, 1919, p. 9.</td></tr> -<tr><td class="refsauth" colspan="2"><span class="smcap">Tolstoi, L. N.</span></td></tr> -<tr><td class="refspage">p. 39</td><td class="refsdesc">L. N. Tolstoi, “What is Art,” p. 43.</td></tr> -<tr><td class="refsauth" colspan="2"><span class="smcap">Whistler, James Abbott McNeill</span></td></tr> -<tr><td class="refspage">p. 26-30</td><td class="refsdesc">Author’s Notebook, and James McNeill Whistler, “The Gentle Art of Making Enemies,” pp. 142-143, and James McNeill Whistler, “Ten O’clock,” pp. 13-14.</td></tr> -<tr><td class="refsauth" colspan="2"><span class="smcap">Wordsworth, William</span></td></tr> -<tr><td class="refspage">p. 34</td><td class="refsdesc">Wm. Wordsworth, “Upon the Sight of a Beautiful Picture,” lines 12-14.</td></tr> -</table></div> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<div class="chapter"></div><!--Page break for ePub--> - -<p class="center smallfont">NINE HUNDRED AND FIFTY COPIES PRINTED<br /> -AT THE PRESS OF WILLIAM EDWIN RUDGE<br /> -MOUNT VERNON, NEW YORK</p> - -<p class="center smallfont" style="margin-top:2em">TYPOGRAPHY BY BRUCE ROGERS</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<div class="chapter"></div><!--Page break for ePub--> - -<div class="transnote"> -<h2 style="margin-top: 0em">Transcriber’s Notes:</h2> - -<p>Sidenotes originally appearing near the start of a paragraph are -positioned at the beginning of the paragraph; sidenotes in the middle of long -paragraphs are positioned near the relevant sentences.</p> - -<p>Punctuation has been made consistent.</p> - -<p>Variations in spelling and hyphenation were retained as they appear in -the original publication, except that obvious typographical errors -have been corrected.</p></div> - - - - - - - - -<pre> - - - - - -End of Project Gutenberg's The Relation of Art to Nature, by John W. 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